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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 2015)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015 SPORTS 7A Rawls big night leads Seahawks past 49ers, 29-13 By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer SEATTLE — Thomas Rawls is not a big stats guy. When it came to recalling the last time he rushed for 200 yards in a game, all Rawls could remember was that it happened at Central Michi- gan. “I am not really big on my numbers like that,” Rawls said. “I am pretty sure people back home can vouch for me.” But the Seattle rookie did understand the enormity of what he accomplished on Sunday, rushing for 209 yards and scoring two touchdowns in the Seahawks’ 29-13 win over San Francisco. The Seahawks got back to .500 on a day they got help from others in staying in the middle of the NFC playoff race and perhaps received even more evidence that Raw- ls could be the workhorse run- ning back to take over when- ever Marshawn Lynch’s time in that role ends. Rawls may be getting that chance sooner than expect- ed. Lynch was an unexpected inactive for Sunday’s game because of an abdominal in- jury that he played through a week ago against Arizona but could not go against the 49ers. Lynch is traveling to Phila- delphia on Monday to meet with Dr. William Meyers, a specialist in lower abdominal injuries, to try to determine what exactly is going on. All options for treatment are open including surgery, meaning Seattle could end up UHO\LQJRQ5DZOVIRUWKH¿QDO stretch. “This will be a really im- portant couple of days for (Lynch),” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. When given enough car- ries, Rawls has shown he can be successful despite being an undrafted rookie. Four times this season Rawls has got- ten more than 10 carries. In three of those four games he’s topped 100 yards. Against the 49ers, Raw- ls was at his best. He broke tackles, made correct reads, cut back when the lanes where open and most importantly set an early tone when he decided to run through and not around San Francisco cornerback Tramaine Brock. Rawls ran for a 2-yard TD on Seattle’s second drive, then gave the Seahawks a 29-13 lead with 12:32 remaining on a 31-yard catch-and-run pass RXW RI WKH EDFN¿HOG 5DZOV caught the rollout throw from Elaine Thompson/AP Photo Seattle Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls greets fans after an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, in Seattle. The Sea- hawks won 29-13. Wilson, stiff-armed Michael Wilhoite and raced for the ¿UVW UHFHLYLQJ WRXFKGRZQ RI his career. Rawls became just the third running back in Seahawks history to top 200 yards in a game and trailed only Shaun Alexander’s 266-yard game in 2001 in franchise history. He’s the third running back in the NFL this season to go over 200 yards, joining Doug Mar- tin (235) and Adrian Peterson (203). And in case he needed a reminder, it was the best game for Rawls since running for 270 yards last year at Central Michigan against Northern Il- linois. Here’s what else to know IURP 6HDWWOH¶V ¿IWK VWUDLJKW win over the 49ers: GABBERT GROWTH: Yes, Blaine Gabbert and the San Francisco offense strug- JOHGEDGO\IRUWKH¿UVWPLQ- XWHV7KHHUVJDLQHGMXVW \DUGVRQLWV¿UVWIRXUGULYHV But Gabbert got the 49ers PRYLQJ ODWH LQ WKH ¿UVW KDOI and played well against one of the best defenses in the league. *DEEHUW¿QLVKHGRIIRU John Froschauer/AP Photo John Froschauer/AP Photo San Francisco 49ers strong safety Jaquiski Tartt (29) at- tempts to tackle Seattle Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, in Seattle. Seattle Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls (34) cel- ebrates with teammate tight end Luke Willson (82) after Rawls scored a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in the second half of an NFL football game Sunday. 