Seattle Seahawks Player On The Rise: Christine Michael

It’s back to serious business for the entire NFL, as training camps are set to begin throughout the league.  Every team has a story or two that fans are eager to see unfold.  There are several brewing in Seattle, which includes position battles for wide receiver roles, the second-string QB spot, and how the defensive line will be re-structured.  I’m excited to see how Pete Carroll plans to plug running back Christine Michael into the offense.

Because Marshawn Lynch has been such a workhorse for the Seahawks, any sort of talk about Christine Michael is easy to ignore.  I have been a fan of Lynch since his college days, and knew that the ‘Hawks had come away with a special player when they acquired him from Buffalo.  Sadly, however, every player has their pull date, and for running backs, their time tends to come a little sooner than others.  Not to imply that Marshawn’s time with the team is up, but it’s never too early for a coach to prepare for the inevitable.

This will be Christine Michael’s second year in Seattle.  He was used very sparingly during his rookie campaign, but behind the scenes, coaches have been singing high praises for the young half back.  Former Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson said that he needed a full year to mature, and word from the coaching staff is that he has done just that.  By all accounts, he is well ahead of where many projected him to be at this point of his young career, and is poised to be a break-out talent.

Multiple sources have stated that coach Carroll plans on dividing up running plays, relying less on only using Lynch, and instead giving both backs a steady amount of touches.  This strategy seems like a winning situation for both runners, as Lynch will receive less of a physical beating and Michael will get more in-game experience.  Keep in mind, however, that Robert Turbin could be the proverbial monkey wrench in the equation.

We have all seen what Turbin has to offer as Marshawn’s reliever.  He battled a nagging injury that limited his playing time last season, but Pete Carroll absolutely loves the talent he possesses as well.

Ultimately, Seattle is faced with a favorable problem, and that is having too much talent in the backfield.