Wednesday, December 26, 2012

How the Seattle Seahawks Have Become the NFL's Most Potent Offense

Totals of 284, 270 and 176. That is the amount of rushing yards the Seattle Seahawks have had in their last three games, respectively. In a league that's predicated and hyped up on passing the ball efficiently (and rightly so), the Seahawks have largely done it the old-school way and sprinkled in some new-school concepts along the way.seattle seahawks jerseys,nike new nfl jerseys cheap

Football fanatics have almost forgotten the running game because of the recent concentration on the quarterback position. It is still important that a team has a strong running game that can wear down the clock and bury the opposition when it's needed most (e.g. late in games, short yardage, etc.). Moreover, running the ball opens up the playbook as the offense can attack the defense in multiple ways, such as with the use of the "play-pass," as Bill Walsh famously called it.

Seattle has used the play-action pass better than anybody in the NFL as of late, and a big reason why, aside from efficient rookie Russell Wilson, is its battering ram, Marshawn Lynch.

Lynch is one of the league's best running backs because of his physical style, vision and quick feet. He does a very good job of finding running lanes and has shown in the past that he can be counted upon to perform. When he's running well, the play fake is very convincing.seattle seahawks jerseys,nike new nfl jerseys cheap

One way Seahawks coaches have gotten the ball rolling downhill with Lynch and Wilson is through the installment of the Pistol formation.

The Pistol has gained popularity this season, with many teams using it, including the division rival San Francisco 49ers. It could be argued that the Seahawks may have had the most success with it thus far, however, as it truly suits their running style.

The offense likes to get Lynch running downhill with power-run concepts, and that's what the Pistol does very well. The quarterback is aligned five yards off the line of scrimmage with the running back directly behind him, at seven yards. It looks odd at first, but it causes problems for defenders and their assigned keys, as seen against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night.seattle seahawks jerseys,nike new nfl jerseys cheap

Every defender is given a set of keys to go through before the snap. For instance, if a running back is lined up offset, he may be tipping off that he is going to be running a pass route or a stretch run to the opposite side.

But the Pistol formation doesn't do this. With the running back directly behind the quarterback, there are no tendencies to take from the alignment.

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