Seahawks' Mike Macdonald sends blunt message on struggling run game

The Seattle Seahawks are off to a strong start this season, and with a new quarterback in Sam Darnold, the offense is humming. However, there's still one facet of the offense that isn't getting it done this year: the run game.

Running backs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet are good options out of the backfield, but they haven't gotten things going nearly as well as they could be.

Mike Macdonald, amid the struggles in the running game, provided a very blunt statement the day after the game. Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic shared Macdonald's comments, which were very candid and called for improvement in the run game.

Mike Macdonald shares blunt message on struggling run game

"We need to improve on our run game," Macdonald said. "It's pretty cut and dry."

The two Seattle running backs have vastly different production through the early goings of the season, with Walker having 364 rushing yards, averaging 4.7 yards per carry, while Charbonnet has 156 rushing yards for 2.6 yards per carry.

Walker is clearly running the ball better, and Seattle could decide to give him the ball more often. But, with Macdonald preferring a split backfield between the two, the Seahawks will have to see improvement from Charbonnet going forward.

Macdonald isn't planning on changing much, as he still believes in the concepts and the potential, but is instead focusing on the lack of execution on running plays.

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"They are solid, sound plays," Madonald said. "They are plays we've been running since April; it's not like we're reinventing the wheel every week, figuring out new ways to run the same package set of plays. It's a block here, it's a block there, it's a communication thing, it's an angle there, it's how we run it - it's all of these little things.'

Seattle's running back duo has had a frustrating start to the year. While the rest of the offense is playing incredibly well, the run game needs significant improvement.

Walker and Charbonnet are a good duo and can be a major factor in the offense going forward. But, whether it's better blocking, better execution, hitting the holes better, or just better luck, Macdonald is blunt in his assessment of the running game, calling for broad improvement after a lackluster first six weeks.

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