Seahawks’ offense can finds its identity by feeding the Beast

“Won’t the Real Slim Shady please stand up, please stand up, please stand up.”

Maybe it’s the way that the Cowboys have transformed their offense this year around the run game, or maybe it’s all the talk of a Seahawks “identity crisis” this week, or maybe it’s just that I’m a big Eminem fan, but I’ve had that song stuck in my head all week thinking about the Seattle-St. Louis game Sunday.

The Seahawks’ attack is best identified for running the football through Marshawn Lynch, and yet he left CenturyLink Field with only 10 carries following the Cowboys game. Similarly he took an early leave in the only other loss of the season in San Diego with only six carries to his name. I have a hard time believing that the offensive struggles of those two contests and the lack of activity from the running back position are coincidental.

Coach Pete Carroll has mentioned several times this week that the Seahawks aren’t playing their game when Lynch only gets 10 carries as he did last Sunday. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell admits that the Seahawks were off their game as well, telling reporters, “I do have to do a better job of getting him the ball.”

The numbers support this as well. The Seahawks lead the league on run plays on first down at 40.4 percent, yet they only ran the ball 33.3 percent on first down against the Cowboys. Offensive-line injuries have played into this to a certain extent, but the Seahawks were missing three offensive-line starters for sections of last season and never departed this drastically from their offensive identity. The bottom line is obvious and acknowledged in this case: Run. The. Ball.

Obviously all that had been made of the effect of a healthy Percy Harvin and what he brings to the table is no longer an issue. In fact, if the Harvin trade clears the air at all in the locker room, the remaining playmakers in the passing game can maximize their contribution to the offense by getting back to a healthy bit of blocking. I still believe that this Seahawks offense can be special and can get back to carrying this team while they try to get several starters back on the other side of the ball, but they need to get back to what they do.

The good news is that it’s as simple as feeding the Beast, and that’s something that the Seahawks know how to do better than any team in the NFL. They need only be ready to throw body blows throughout the game in St. Louis, grind on the Rams’ defense as the day goes on and then pick spots for the big play in the passing game. Get back to what the Seahawks do and how they play. Just stand up.

Now then, back to my tunes.

Thanks for reading, enjoy your weekend and if you’d like to join the conversation, please follow me on Twitter @TheMichaelGrey.