Video: Marshawn Lynch Is “Thankful,” And So Are We
The Seattle Seahawks stomped the Carolina Panthers 31-17 last night in front of a roaring crowd at CenturyLink Field. The win puts them in the NFC Championship next weekend, where they’ll play either the Dallas Cowboys or Green Bay Packers. Russell Wilson made himself the all-time leader in career playoff passer rating. Kam Chancellor introduced himself to the world. It’s a great day for basking in the afterglow of this incredible team.
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Marshawn Lynch didn’t have a typical Marshawn Lynch game, and by that I mean he didn’t rush for 100+ yards. But he did bang off one signature long, leaping run, and he was a constant pest that required an entire defensive line to bring down. So in some ways, it was a classic Marshawn game.
Ever since his most recent exorbitant fine for refusing to give postgame interviews, Lynch has become a little bit more talkative. By which I mean he now allows reporters to surround him for a minute or two while bombarding him with the exact kinds of non-substantive questions that surely played a role in turning him off to the media in the first place. He even responds! Kind of.
Lynch is more than a football player, you see. He’s an avant garde maniac, a weirdo supreme who’s dead-set on blatantly doing whatever it is he wants to do, and nothing else. You see it in the way he plays on the football field – a manic drive to run and never be stopped, a blinding mindstate that he backs up with his otherworldly physical ability. He doesn’t want to be tackled, and so he isn’t tackled. He doesn’t want to be interviewed, and so when reporters try, he turns it into wacky performance art.
No doubt, Marshawn Lynch is thankful. He’s rich, successful, and gets to do exactly what he loves all the time. He’s a national treasure, and I know I’m not alone in hoping his style never changes, both on and off the field. We aren’t used to having the media’s droning monotony highlighted in such a whimsical way. Thanks to Lynch, our attention is drawn to the press’s obsession with the mundane. Song of the day? Please! This guy is all about that action, and nothing else.
Lynch is getting older, as
players
humans are wont to do. He’s not exactly on the decline yet, but he almost certainly will be soon. The Seahawks know this, and are unlikely to retain him for next year as he remains expensive and becomes more of a performance risk. The spotlight on Marshawn Lynch may never be brighter again than it is right now, and in the coming weeks. After this he might not be a great running back, or a Seattle Seahawk, or either of those things.
During the baseball season I make a habit of begging myself and other fans not to take Felix Hernandez for granted. He’s amazing, and he’s so ritually amazing that we all run the risk of forgetting how lucky we are to have him. How thankful we should be. Marshawn Lynch falls into the same category. We’re so damn lucky to be rooting for this guy. We should be endlessly thankful for this man. It won’t last forever, which is all the more reason to cherish what’s happening in Seattle right now.
Marshawn Lynch is thankful. He’s still the most explosive running back in the NFL, still leading the Seahawks towards the Super Bowl, and still refusing to take the bait from reporters. He’s magnificient, and the least we can do is acknowledge this. Long live Marshawn Lynch. Long live the action, boss.
Next: Seattle Seahawks Overpower Carolina Panthers, Win 31-17