264 yards and led two drives in the third quarter inside the Seattle 10 only to be forced to NLFN¿HOGJRDOVHDFKWLPH “I’m not into moral vic- tories but that was encourag- ing,” San Francisco coach Jim Tomsula said. THE OTHER ROOKIE: Seattle wide receiver Tyler Lockett is only going to get more involved in Seattle’s pass game. Drafted to be a returner, Lockett’s becoming a bigger factor as a receiver. Lockett KDGIRXUFDWFKHVIRU\DUGV and two touchdowns against the 49ers. Lockett broke free from man coverage for a 24- \DUG 7' LQ WKH ¿UVW TXDUWHU and later carried a defender into the end zone on an 11- yard TD. TIGHT END TROU- BLE: Seattle continues to KDYH SUREOHPV ¿QGLQJ WKH right defense against tight ends. Vance McDonald and Garrett Celek combined for six catches for 100 yards and the 49ers only touchdown. McDonald had a 36-yard catch and Celek had a 33-yard reception as the Seahawks continue to give up big plays down the seam to tight ends. “As well as we’re playing the run sometimes those are the hardest guys to defend because things are happening fast in the run game,” Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman said. “It’s just things you need to recognize sometimes, but we’ll get it cleaned up.” BOWMAN’S RETURN: San Francisco linebacker NaVorro Bowman returned to the site of his awful knee injury suffered in the 2013 NFC Championship game and caused him to miss the 2014 season. Bowman had nine tackles and most importantly stayed healthy. “It was a blessing for me to get back out here,” he said. AP NFL website: http:// pro32.ap.org/dailyastorian Year after sale, 10 Barrel owners make no apologies Bart Watson, an economist for craft-brewing industry trade group the Brewers Association, BEND — Worst-case sce- said Wednesday. Watson point- nario, Jeremy and Chris Cox ed out the company’s 2011 pur- thought they’d get a pretty nice chase of Goose Island Brewery trip to the beach out of the deal. in Chicago and its acquisition of Almost immediately after the New York’s Blue Point Brewing brothers and their business part- Co. in February 2014. “But it did signal a bit of a ners sold 10 Barrel Brewing Co. to global beer Goliath Anheus- shift in their strategy,” he con- er-Busch InBev in November tinued. “With 10 Barrel, it was 2014, the Cox brothers booked WKH¿UVWWLPH$%,Q%HYERXJKW a 3 ½-week vacation to the Ba- a brewery and brewpubs. That’s hamas for themselves and their become part of their model entire family. They left earlier now. And it marked a move away from lagers. Blue Point is this month. “Our acquisition vacation,” known for its Toasted Lager — Chris Cox said from his sec- it’s a high-end form of what An- RQGÀRRU RI¿FH DW %DUUHO¶V heuser-Busch is known for. But production facility in northeast 10 Barrel is known for its IPAs. Bend. “We booked it out a year That purchase showed (AB In- in advance, thinking one, we’d Bev) was interested in buying brands that were in the fast-mov- EH¿UHG´ “That was the most likely ing craft-beer segment.” With an infusion of cash — outcome,” Jeremy Cox inter- and with the Cox brothers still jected. “Or two, we’d quit because running the brewery — 10 Bar- (AB InBev) didn’t follow rel a year after being acquired by through with what they said,” AB InBev is making some of its Chris Cox continued, “and we’d most well-received and innova- tive beer in the brewery’s eight- probably be unemployed.” A year after the craft-brew- year history. In September, 10 Barrel won ery sale heard around the world, the Cox brothers are still gain- a pair of medals at the Great fully employed and 10 Barrel is American Beer Festival, and still producing award-winning next year the brewery expects to beer, albeit in a much different launch a line of sours modeled Oregon craft-brew landscape after its award-winning Cucum- that the two brothers helped cre- ber Crush beer. The Coxes said ate with their decision to merge they’re working on releasing a with what is the largest beer Flanders-style red that has been aging for three years, as well company in the world. On Wednesday, AB InBev as a barrel-aged Baltic porter announced plans to get even and an experimental beer from ELJJHUDIWHU¿QDOL]LQJDGHDOWR acclaimed brewmaster Tonya buy SABMiller for nearly $106 Cornett that checks in with a 17 percent alcohol-by-volume rate. billion. “The next six months we’re “Now, 10 Barrel wasn’t $% ,Q%HY¶V ¿UVW DFTXLVLWLRQ´ going to release the best high- By BEAU EASTES The Bulletin position where we can expedite some of that growth because of our strategic partnership.” The merger hasn’t been without challenges. When the sale was an- nounced Nov. 5, 2014 — the Coxes and co-owner Garret Wales posted a video on Vimeo — the reaction in craft-beer cir- cles was almost universally neg- ative and the criticism