One of the biggest things noticeable for rookies in the NFL is the tendency to play too fast, and for Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker, that served him well last season.
Now in his second year in the NFL, Walker is again off to a good start, as he has 450 rushing yards and six touchdowns through six games.
For head coach Pete Carroll, Walker is becoming more patient at the line of scrimmage instead of trying to force things, which has led to a better output from the running back.
“I think he realizes that you can’t try to break everything," Carroll said. "He’s making a little clearer choices about hitting the line of scrimmage and there’s good things that happen when you do that too. Breaks come from that also; I think he’s doing really well. He’s a highly creative runner, you have to give him space. He’s going to go for stuff, and that’s the only way he’s going to make some of these amazing plays too.
Walker is coming off his best game of the season as he carried the rock 26 times for 105 yards in Seattle's 20-10 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Now forming a good tandem with rookie Zach Charbonnet, the Seahawks have surpassed 100 yards rushing in three of their six games (three wins as well).
While the running game was up and going against the Cardinals, the offense struggled in the red zone, going 1 of 3. For Walker, the offense got the right play calls, they just didn't execute.
“Execute," Walker said. "We just don’t execute. We’ve got the good play calls, but we just got to execute.”
So, while the running game with Walker leading the charge is starting to produce tangible results, there are still a host of things that need to be cleaned up going forward.
But as long as Walker keeps making "clear choices" with the ball in his hands, Seattle will always be able to rely on the running game to help overcome the offense's shortcomings.
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