NFC West Notebook: Seahawks have another Beast on their hands in Rawls
Running back Marshawn Lynch has embodied the ferocious identity that has helped the Seattle Seahawks reach consecutive Super Bowls.
So it's easy to understand why the team has invested a pair of draft picks over the past few seasons to find a capable understudy to the player known as "Beast Mode" for his relentless running style.
While running backs Robert Turbin and Christine Michael have come and gone, the Seahawks appear to have struck gold with rookie Thomas Rawls, an undrafted free agent who is quickly endearing himself to fans in the Pacific Northwest with a battering-ram style that is eerily similar to Lynch.
"He makes somebody miss to find somebody to hit," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said at his media briefing Monday in describing Rawls, a former University of Michigan recruit who found stardom at Central Michigan.
Getting his third start in place of an ailing Lynch, Rawls took the opportunity and ran through the opposition with it. He amassed 209 yards rushing and a touchdown and added three catches for 46 yards and another score to spark a 29-13 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Thomas Rawls is the 1st rookie in NFL history with 250+ scrimmage yards, rush TD & receiving TD in a game pic.twitter.com/yHNCpNiCcc
— Randall Liu (@RLiuNFL) November 23, 2015
In the process, Rawls became the first rookie in NFL history to amass at least 250 yards from scrimmage with a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game. He's also the first undrafted free agent to rush for more than 160 yards twice as a rookie.
"He can run over guys, but he can run away from you too," Carroll said in his postgame press conference. "He'll attack guys down the field. To me, that was the first impression I got about Thomas, that's why I liked him from the start. ... He's a very aggressive kid, and a very aggressive style of runner."
Lynch, who is dealing with an abdominal injury that is threatening his season, obviously could see the potential after Rawls rushed for 104 yards in one half in Week 3 and rumbled for 169 yards and a touchdown in his second career start.
"Marshawn came up to me and said, 'Look youngin', I'm going to pass you the torch for the day, you know what to do,' " Rawls recounted to reporters Sunday after shredding the 49ers. "That's all I did. I just waited on my number to get called, and ... served as best as I could for the team."
Rawls is a bit smaller than Lynch at 5-foot-9 and 215 pounds, but he seeks out contact in much the same manner as his mentor, charging into defenders to grab an extra yard and treating the sideline like a disease.
"I have never ran out of bounds," Rawls said. "It's just my make-up; it's my whole mentality. I think I would feel less of a person just running out of bounds instead of being physical, showing toughness, and (having) a different mentality at the running back position."
Rams' Fisher defends process in Keenum concussion
While the NFL scrambles to avoid a repeat scenario in which St. Louis Rams quarterback Case Keenum was allowed to stay in Sunday's game despite suffering a concussion, coach Jeff Fisher said there should be no finger-pointing following the snafu.
"It was a combination of unusual events that took place," Fisher told reporters during Monday's media briefing. "You cannot, in these circumstances, place blame on anybody."
Whether the NFL agrees after completing an inquiry into the matter is another issue. Fisher maintained he was unaware that Keenum was in such obvious distress as he struggled to get to his feet with about a minute remaining in the loss to Baltimore.
"I can tell you that personally, had I seen it, then Case would've been standing by me," said Fisher, who reported that Keenum was feeling better Monday and will make a second straight start if he passes the league's concussion protocol this week.
Gabbert continues to make strides
Blaine Gabbert's three-year run with the Jacksonville Jaguars featured some ugly moments. The former No. 10 overall pick went 6-22 and lost his final 10 starts.
Turns out there may be life after the Jaguars for Gabbert, who had another solid effort for the 49ers in Sunday's loss at Seattle. Gabbert threw for 264 yards and a touchdown and received a nod from his coach in an otherwise forgettable day.
"The poise that he showed, it was really good," 49ers coach Tomsula said at his postgame press conference. "He used his feet. He used his arm. He got out of some things and kept his eyes downfield. He made some plays.
"I'm not into moral victories, but that was encouraging."
