RENTON, Wash. — Running back Christine Michael showed in the Seattle Seahawks preseason opener why the team selected him in the second round of this year’s draft, rumbling for 89 yards on 18 carries.
The Texas A&M product is a dynamic, explosive athlete with tons of potential, and perfectly fits Seattle’s run-first approach on offense.
However, during Seattle’s first practice after the game on Sunday, coach Pete Carroll got a first-hand look at the risk involved in taking Michael that early: the rookie will be sidelined for an unknown period of time because of back spasms.
“It might be a little bit before we get him back up,” Carroll said. “We’re working on him.”
Of course, Michael had his injury concerns coming out of college. Michael suffered a broken leg and a torn ACL knee ligament in consecutive seasons that cut short playing time for the Aggies in 2010 and 2011.
Starting running back Marshawn Lynch played just two plays in Seattle’s exhibition opener before giving way to Michael.
And Michael got his share of opportunities in Seattle’s 31-10 win over the San Diego Chargers. He ran six times for 21 yards in the first half. In the second half, he turned it up a notch, carrying 12 times for 68 yards — including a 24-yard run — for a total of 89 yards on 18 carries.
“We weren’t going to get frustrated with what happened early, and just (kept) sticking to it,” Carroll said. “He bounced the ball well outside on his long run – had a couple of nice runs. He’s got a long way to go, but he ran hard, looked quick and made some guys miss. So I think it’s a very good first game for him.”
His highest yardage total last year at Texas A&M was 75 yards in a 63-21 win over Auburn. He ran a season-high 13 times for 33 yards in 20-17 loss against Florida. Michael finished the season with 417 yards – at 4.7 yards per carry – and 12 touchdowns.
With Michael out, reserve running back Robert Turbin (foot) practiced this week for the first time during training camp since coming off the physically unable to perform list. Turbin looked good working with the second unit during team drills.
Turbin ran for 354 yards his rookie year, which included a 108-yard effort in a 58-0 win over Arizona in December. Turbin also hauled in 19 receptions for 181 yards.
Although Michael was impressive against San Diego, for now Turbin remains Seattle’s No. 2 option behind starter Marshawn Lynch, along with working as the team’s third-down back
–Team correspondents for The Sports Xchange contributed material for this story.