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
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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
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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
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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
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win over the 49ers:
GABBERT GROWTH:
Yes, Blaine Gabbert and the
San Francisco offense strug-
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But Gabbert got the 49ers
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and played well against one of
the best defenses in the league.
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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
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“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
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and two touchdowns against
the 49ers. Lockett broke free
from man coverage for a 24-
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and later carried a defender
into the end zone on an 11-
yard TD.
TIGHT END TROU-
BLE: Seattle continues to
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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.”