Hawk Talk: C.J. Spiller, C.J. Prosise and the Seahawks’ situation at RB

Danny O’Neil discussed the Seahawks’ win over the Jets, their situation at running back and more during another edition of “Hawk Talk” on Tuesday. You can read the full transcript here. Highlights are below.

PDXHawk asked about which of the Seahawks’ third-down running backs will have more touches by the end of the season, C.J. Spiller or C.J. Prosise.

O’Neil: Great, great question. Before Sunday’s game I would have said Prosise and it wouldn’t be close. I thought Spiller was cooked. I couldn’t imagine the Saints cutting loose a running back whose 2016 salary it had already committed to paying if he wasn’t done. Spiller looked explosive and his feel on that pass for the touchdown was remarkable.

Holy Roller asked about what the Seahawks will do at running back once Thomas Rawls returns from his fibula injury.

O’Neil: I don’t believe that Rawls will automatically be the starter when he is healthy enough to return. I think the Seahawks will handle that situation by easing him back in. Having a game – like Week 1 – where he has a limited number of snaps.

MontanaMike asked if left tackle Bradley Sowell is improving.

O’Neil: I’m not going to profess expertise to evaluate an O-lineman game to game. I honestly don’t think that he has been a significant issue through four games. People thought he had a bad game against the Rams in Week 2 yet Robert Quinn had one tackle outside of that sack at the end of the second half. And that sack Quinn had was on Russell Wilson 100 percent. He held the ball too long and thought he could run away.

Dani asked if the Seahawks will make a switch at left tackle, calling that the team’s biggest weakness.

O’Neil: I think it IF Seattle were to make a switch at left tackle – and I think there is going to be some competition in that regard – that it is five times more likely Seattle makes that move with someone currently on the roster as opposed to someone not on the roster.

Matt asked how right guard Germain Ifedi played in his NFL debut.

O’Neil: I think the dude is tough. I saw him come off from a play in the first half limping profusely with pain on his face. I thought he’d re-injured the ankle, and he toughed his way through it.

Tom Page asked if linebacker Mike Morgan going on injured reserve is relatively insignificant since he’s only been playing about 25 percent of Seattle’s defensive snaps.

O’Neil: It’s an issue because you’re going to have to put someone in there for those quarter of the snaps. Of the 16 players in Seattle’s regular defensive rotation, I would list Morgan as the least significant.

Buckminster Fuller noted how Wilson, on his touchdown throw to Tanner McEvoy, stepped up in the pocket to avoid the oncoming pass rush as opposed to trying to run away from it.

O’Neil: Completely agree with you, and that was something that may in fact have been related to his injuries. If he was healthy, he might have tucked it. There was room in front of him. But the way he stepped up, still looking downfield was huge.

Steve MT asked O’Neil about the coolest part of covering the Seahawks game on the sidelines for the first time.

O’Neil: Two things: The speed of the game. Once the ball is snapped, everything explodes in front of you and it’s like complete chaos trying to figure out who is going where from that field level. The second thing is how fast everything happens between plays. The substitutions, the signals, everything is incredible.