Marshawn Lynch, Michael Robinson on NFL Turning Point

I really wanted to take the time to point this video from last night out, not only because it's entertaining and funny just in the 'Marshawn Lynch is hilarious' fashion, but because it's pretty interesting from a schematic, X's and O's standpoint.

Lynch and Robinson sit down and break down some game film, mostly from Sunday's win over Minnesota, and they talk about the Power-I run game that Seattle runs a little more often than most teams.

Some interesting notes in this video:

Something I never noticed: Michael Robinson sets up in a two-point stance prior to the snap - a departure from the normal 3-point stance you'll see fullbacks in as they look to explode into their downhill blocks. Robinson prefers this - and has been instructed by Seahawks' running back coaches to do this - because it better allows him to survey the defense, both their pre-snap movement and their quick reactions at the snap. One thing that I have noticed in going to training camp and watching games is that Robinson is actually a pretty tall dude - he's listed at 6'1 and that's moderately tall for a fullback. When he's standing next to guys like Leon Washington, or earlier in the year, Tyrell Sutton, he looks like a giant.

Robinson uses his two-point stance and height advantage as a way to note alignments, splits, movement and all that pre-and-post snap stuff to best recognize where he should lay out his lead block. To "see the defense like the runner sees the defense." It also surely helps a ton that Robinson played quarterback at Penn State. He's been schooled in recognizing defenses and knowing where their weaknesses should lie, schematically. I really can't stress how important this is -- it's the 'football IQ' part of the game.

Interestingly, Marshawn repeatedly refers to Robinson as 'his eyes' throughout the video, noting that he trusts Mike Rob to help lead him to daylight. As Robinson puts it - "you read it like a runner - that's why he calls me his 'eyes', because we're supposed to see the same thing."

Another point of emphasis for the Seahawks, and something that I never noticed either, is that on the snap, Robinson and Lynch's footwork ("feetwork" as per Lynch) should be lockstep -- 'like they're on a string,' as Robinson notes. They show video of this and it's pretty cool to see in action. They both point out that they work on this a lot in practice.

Anyway - it's a great look at some of the nuances and technique that goes into running the football. Click below:

'NFL Turning Point': Beast Mode & Mike Rob

BIG BONUS:

Pete Carroll mic'd up vs. Minnesota. Great watch:

'Sound FX': Soaring with Pete Carroll - NFL Videos