I was more than a little surprised that the Seahawks kept five running backs (Lynch, Robinson, Turbin, Washington & Lumpkin) on the 53-man roster. If anything, I was hoping that we'd keep four tight ends, rather than just three. I was even more surprised when we cut Kellen Winslow, dropping us to just two TEs. (The team later announced that they signed TE Evan Moore.)
So, was Lumpkin that awesome against the Raiders? In PS Week 4, Lumpkin ran for 71 yards on 20 carries for an average of 3.5 yards per carry with a 14-yarder as his longest play and no touchdowns. Not bad, but not great, considering that he was running against 2nd and 3rd stringers. Then again, he wasn't behind 1st team blockers either.
I was a little concerned that Lumpkin was gassed after 20 runs and Kearse took over in the backfield, but looking back, Lumpkin played fullback when Taua was carrying the ball, so he had well over 20 snaps in the game.
Overall, Lumpin looked so-so. He had some nice cuts and didn't shy from contact. He generally went downhill - though he should have broken it to the outside on one play. Late in the game, he started stomping snakes, rather than doing the one-cut-and-go of a true zone runner. He lost the ball once after being down by contact. Frankly, I can't tell you what his special talent is. He's not a big bruiser. His cuts were probably his best asset, but weren't amazing. I didn't get the feeling that he had a speedster's velocity. Unfortunately, the blocks ahead of him weren't textbook, so it was hard to evaluate his vision and decision making. Yes, he can step in and carry the ball, but I'm not impressed. By contrast, Turbin truly impresses me.
So, why carry five RBs - especially when the 5th back didn't exactly light it up? My guess? Leverage. I can imagine this conversation between the front office and Lynch's agent.
Front Office (FO): "We need to talk about Marshawn's contract."
Lynch's Agent (LA): "You mean we should celebrate it. It's great that we got that done so early."
FO: "Too early. That was before the DUI."
LA: "Don't worry. That won't slow him down."
FO: "But he might miss some games."
LA: "Not this year. His lawyer tells me it won't go to court this season."
FO: "Part of the contract is for his image. That's tainted now."
LA: "Tainted? He's still Beast Mode. Toughest guy on the team."
FO: "Tough guys don't miss games because of back spasms."
LA: "Don't worry. That was just preseason. He won't miss any real games."
FO: "Last year's Cleveland game was real."
LA: "C'mon. This whole thing is a bluff. Pay the man."
FO: "Ask Kellen Winslow if we bluff."
If Vai Taua hadn't suffered an injury late in Thursday's game, maybe he'd be on the roster and the front office would be having a conversation with Robinson's agent. Lumpkin played a bit of fullback against Oakland, so maybe that conversation is going on anyway. But Robinson made his first Pro Bowl and doesn't have a DUI or back spasms. Maybe Leon Washington's agent got a phone call too, but the team didn't show anybody else who could return the ball, aside from Tate, and Tate is now injured. Of our returning running backs, Marshawn has the least leverage.
There are only two reasons I can think of for keeping five running backs right now. It's either for leverage with Lynch's contract, or it's because we need depth as Lynch's back spasms might be worse than anybody is letting on.
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