Lynch crazy like a team-oriented fox

Got a brief glimpse Sunday of Planet Beast Mode, and it’s a wild place, crackling with energy.

Here’s what I saw of Marshawn Lynch in Nashville:

Lynch sits out the national anthem. Still no word from him on what he’s protesting, or if he’s protesting. But somehow, in a nation tuned to overreact to everything political, Lynch’s sit-down flies under the radar.

He works the sideline, keeps his teammates engaged and fired up. When fellow running back Jalen Richard gets off to a slow start, Lynch tells him to buck up, show some swag: “We need you.”

In the fourth quarter, Lynch earns his day’s pay by bulldozing 305-pound defensive end Jurrell Casey. Lynch’s subtle message: THAT’S how we play football in Oakland. When Lynch is on the field, Raiders on the sideline pay attention, as if they’re watching their big brother take care of the neighborhood bully. For Lynch, every carry is a party that he doesn’t want to end.

Coming off the field, Lynch looks at a TV camera and flips a double bird. The NFL fined him $12,000, according to ESPN. To Lynch, that’s probably a small price to pay for artistic freedom.

It is clear that Lynch is a team leader. Role model? Uh, that’s a thorny question.

In the locker room after the game, Lynch has way more pep than anyone should have after spending three hours as a human battering ram. He bounces

around the room like a pingpong ball. Another message: THIS is how we enjoy our wins.

No suit and tie for Beast Mode. He dons some wild pants and a Seattle Seahawks jersey. Homage to his former team? Or is he trolling the Seahawks? Or ironically tweaking himself ? Or does he simply like that jersey?

Lynch is one of the last Raiders out of the locker room, partly because he has to do a random drug test. He finds Giorgio Tavecchio, placekicker and instant folk hero, tells Tavecchio how well he handled the pressure of his first NFL game. Lynch — again — as big brother.

Clearly, “Lone Wolf ” is not Beast Mode’s spirit animal.