With Jadarian Price and Arizona Cardinals rookie Jeremiyah Love — former Notre Dame backfield mates, now both first-round NFL running backs — set to face off in Week 2, there was no better time to bring back one of the show’s favorite recurring guests. On the latest episode of the Sea Hawkers Podcast, former Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls joined the show to break down Price’s Week 1 tape and preview what’s coming against Love and the Cardinals. Here are a few of the biggest takeaways.
Price’s debut was about fundamentals, not flash
Ten carries
for 52 yards doesn’t jump off the box score, but Rawls didn’t grade the stat line. He pointed to Price’s vision and consistency as the traits that stood out on tape. He noted a few points of Price’s technique: squared shoulders, trusting what he sees, and getting north-south without hesitation (6:18).
The low touch count looks like a plan, not a limitation
Seattle ran only 48 offensive plays in Week 1, and that helped to cap the amount of work Price could realistically get regardless of how the coaching staff feels about him. Rawls framed it as an intentional, patient build-up in a rookie’s usage and talked about his trust in the Seahawks coaching and medical staff to make sound decisions about playing time. He expects the touches to climb as he works into a rhythm (22:54).
Something to watch moving forward: How big does Price’s role actually get?
The return of Zach Charbonnet in the next few weeks could cut into any projection around Price’s role. That said, Rawls offered up a projection. He thinks we’ll see Price around 800 to 1,000 yards at the end of the regular season and is much more interested in seeing him used inside the red zone. Rawls said, “I really want to see if he can get to double digit touchdowns.” (42:55).
Rawls also covers a lot of other ground in the episode, including his own breakout 2015 game in relief of an injured Marshawn Lynch (28:05), a look ahead to the matchup between Price and his former Notre Dame teammate Jeremiyah Love (13:42) and where Seattle-area fans can catch him in person — he’ll be at Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn for the Cardinals road game on September 20 (47:35). Check out the full discussion below!
