Seattle Seahawks: Is the Marshawn Lynch Era Over in Seattle?
By Paul Taylor
After a spectacular performance by Thomas Rawls against the San Francisco 49ers, is Marshawn Lynch’s time with the Seattle Seahawks nearly up?
It’s funny how things can change so quickly in the NFL, with several suggestions this morning that the Marshawn Lynch era is effectively over for the Seattle Seahawks. Just 24 hours earlier, everyone was hoping the five-time Pro Bowler would be fit to play, against the San Francisco 49ers.
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They say a week is a long time in show business, but it sure seems like this sentiment can be attached to the world of sports as well. The question is, how seriously should we take those who want us to believe Lynch’s time is up in Seattle?
On the surface at least, the opinion holds some validity, when you consider the running back’s abdominal injury. As Pete Carroll revealed to the media after Sunday’s game, Lynch will travel to Philadelphia to meet with groin specialist, Dr. William C. Myers.
As Carroll said to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times: “This will be a really important couple days for Marshawn. We’ll know something by Wednesday probably.”
The Seahawks head coach went on to admit the injury could well be a sports hernia, advising that surgery is a possibility: “Nothing is ruled out at this point.”
Despite anything being possible at this stage, what we do know is you can’t recover from injuries like this, if you continue to play. Understandably, the Seahawks are concerned about losing the heart and soul of their offense, especially as they currently find themselves embroiled in a desperate fight to make the playoffs.
Sep 3, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls (34) rushes against the Oakland Raiders during the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Fortunately for Carroll and his team, moving forward without Lynch may not be as bad as they feared, thanks to Thomas Rawls. The rookie free agent turned in a stunning performance on Sunday, against the 49ers.
By the end of the game, he had totaled 209 rushing yards, the second-best performance in the history of the Seahawks. Throw in 46 additional yards on three receptions, and we may well have gotten a glimpse of the long-term future in Seattle.
As you’d expect, Carroll was very complimentary about Rawls, when speaking to Danny O’Neil of 710 ESPN Seattle: “He will attack guys downfield. That was the first impression I got about Thomas.
“It’s why I liked him from the start. He has that mentality about him.”
Certainly, it was eerily reminiscent of Lynch, watching the way Rawls sought out contact with opposing players. It’s amazing to think the Seahawks may well have found the ideal replacement, to help them continue with their smash-mouth philosophy on offense.
Of course, there will be a lot of people who quite rightly point out that this performance came against a demoralized San Francisco team, currently searching for answers. Still, this is the first time in 49ers history, that they have ever allowed a player to rush for over 200 yards in a single game.
As has been pointed out, the Seahawks could save themselves $6.5 million against the cap in 2016, by releasing Lynch after this season. However, it’s way too earlier to be making decisions like that at this stage.
As Carroll said: “We’ll deal with that when the time comes. Right now, Thomas did a good job, (but) Marshawn has been our runner for a long time around here.”
Overall, while there are no guarantees Lynch is finished, it’s fair to say his tenure in Seattle is nearer to the finish than the start. However, with Rawls on board, at least the future now looks a lot brighter.