Blitz
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- Mar 20, 2019
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With all the talk of Marshawn Lynch returning to the Seahawks after a four-year hiatus, the starting running back in Week 17 was Travis Homer. And for good reason.
Homer generated 62 rushing yards on 10 carries, and he added 30 receiving yards on five catches (with five targets). His performance got the attention of the coaching staff.
“He was amazing,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer told reporters on Thursday regarding Homer’s performance. “I think we all knew what a physical runner he was. The way he would look for contact and finish runs. The production in the passing game is really what caught my eye. How cool it was for Russ[ell Wilson] to really look to him on some of those critical third down situations with him. Not only making plays but catching the football more where the sticks were. There are two or three clips, you guys should really go look at, there are two or three clips, you’ve probably seen it, of pass protection where a guy is blitzing. Literally, there’s one, I can’t remember exactly, but a linebacker blitzed, and he tossed the nickel back into the linebacker. It was an unbelievable block. You felt his physicality. You felt how physical he is as a football player. Again, we didn’t expect it to be too big for him, but it certainly wasn’t. The passing game is really, what I thought, was really impressive.”
Wilson suggested on Thursday that Homer could end up being an undrafted hero for the Seattle playoff run.
“You saw Homer this past week and how he played,” Wilson told reporters. “He played a great football game, so hopefully he can be one of those guys.”
Coach Pete Carroll likes Homers consistency with the ball in his hands.
“He’s got a really good style, attitude about running the ball,” Homer said. “He’s just downhill and gives you everything; he’s got that suddenness, [it] really is an asset. We love the way he plays. Love the style of his play.”
Carroll wasn’t surprised by the results.
“We totally expected that from him and that’s all he’s ever done,” Carroll said. “He’s never been anything but full speed. He’s 1,000 percent every time he gets the ball in his hands or chases a punt or whatever he does on special teams. He’s been really true to who he is, but it wasn’t a surprise. It was good to see him be effective and have an effect on the game in a positive way.”
The Seahawks will need that again, given the injury absences of Chris Carson, Rashad Penny, and C.J. Prosise and the layer or two of rust that Lynch and Robert Turbin still need to shake off.