“Stay with run and get things done”. This was a quote by Pete Carroll in his post-game press conference after the Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-3 that stuck with me. The running game has been the identity of this team ever since Carroll took over the team in 2010. Smash mouth football with Marshawn Lynch is what has led this team to 2 straight Super Bowls, and helps elevate the performance and emotion of every Seahawk and Seahawk’s fan. The turnover in the offensive line over this offseason has threatened the Seahawk’s ability to run the ball, control time of possession, and punish their opponents. Additionally, the addition of Jimmy Graham has also altered the way Seahawks want to run the ball. Lynch’s best rushing game of the season is key in the Seahawk’s recapturing their identity and setting them up for an interesting (and hopefully prosperous) second half of the season. It’s taken a few weeks, but the team is showing growth in their use of Jimmy Graham in the run game, and Graham has shown improvement as a blocker. The following is a look at some of Graham’s improvement in blocking, his contributions to the run game, and how the Seahawk’s altered their run plays against the San Francisco 49ers to put Graham in a position to succeed. Over the off-season, the team mentioned a “willingness” from Jimmy Graham to block – and it has really shown over the past few weeks. After re-watching the game multiple times, I couldn’t find many (if any) plays where Graham was kept in to pass-block.

This offseason, Graham gave an interview stating “Listen, man, I’m 270 pounds. I can block anybody I want to,” he said. “It’s all about want-to. We’ll see come this first Sunday.” Graham has demonstrated a willingness to block, get in somebody’s face, and in some cases, push them completely out of the play. Jimmy Graham will never be the blocker Zach Miller was. That’s fine, the Seahawks don’t need him to be.

Cuts 1-4: All on the first drive. 9 carries, 38 yards by Lynch.

1st and 10 at SEA 39

(13:31 – 1st) M.Lynch left tackle to SEA 44 for 5 yards (A.Lynch)

Graham (#88) starts in motion and stops at the (L) side of the offensive line. This might be Graham’s worst block of the day, and Lynch is still able to get 5 yards out of the play. Graham is unable to sustain his block for very long, and the defender is dragged forward by Lynch for positive yardage. The Seahawk’s run with a 2-TE set right out of the gate, which was one of their most common formations to run out of this game. This is something to watch for in the future.

2nd and 5 at SEA 44

(12:55 – 1st) M.Lynch up the middle to SF 39 for 17 yards (A.Bethea)

Graham (#88) is aligned to the (R) side of the line, and is able to stone his defender in his tracks to stop him from interfering with the play. This is one of Lynch’s most explosive runs of the game. He is able to make the first defender miss and run through a nice hole for 17 yards. I think C Nowak also has a great block on this specific play.

2nd and 1 at SF 3

(9:55 – 1st) M.Lynch up the middle to SF 3 for no gain (I.Williams, Q.Dial)

Graham (#88) is aligned to the (R) side of the line, and has to block #55 Brooks. He is not able to keep him from interfering with the play, and as such Lynch is unable to gain any yardage. The Seahawks have generally struggled in running the ball when wanting to convert short-yardage situations this year. The next play is another run up the middle for no gain, however, this time the only TE in is #82 Willson.

3rd and Goal at SF 1

(7:01 – 1st) Marshawn Lynch 1 Yard Rush S.Hauschka extra point is GOOD.

I think this is an example of a great block by Graham (#88) at the goal-line. Graham is lined up on the (L) side directly beside LT Okung (#76). Graham is able to get a good push on his defender, and prevents him from disrupting the play for negative yardage, like it felt like was happening a lot in previous games. Tukuafu, our 280lb FB/TE/DE helps create some space for Lynch as well. They are beginning to Tukuafu more as a blocking TE, which consequently helps create opportunities for Jimmy Graham during passing downs – which is how it should be.

2nd and 6 at SEA 38

(12:10 – 2nd) (Shotgun) R.Wilson pass deep middle to J.Graham to SF 39 for 23 yards (M.Wilhoite). Caught at SF 46. 7-yds YAC

Graham isn’t blocking on this play. I just wanted to put this clip here because I thought this was a gorgeous touch pass over 3 49er defenders. Graham runs a seam route here and makes a great catch. Graham is finally starting to be used in the vertical game and it is really helping this offense move the ball (surprise, surprise).

1st and 10 at SF 39

(11:35 – 2nd) M.Lynch left guard to SF 37 for 2 yards (I.Williams)

Graham is aligned to the (L) side of the offensive line in this cut. This is an example of Graham showing up as a ‘willing blocker’. Lynch is already on the ground and Graham still tries to block his guy out of the play. Graham may not have realized that Lynch had already been stopped, but you have to love seeing his aggression and effort out of him in trying to sustain his blocks.

3rd and 5 at SEA 41

(2:00 – 4th) (Shotgun) M.Lynch left guard to SEA 47 for 6 yards (K.Reaser)

Graham is lined up as in-line TE to the (L) of LT Okung (#76) once again. This was a great 3rd down conversion to close out the game with a Lynch run. This type of conversion just does not happen in previous weeks without the offensive line and the TE all being on the same page. Graham again holds his man and helps create space for Lynch. In fact, Graham is the only TE on the field. I think this really shows the trust that the Seahawks are beginning to have in Graham blocking in the run game.

There were a few other Graham blocks that I chose not to display. They were more examples of him holding his man and preventing him from disrupting the play. Another observation I had was that on some of the run plays that Graham was kept into block, the Seahawks ran away from him. That’s probably a good tactic to use until (or if) Graham is able to become a mauling run-blocker. The Seahawks are adjusting how they are using Graham in blocking, and coupled with having Lynch healthy and the offensive line gelling more, was a big factor in the run success the Seahawks experienced against the San Francisco 49ers. The result was a 27 carry, 122 yard, 4.5ypc game for Marshawn Lynch. The Seahawks have regained their identity as a smash mouth run-down-your-throat football team, and if they continue to run the ball this well, they are going to be really hard to stop.