Carroll: Marshawn Lynch showing he’s ‘dead serious about helping’ Seahawks
Jan 3, 2020, 3:45 PM
Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch has been great in his return, Pete Carroll said. (Getty)
(Getty)
While the Seahawks’ last game was important for playoff-seeding purposes, it also marked the return of Seattle legend Marshawn Lynch.
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After losing three running backs in three weeks to season-ending injuries, Lynch and former backup Robert Turbin returned to the team after years away to help them for the playoffs.
One of the main questions was how much Lynch would play and, when in, how much he would be able to contribute.
Lynch didn’t return to his old form, but he did lead the team in carries with 12 and had 34 yards and a touchdown. Rookie Travis Homer started the game at running back and had 92 total yards.
Despite playing a secondary role last Sunday, Lynch has been a great teammate during his brief time back in Seattle, head coach Pete Carroll said.
“Let me say while I have a chance that he has been so much fun to have join this team,” Carroll told KIRO 97.3 FM’s Dori Monson on the weekly Pete Carroll Show Friday. “He has really been an asset to us from the moment he stepped in the building.”
A video surfaced after the game of Lynch telling Homer that the rookie was inspiring him. Carroll said Lynch has actually done some inspiring himself, both to veterans and young players.
“He’s helped the young guys, he’s uplifted other people, he’s worked hard, he’s studied his butt off, he’s performed well,” Carroll said. “He’s ready to come back and do it again.”
Lynch has marketed his Seattle return as “Unfinished Business” on his Beast Mode line of clothing, and he is showing that to Carroll and others in the Seahawks’ facility.
“The people who always wondered about him should see a side of this guy – he is dead serious about helping this club and he’s doing everything he can to make the very most of this opportunity and that’s all we can ever ask of a guy,” Carroll said.
Lynch and company will face a tough task on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the playoffs.
The Eagles, 9-7, are one of the best defenses against the run this season.
The two teams already faced off once this year, with Seattle taking the game 17-9 while running for 174 yards. Rashaad Penny had 129 yards and Chris Carson added 26. Both are out for the rest of the year.
Listen to Carroll’s discussion with Monson at this link or in the player below.
Follow 710Sports.com’s Brandon Gustafson on Twitter.
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