on social media was deafening. “We anticipated it,” Chris Cox said. “The only thing we didn’t anticipate is some of the backlash locally from some of the brewers who tried to take ad- Jeff Barnard/AP Photo/File Cases of Apocalypse IPA from 10 Barrel Brewing Co. await vantage of the situation. “It’s too bad because they shipment in Bend. A year after the Cox brothers sold 10 Barrel Brewing Co. to global beer Goliath Anheuser-Bus- were our friends — still are our ch InBev, the pair are still gainfully employed and 10 Bar- friends,” he continued, “and rel is still producing award-winning beer, albeit in a much they went in the papers talking different Oregon craft-brew landscape that the two broth- about the acquisition and then ers helped create with their decision to merge with what come around and ask if they can use our (quality control) lab or is the largest beer company in the world. borrow our hops. That bothers end stuff we’ve ever released,” “But we wouldn’t have had the us still.” The sale also sent a message capital to do it this fast. The ac- Jeremy Cox said. Additionally, the brewery quisition expedited everything a that all breweries, large and small, were being looked at by has added a quality control lab little bit.” In Oregon alone, 10 Bar- Big Beer, said Brian Yaeger, a and by next summer hopes to KDYH ¿QLVKHG D VTXDUH rel’s sales are up 33.7 percent Portland-based author who re- foot expansion next to its cur- year over year, through August cently wrote “Oregon Brewer- rent production facility, com- — the most current numbers ies,” a guide to 190 of the state’s plete with an in-house taproom, available from the Oregon breweries. “It was a bit shocking how bringing its production capacity Liquor Control Commission. up to 120,000 barrels. Last year, It produced 17,090 barrels wide their radar was,” Yaeger 10 Barrel produced approxi- from January-August 2014, said about AB InBev and oth- FRPSDUHG WR EDUUHOV er beer giants’ interest in craft mately 40,000 barrels. Outside of Bend, 10 Bar- for the same period in 2015. breweries of all sizes. “Between rel’s Portland restaurant is in the The Bend-based brewery also the smaller 10 Barrel and the works to add a rooftop bar, and broke into the California and larger Elysian Brewing in Seat- the company has eyes on adding &RORUDGR PDUNHWV IRU WKH ¿UVW tle, that 1-2 punch was the signal that literally no one is safe; ev- another brewpub to its lineup, time this year. “In our business, when eryone is on their radar.” possibly in Denver. Since the 10 Barrel sale, “We would have expanded \RX¶UH RXU VL]H FDVK ÀRZ DQG and done a lot of those things to capital are hard to come buy,” AB InBev has acquired Ely- keep our business moving for- Chris Cox said. “Everything has sian and its four pubs in Seattle ward anyway,” Chris Cox said. to pencil out. Now we’re in a and Golden Road Brewery and its pub in Los Angeles. Miller- Coors bought San Diego’s Saint Archer Brewing Co. in Septem- ber and Heineken invested a 50 percent stake in what had previ- RXVO\EHHQ¿HUFHO\LQGHSHQGHQW Lagunitas Brewing Co. in Peta- luma, California. “We love bitters,” Yeager joked, referencing a style of beer, “but this is a bitter pill to swallow. We’ve helped create an industry that’s so successful it’s become attractive to those that want to play on a bigger scale than what the smaller craft brewers have been offering.” Back at 10 Barrel, the Cox brothers offer no apologies for the path they chose for their business. Along with new streams of capital, they now have access to AB InBev’s mar- keting, sales, distribution and brewing departments. “There’s guys on their sales team that have worked with wholesalers for 30 years,” Jer- emy Cox said. “All that exper- tise in all different aspects of business have been super, super helpful.” The brothers admit they’re still getting used to the corporate nature of their parent company — “We’re in a ton of meetings now, which isn’t too much fun,” Chris Cox said — but have no regrets. “These guys are awesome to work with,” said Chris Cox, referring to the bosses at AB In- Bev. “Everyone’s having a good time; we couldn’t be happier. At the time, we made a decision for our company and employees. You can’t ever dictate the future, but looking back now, it was one of the best decisions of our lives.”
