Pete Carroll: Decision to waive Christine Michael was about Seahawks’ other backfield options

RENTON – To hear coach Pete Carroll explain it, the Seahawks’ decision to part ways with Christine Michael wasn’t as much about Christine Michael as it was Seattle’s other backfield options.

“It’s really about the guys coming into the opportunity,” he said Wednesday before noting the emergence of rookie C.J. Prosise and Thomas Rawls’ return from injury. “C.J. did a really great job. He’s doing the things that we like seeing in him. We look forward to continuing to grow with him – that’s one. Thomas coming back and ready to play – that’s two. We’re really excited about that. We’ve all been waiting to see that happen. He has to get through the week and all, but he’s really in great shape and ready to go, so we anticipate that he’ll play and will be significantly involved.”

And reason No. 3, according to Carroll, is Troymaine Pope, an undrafted rookie who stood out in the preseason but didn’t make the team. The Seahawks signed Pope to their practice squad after his stint with the Jets, then promoted him to their 53-man roster when they waived Michael on Tuesday. Michael was claimed by Green Bay on Wednesday.

“We really have liked Troymaine Pope from the time that we had him,” Carroll said. “We missed out on getting him back when we had to release him at camp and were disappointed in that, so now that we’ve got him back and he’s in the fold, we’re anxious to see what we could do.

“That’s why we did that.”

Of course, the Seahawks wouldn’t have dumped Michael had there not been some level of dissatisfaction in his play. His yards-per-carry-average had dropped from 5.2 over the first three games to 3.3 over the last six. He had only 11 touches over the last two games and only played 11 snaps on offense Sunday night against New England as Prosise supplanted him as the starter. Michael committed some costly mistakes, including a lost fumble that ended Seattle’s comeback attempt against Los Angeles and a false-start penalty near the goal line in a loss to New Orleans, and there were a few times when he didn’t finish runs the way the Seahawks prefer. He also had trouble keeping his feet, which was becoming a recurring issue.

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Asked what he’s seen in Michael, Carroll praised him for the career turnaround he made in his second stint with the Seahawks and for how he carried the load in Seattle’s backfield for much of the first half of the season.

“He’s been busting his tail the whole time he’s been here,” Carroll said. “Everything we’ve said about him has been true and real and he’s made a great comeback with us. He was kind of like the only guy there for a while and we were really grateful (for) the play that he gave us. He’s a good kid.”

Here was Pete Carroll on the #Seahawks‘ matchup with Philadelphia and the decision to waive Christine Michael. pic.twitter.com/HRa8t89d3D

— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) November 16, 2016

While the decision to waive Michael was entirely understandable and even foreseeable, it’s not every day you see a team drop its leading rusher in the middle of the season. Carroll was asked why there wasn’t any room for Michael even in a supporting role.

“We’re going with the other guys, really,” he said. “I already told you. We’re going with the guys that we wanted to go with, and we’re excited about where we’re moving and think it’s going to fit really well. We’ll find out. You’ll have your chance to say what you think here in a couple weeks. We’ll see how it goes.”

The Seahawks play the Packers in Green Bay on Dec. 11, which means they could face Michael if he’s still with the team by then.

In his absence, the Seahawks will rely on some combination of Rawls and Prosise to lead their rushing attack. Exactly what that combination will look like remains to be seen.

Prosise showed Sunday night that he’s capable of handling more than just the third-down role that the Seahawks had in mind for him when they drafted him in the third round. He totaled 153 combined rushing and receiving yards on 24 touches against New England while also impressing coaches and teammates with his physicality, something he had yet to really show. Prosise missed a significant amount of time over the offseason with hip and hamstring injuries, then missed four games this season after hurting his wrist in the opener.

Rawls, meanwhile, returned to practice last week and is on track to play Sunday against Philadelphia for the first time since cracking a bone in his fibula in the second game of the season. Will he resume his starting role?

“We’re going to get him back first,” Carroll said. “Let’s get him back, get him going and make sure he’s ready to roll and all that and we’ll figure that out in time. I’m not worried about that a bit. If he makes it through the week, he’s going to play considerably because he’s in great shape and he’s ready to do that, but we’re not going to overplay him or try to take it too far too soon.”

Note

• Carroll said the Seahawks signed defensive tackle John Jenkins with an eye toward upgrading their interior pass-rush. Jenkins, 27, is listed at 6 feet 3 and 359 pounds. He has 1.5 sacks in 49 career games (22 starts) with New Orleans, which drafted him in the third round in 2013 and waived him earlier this season. Seattle signed him Tuesday while waiving Sealver Siliga, who’s more of a run-stopping defensive tackle.