Can Marshawn Lynch be in full Beastmode for the Raiders, and should it matter to Seahawks fans?
Seahawks fans got the very best from Marshawn Lynch. Now that he’s moved on to Oakland, should it even matter to 12s how he plays?
12s should have nothing but love for Beastmode. There is no Super Bowl title without him. As great as the defense was (and still is), we’ve seen what happens to the Sehawks without a consistent running game. Without Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks would not have been in position to make that call at the goal line in Super Bowl XLIX.
There has been some grumbling that Seattle should have re-signed Lynch. Some said it was a mistake to trade him when we still had him under contract. That wasn’t happening. Lynch would be owed $9 million for 2017 if he returned to the Seahawks.
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Despite that, many said that Lynch was on the downside of his career. This article flatly stated the Seahawks offense would be better in 2016 without Lynch. As Cameron DaSilva wrote for FoxSports last year,
"“In seven starts and 13 total games, Rawls led the team in rushing with 830 yards on the ground, finding the end zone a team-high four times. He did so on just 147 attempts, averaging a whopping 5.6 yards per carry. Lynch, on the other hand, averaged just 3.8 on 111 attempts. There isn’t a soul in Seattle that would argue against the notion that Rawls outperformed Lynch in every way, because it’s true.”"
DaSilva added a couple more damning stats as well. With Lynch starting, the Seahawks went 2-4, and Russell Wilson threw just seven touchdowns against six interceptions. With Rawls carrying the load, Seattle was 8-2. Wilson threw 27 touchdowns in those games and had just two picks.
Those are absolute facts, not opinions. Whether you love Lynch or not, his 2015 wasn’t a good harbinger for 2017.