It's certainly expected that with Greg Knapp in the fold as offensive coordinator the Seattle Seahawks will be more committed to establishing a running game.

However, I don’t think the Seahawks will be returning to the days of Ground Chuck when Curt Warner had it going in the 1980s.

The reason Knapp-led offenses ran the ball so much in Atlanta is because the passing game was inconsistent with Michael Vick learning a new offense. The same can be said about JaMarcus Russell in Oakland. Both of those players were young quarterbacks trying to adjust to the intricacies of a pro-style offense.

If you're looking for what kind of offensive production the Seahawks might have in 2009, I would take a look at the San Francisco 49ers numbers from 2001 to 2003 when Knapp was the offensive coordinator there.

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The 49ers had a mobile, accurate passer in Jeff Garcia, and a dynamic receiver in a young Terrell Owens. The running backs for those years Knapp headed up the offense were Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow. Neither was an elite NFL back, but they had different running styles that complemented each other. Hearst was shifty and a good cutback runner with good vision. Barlow was a bruiser with good speed who could move a pile. Both were hard runners and tough to bring down.

Here are the numbers for those years.

2001 506 (pass) 509 (run) 49.8 percent pass (4th ranked offense in NFL)

2002 571 (pass) 489 (run) 53.8 percent pass (8th ranked offense in NFL)

2003 511 (pass) 499 (run) 50.5 percent pass ( 5th ranked offense in NFL)

The 49ers finished 12-4 in 2001, 10-6 in 2002 and 7-9 in 2003. Dennis Erickson finished 2-14 in 2004 and was gone at season’s end. During Knapp’s time as San Francisco’s offensive coordinator the 49ers threw 51.5 percent of the time. During Holmgren’s tenure in Seattle the Seahawks threw about 53 percent of the time, really not too far off.

The difference between Knapp and Holmgren could be when they choose to throw. Holmgren liked to throw on first down or in obvious running downs to create some unpredictability in the play-calling, where Knapp seems to follow a more traditional pattern of running on first down to establish the running game and throwing in obvious passing situations.

With Owens’ success in San Francisco, the Hawks may take a closer look at Michael Crabtree with the No. 4 overall pick to establish a physical receiver on the outside. Except for Nate Burleson and Deion Branch, Seattle does not have a lot of receivers who can beat one-on-one coverage consistently. And having Crabtree would give Seattle’s offense a big target on the outside who could convert easy throwing routes like hitches and slants into first downs on critical third-down plays when the Seahawks need to move the chains.

While I expect Hasselbeck to stay put, the Seahawks may see in Seneca Wallace what Knapp was trying to create in Vick – a quarterback who can run, but also is an accurate passer and good decision maker. Wallace’s mobility adds another dimension offensively, and Seattle may be willing to part with Hasselbeck’s hefty salary if they believe Wallace could be successful in a Knapp-led offense.