–If running back Marshawn Lynch finds his way to Canton once he hangs up his cleats for good, he’ll certainly enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a Seahawk, but head coach Pete Carroll believes “he looks good as ever” playing for his hometown team in Oakland.
Carroll said, “He wants the ball more, you can tell that. His running style and everything about him looks good. He’s caught some balls already. It’s a well-rounded offense for him with Tom Cable there as well knowing how to bring out his strengths.”
The 32-year old Lynch has shown no signs of slowing down, still running with the reckless abandon that made him a legend in the Pacific Northwest through his famous “Beast Quake” touchdown. In five games, he’s rushed 77 times for 331 yards and scored three touchdowns, and an argument can be made that the Raiders haven’t fed him enough. He only carried the ball nine times in last week’s loss to the Chargers and watched as Carr threw an interception from the 1-yard line, a situation he’s far too familiar with.
Though Lynch is now three years removed from his abrupt retirement with the Seahawks, he’s still much-revered in the locker room and former teammates such as Doug Baldwin hold him in high regard.
“My relationship with Marshawn, and his relationship with guys he’s spent time with in his locker room, that doesn’t change,” Baldwin said. “No matter if he’s in a different uniform, if he’s in a different country, doesn’t matter. He’s still Marshawn. He’s still our brother.”
–Despite starting the season with only one win in five games, Carroll holds much respect for the Raiders offensive weaponry. Along with “Beast Mode” still playing at a very high level, Carr has a deep stable of receivers including former first-round pick Amari Cooper, ex-Packers star Jordy Nelson, and wild card Martavis Bryant.
“Their quarterback is completing over 70 percent of his passes to a bunch of receivers that can make things happen. The tight end has been on fire, Jared Cook’s been great,” Carroll said in regard to Oakland’s plethora of talented skill players. “Jordy (Nelson), Amari Cooper, Martavis (Bryant), that’s a good group, and Marshawn (Lynch) is back there to hand it to him.”
Cook has been the most dynamic playmaker for Carr thus far, catching 30 passes for 390 yards and two touchdowns. Nelson has also proven to be a quality free-agent addition, as the 33-year old veteran exploded in Week 3 against the Dolphins for eight receptions, 173 receiving yards, and a touchdown.
–Lynch facing the Seahawks for the first time since coming out of retirement will draw the most headlines, but he’s not alone in squaring off with a former team. Defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr., who served the same position in Oakland during the 2016 and 2017 seasons, attributes much of his current success to his time with the Raiders.
“It was amazing. If I had to do it all over again, I would do it all over again. Oakland was very good to me, the people were good, the fans were good, being back in California was good, and just the experience of running the system and taking the system to another place,” Norton said in regard to his previous coaching stint. “Having a lot of problems I need to solve by myself, not having the main system with me. It was very, very beneficial for me and my growth as a coach.”
Norton also looks forward to coaching against Bruce Irvin, who he coached in Seattle and Oakland and still keeps in touch with. The former first-round pick leads the Raiders with 3.0 sacks this year and has been one of the lone bright spots on a struggling defensive unit.
“He’s an outstanding player and an outstanding man. It’s going to be great to see him again,” Norton said when asked about his relationship with Irvin. “He’s been really flourishing as a player, it’s really good to see him grow and flourish as a player. To see him and talk to him and catch up, it’s going to be very special.”
BY THE NUMBERS: 156.9 – Passer rating for Russell Wilson on play-action passes, ranked first in the NFL among qualified quarterbacks.
