Lynch is back, and he hasn’t changed a bit
NASHVILLE — The NFL has opened the door to player celebrations this season, loosened the rules to make things more fun, but guess who showed up to test the league?
Marshawn Lynch, of course. In the fourth quarter Sunday, the Raiders’ running back came off the field after a run, saw that he was in the crosshairs of a TV camera, smiled and flipped the world a double-bird.
Lynch doesn’t talk much (to the media), but he speaks the language of love.
He seemed to be miming the message, “I’m back!” That and the 92 yards he picked up against the Titans, rushing (18 carries for 76 yards) and receiving (one catch for 16 yards).
It’s likely Lynch will be fined by the league, but for him, that’s probably like the first hit in a game — it gets you going, gets you in the mood for football.
The crunching on the field, even more than the bird-flipping off it, was welcome proof to the Raiders that Lynch’s comeback is more than a cheap publicity stunt.
This is huge news for the Raiders. It gives them a dangerous player, a short-yardage beast. It gives their offense a valuable tool to loosen up defenses and make the passing game more effective. It gives the Raiders energy, and the swagger of decades past.
Jalen Richard, who will carry a lot of the Raiders’ running load, said after the game that Lynch is on him all the time about his body language.
“Like today, I started slow,” Richard said, “and he was telling me on the sideline, ‘Get right, it’s good, we need our good energy.’ He’s been real positive on keeping the good energy and having fun. ’Cause if all of us are laughing and having fun in the (running-backs) room, we’re gonna play good on Sunday. He gives us some good swagger. He’s giving us more confidence.”
And don’t overlook Lynch’s entertainment value. When he runs the ball, it’s a show for everyone on the sidelines. Lynch’s runs, even when he picks up 3 or 4 yards, are as distinctive as Jordan dunks.
“Every time you know he’s about to get the ball, you watch him,” receiver Amari Cooper said, “you know something amazing is about to happen.”
Lynch ran for 14 yards on the second play of the game, off right tackle, breaking one weak arm tackle and scooting through a huge hole. That was nice, but much more fun are his shorter runs.
Lynch is hit, he’s down, 10 more defenders rush in to make sure he doesn’t try any Houdini stuff, the play is over ... but the huge pile, including the Raiders’ blockers, just keeps moving forward, like a glacier.
Just before the end of the game, Lynch picked up 6 yards by flattening 305-pound defensive tackle Jurrell Casey and running him over like roadkill.
Lynch played the first quarter, gave way for most of the middle game, then closed the deal in the fourth quarter, carrying 10 times for 38 yards, eating up clock, destroying the Titans’ comeback hopes.
Head coach Jack Del Rio, asked whether Lynch is the team’s closer, said, “He did today, so we’re 1-for-1 with that, and that’s the idea, to be able to close these things, and we did that very well.”
Until Sunday, the outside world wasn’t sure whether Lynch still could play. Would he be like Fat Elvis, a shell of his former greatness, collecting checks while living off memories?
After one game, it looks as if the Raiders made one of the slickest moves of the offseason. So much of Lynch is cloaked in mystery, much of it manufactured by Beast Mode himself, and one of those puzzles is how he wound up with the Raiders.
After last season, Lynch said he was through. Then his name surfaced as a possible Raider. But he was still property of the Seahawks, so the Raiders couldn’t talk to him.
Then, somehow, word got out that Lynch might be interested in reviving his career, with the Raiders. Then it was legal for Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie to contact the Seahawks.
I’m not sure the route Lynch took in joining the Raiders would stand up to a congressional investigation, but here he is. This is the kind of deal Al Davis would have loved, a late-career rescue of a player whom Al would have loved, coming back to his hometown under mysterious circumstances.
Lynch still can run, and Richard said Lynch’s contribution is also big off the field.
“It’s kind of like having that master teacher,” Richard said. “In the RB room, in general, in life, in football, he’s just been a teacher to us, and that’s all we could ask of him. We have him, we stick to what we do, we be ourselves, listen to his coaching, take the little teachings, add ’em to our game and do what we do.” Plus! “He’s funny as hell,” Richard said. “He’s a funny dude, he’s a genuine dude and he’s a real dude.”