Pete Carroll: Seahawks will try to ride the hot hand at running back

The Seahawks offense has been on fire in recent weeks, but now that both Thomas Rawls and Marshawn Lynch are out injured, it’s a legitimate concern if they can keep rolling Sunday against the Browns without their top two running backs.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll gave some insight into how the team will use its three options at tailback – usual fullback Derrick Coleman, the returning Christine Michael, and former Bills and Eagles running back Bryce Brown – in his weekly appearance on KIRO Radio 97.3.

“You’re gonna see us mix the guys in there and see who’s hot, see if we can tell who’s effective for us,” Carroll said. “All three guys have looked really good in practice during the week.”

The good news for the Seahawks is that the three different players have strengths specific to themselves, giving Seattle a myriad of options to figure out what is working best out of the backfield.

“With Derrick Coleman at 240-something pounds, he’s running big and thick and strong. You’ll see Christine Michael at the other end of the spectrum, he’s really flashy and really explosive, and Bryce is kind of in the middle – almost 230 pounds, he’s got really good speed and really good hands and he’s done a lot of good running in his past,” Carroll said.

The other positive for Seattle is how successful quarterback Russell Wilson, wide receiver Doug Baldwin and the rest of the passing game has been on its current three-game winning streak, something that helped immensely when Rawls left last week’s game in Baltimore with a broken ankle. As long as the Seahawks can continue to be productive through the air, there shouldn’t be too much pressure on the running backs.

“We’re gonna mix our guys and call on the system and call on the philosophy to mix our run and pass, to get us the kind of rhythm that we need to make sure we can cut loose with Russell and the receivers and Doug and all the fellas that are doing well,” Carroll said. “We’ll see how that comes together. We’re gonna have to see through the game, to tell you the truth.”