Marshawn Lynch is going to the Super Bowl.
Until the recent hullabaloo about his lack of press access during Tuesday’s Media Day, one could almost forget that we could be setting up for Super Beast Mode Sunday this weekend. It was an easy enough thing to do, and most of the country could be forgiven for doing it considering how many other storylines were there to be written about:
Another test for Peyton Manning (after everyone was sure he’d fail the one two Sundays ago against Tom Brady). Richard Sherman’s antics and how they spoke about him, the sport, media punditry and race relations in America. Even the weather and how intelligent (or not) it is to hold the Super Bowl in a cold weather market.
That wasn’t necessarily the case in Buffalo.
Marshawn Lynch was the second of three high profile First Round picks for the Bills at the running back position during their years of futility.
Bookended by Willis McGahee (who was traded away after never really finding traction in Buffalo and paid us back with a parting shot at the attractiveness of Buffalo’s women) and current ‘starter’ CJ Spiller, Lynch was highly touted coming out of California (where he played with Packers star Aaron Rogers) but parlayed his first round pick and starter status into rather pedestrian numbers.
People talked about culture shock coming to Buffalo dragging him down. Then there was a series of off the field incidents, including a hit and run on Chippewa, talk about him getting kicked out of bars for bringing his own beverages and eventually a gun charge led to a suspension and opened the door for Fred Jackson to muscle his way into the starting position.
He talked about how he didn’t always feel welcome here and eventually he asked for a trade, a trade that eventually sent him to Seattle in exchange for a 2011 4th Round Pick and a 2012 (Chris Hairston) and a 5th Round Pick (Tank Carder).
Things didn’t initially click for Lynch in Seattle as he still had some off the field issues, struggled with fumbles and with the tandem of Jackson and Spiller starting to get worked into gear, there was no immediate backlash in Buffalo.
And then, there was a Beast Quake and Marshawn Lynch went from a wasted pick to an instant legend.[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDOBejlx7Us&w=420&h=315]
Marshawn Lynch ran so hard and generated such a fervent reaction from the faithful at CenturyLink Field that monitors in place to monitor seismic activity from fault that runs under Mt. St Helens registered tremors when the run took place. The Seahawks, who had been mocked for making it into the playoffs at 7-9 (while the league was mocked for the fact that the 11-5 Saints had to travel to Seattle for an away game), turned it around with that massive play and took out the highly touted Saints. They would eventually lose to the Bears in the Divisional Round, but for many that play is the beginning of the turnaround that will culminate Sunday in MetLife Stadium.
While the play made Beast Mode a part of popular sports vernacular and promised future success for Lynch, it did not quite serve as the turnaround for him. That would come midseason in 2011 when discussions with Seahawks’ Offensive Line coach Tom Cable led to him changing the way he runs through a better understanding of the blocking scheme.
Since Week 7 of 2011, Marshawn Lynch has run for more yardage (3,788) and scored more touchdowns (32) than anyone else in the National Football League, eclipsing Adrian Peterson who is second in both categories (trailing by 250 yards and 7 touchdowns respectively). [http://grantland.com/features/marshawn-lynch-beast-mode-evolved/]
He has been, pardon the pun, the lynchpin in a Pete Carroll’s offense, able to run over defenses and relieve pressure on second year starter Russell Wilson with skill, determination, and pure brute force. But it isn't just about the personal accolades mentioned above; the success of the Seahawks with Lynch in that position speaks for itself. They are the NFC Champions and on their way to Super Bowl XLVII. Not bad for a guy that was traded for Chris Hairston and Tank Carder.
But all that being said, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it was a bad trade for the Bills.
Don’t get me wrong; the numbers alone paint a very un-pretty picture for Bills faithful. Tank Carder never played a regular season snap for the Bills and has a total of seven career tackles with the Browns, while Chris Hairston has had difficulty staying in the Bills lineup, playing in 26 games with 15 starts while having just missed the entirety of the 2013 season on the injured reserve/non-football injury list. When you compare those players to the ‘best running back in the last two-and-a-half seasons, Beast Quake causing Marshawn Lynch’ it looks downright horrible.
But this is the NFL, where trades are rare and winners are usually easy to pick when they occur. Marshawn Lynch did not work as a Bill. Maybe it was the culture shock of the area as a whole that got him down. Maybe it was the type of offense they were running and the lack of support that he got here. Maybe after his off the field issues he just couldn’t be comfortable in our community. It just wasn’t working, and to borrow a term we use for the infinitely more prolific trading culture that is the NHL, he really needed a change of scenery.
I can’t bring myself to be mad at the trade, even as we watch a former Buffalo Bill trying to get that ring. It’s not his fault that it didn’t work out here, and he didn’t trash the city when he left. On the other hand, I will trash the choice to pick him. As much as we love Marv Levy, his choice to pick Marshawn Lynch only to have him fail utterly to live up to that pick is a terrible look. That poor choice was exacerbated by years of lackluster coaching under Dick Jauron and company. To put it another way, I don't hate the player; I hate the game.
That being said, I don’t know if I’m rooting for Lynch this Sunday. His off the field issues while in Buffalo do matter to me, but the way things get blown out of proportions (and that celebrities get targeted) today tempers that impulse.
Also, there’s nothing in me that has that ‘former player having success somewhere else’ element going against him. I don’t have the reaction to him that I did last year with Donte Whitner trying to win for the 49ers. I'm rather happy to sit back and just be a fan with no rooting interest other than a great game and looking for answers to some of the questions that have piled up this week.
Will we get to see Beast Mode can get unleashed on the Broncos and MetLife Stadium?
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