Pete Carroll and Brian Schottenheimer sat together and decided

with their team winless after two games there needed to be a change.What the Seattle Seahawks were trying to do on offense wasn’t working.“He and I sat down and kind of had a little heart-to-heart L.J. Collier Jersey ,” said Schottenheimer, Seattle’s first-year offensive coordinator.“There were things that he and I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page about. It wasn’t just the running game, it was he and I continuing to build our relationship and it was an awesome meeting. It probably lasted about an hour and we talked about a ton of different stuff. I know I came out of that meeting feeling really good just about the direction where we wanted to go.”The direction has been clear for more than three months as the Seahawks went from a team searching for answers to a team back in the postseason after a one-year absence from the playoffs.And it was the decisions made before playing Dallas in Week 3 where the switch was made and Seattle started on its path that has the Seahawks headed to face the Cowboys on Saturday night in an NFC wild-card game.The conversation between Carroll and Schottenheimer made clear Seattle was going back to the fundamentals of how it wanted to be offensively. They were going to make running the ball the priority and let Russell Wilson be a playmaker around the running success.The result: Seattle ended the season as the best run team in the NFL, and with Wilson having one of the best seasons of his career making big plays in the passing game.“I don’t think you’d always sit there and say we’re going to make this philosophy and go do this, and then you think you’re going to be the best in the league at it,” Schottenheimer said.Throughout last offseason, Seattle preached it was returning to the basic offensive fundamentals that led them to consecutive NFC titles. They were going to be bullies running the football behind the trio of Chris Carson, Mike Davis and Rashaad Penny.But for the first two weeks of the season, Schottenheimer and Carroll got too far ahead of themselves. They tried to see how much the Seahawks could rely on Wilson, rather than relying on the run game. The result was a pair of ugly losses to Denver and Chicago Ugo Amadi Jersey , and Wilson running for his life getting sacked 12 times in those first two games.When Dallas arrived in Week 3, so did Seattle’s change in approach. That was the week Carson became the workhorse in the run game. It was the week that the additions of D.J. Fluker and J.R. Sweezy at the guard positions started to become noticeable, and Seattle’s running success meant Wilson was no longer under siege by the opposing pass rush.Seattle rushed for only 113 yards that day in the 24-13 win — 102 by Carson — but it laid the foundation for what the Seahawks became.“They were talking about it the whole time of running the ball more and being a run team,” Carson said. “They finally started getting it going against the Cowboys and it’s taken off ever since.”Starting with Week 3, Seattle has rushed for 2,422 yards, the fourth-most by any team since 2010 during that 14-game span. The 2014 Seahawks had 2,447 yards during the same stretch of games, one spot ahead of this year’s team.While it was the Cowboys when Seattle committed to its offensive identity, when it fully took hold depends on whom you ask. For Schottenheimer it wasn’t until Week 12 at Carolina when he became convinced Seattle had the ability to win in multiple ways. The victory over the Panthers came on a day Seattle ran for only 75 yards Mychal Kendricks Jersey , but Wilson threw for 339. It’s the only time in the final 14 games Seattle was held under 100 yards rushing as a team.For offensive tackle Duane Brown, it was Seattle’s first game against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5. Seattle lost 33-31, but ran for 190 yards and averaged 5.9 yards per carry.“It just became our norm and we had some pretty good fronts that we went against,” Brown said.Carroll agreed with his left tackle that it was a few games after facing the Cowboys before the commitment to Seattle’s offensive style became the norm.“It was a step in right direction and the commitment came through but we were just getting started,” Carroll said. “I don’t think that was the pivotal week, it took us two or three weeks after that before we started to find the stride that we wanted and started to build on that.” Seahawks 2018 report cards: Chris Carson and his breakout seasonSeahawks 2018 report cards: Chris Carson and his breakout season. Carson showed why he should be an important member of the offense for years to come.What Naz Jones moving to five-tech means for SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks shifted former three-tech Nazair Jones to five-tech toward the end of the season. What does that mean for 2019?Seahawks need to get running back Rashaad Penny more involved in 2019Running back Rashaad Penny is an asset the Seattle Seahawks need to find a way to work into the regular rotation in for the 2019 season.Seahawks unlikely to be active in free agency but may gain from departures710 ESPN Seattle's Brock Huard doesn't expect the Seahawks to make waves in free agency. More than that, he's hoping the big moves come from other teams signing former Seahawks. The reason? Much-needed future compensatory picks.Why Russell Wilson likely happy Darrell Bevell’s back in NFL | The News TribuneDarrell Bevell, the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator from 2011 until his firing 12 months ago, is back in the NFL after his first year out of football since he was a kid. The Detroit Lions have hired Bevell to be their new offensive coordinator.Delay of Kendricks' sentencing leaves Seahawks in linebacker limboThey don't know if Mychal Kendricks will be available, and they don't appear to wish to bring back veteran K.J. Wright.C.J. Anderson: 'I'm the freshest running back' in NFL - NFL.comC.J. Anderson had time to rest Steve Largent Color Rush Jersey , watch the rest of the NFL -- and maybe put on a few extra pounds. The time off did him well, though, leaving him with fresh legs that are valuable in the postseason.ATN Podcast: 2019 Championship Sunday preview - NFL.comThe latest edition of the Around The NFL Podcast breaks down NFC and AFC Championship Games.Steelers LB T.J. Watt added to AFC Pro Bowl roster - NFL.comThe Pittsburgh Steelers announced Thursday that T.J. Watt was added to the AFC Pro Bowl roster to replace Texans pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney, who will miss the game due to injury.Texans DE J.J. Watt underwent minor knee procedure - NFL.comHouston Texans DE J.J. Watt underwent a minor knee procedure, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports. Per Rapoport, Watt is "fine now" and the procedure served as a maintenance.Carson Palmer: Arians best thing to happen to Winston - NFL.comRetired Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer thinks the new relationship dynamic between Bruce Arians and Jameis Winston is the best thing to happen to the young signal caller.Chiefs' Andy Reid not concerned about rusty Eric Berry - NFL.comAll signs point to Eric Berry suiting up Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs take on the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. Coach Andy Reid is not concerned about any lingering rust.Larry Fitzgerald respects Kliff Kingsbury, hasn’t decided whether to play for him – ProFootballTalkLarry Fitzgerald may retire from the Cardinals this offseason, but if he does that wouldn't be a reflection on their new coach. Fitzgerald told TMZ that he's never met new Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury but thinks highly of Kingsbury's offense.C.J. Anderson declares himself “freshest running back in the league” – ProFootballTalkAn unfortunate regular season for C.J. Anderson has left him in an incredibly fortunate situation now as a member of the Los Angeles Rams. Anderson was barely used in his two stops with the Carolina Panthers and Oakland Raiders over the first three months of the 2018 season.Robert Woods believes Superdome crowd shouldn’t, won’t have impact on outcome – ProFootballTalkThe Superdome will pose a difficult challenge for the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday as they attempt to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in L.A. since 1979. The New Orleans Saints are undefeated at home in playoff games with Drew Brees as the quarterback.