Alex Gibbs Will Resurrect the Seattle Seahawks Running Game

Like a lot of people, I wasn't sure what to make of Pete Carroll being recruited as the new head coach for the Seattle Seahawks. To be honest, I still don't!

However, one move that I'm excited about is the appointment of Alex Gibbs. His role has not been defined as of yet, but all we really need to know is that he will be coaching the offensive line.

Personally speaking, this is excellent news for the Seahawks. Growing up, I was a big John Elway fan (apologies Seattle) and I have no doubt that one of the reasons that he finally won the Superbowl was thanks to the North Carolina native.

In fact, during Gibbs second stint at Denver between 1995-2003 (he was also with the Broncos from 1984-87) the team finished outside the top-ten in rushing only once. Even then, they still averaged 116.5 yards a game, something that the 2009 Seahawks would have been more than happy with.

Eight out of the nine seasons, the Broncos had a 1,000-yard rusher. And before anyone says this isn't hard with the likes of Terrell Davis and Clinton Portis running the ball, keep in mind that relative unknowns Olandis Gary and Mike Anderson also managed to break the 1,000-yard barrier.

Back then, it seemed like Denver could put anyone in the backfield and they would churn out big numbers. And it's all thanks to Gibbs coaching of the offensive line. He is the master of the zone-blocking scheme, no argument.

The NFL may well have evolved into a passing league, but it still helps to be able to run the rock, especially when you're playing on the road in bad weather during late December.

Talking of playing on the road, there's a lot of theories out there (some of them unprintable) as to why Seattle plays so badly away from the safe confines of Qwest Field. I can't claim to know why they are so awful, but I do know that one way to solve this issue is to run the ball better.

It's no coincidence that when the Seahawks went 5-3 on the road during their Superbowl season, they had a powerful running game that averaged 153.6 yards a game.

A return to this would be more than welcomed and with Gibbs now on board, anything is possible. Hey, he even helped Atlanta lead the league in rushing during 2004 on their way to the NFC Championship game with a certain Jim Mora at the helm.

It's going to be a long, hard road for Seattle to return to contender-status, but count on Gibbs having an immediate and positive influence on a running game that needs to improve dramatically.