As newly-hired head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider work on rebuilding the Seahawks roster, Carroll asks Schneider about acquiring Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch, a player with whom the former USC coach was familiar from Lynch's days at California.
"We went after him for a long time, and I just kept bugging John and bugging John," Carroll said in 2012. "I mean it was eight or nine weeks or something, whenever we got him, we had been on it through the offseason and all of that. John probably called them back 10 times to get this done. ... There were a number of times when John would look at me and say 'Look, I just called them last week,' and I'd say, 'Oh, come on, let's try again. You never know.'"
Schneider and Carroll's persistence pays off when, during their bye week, the Seahawks acquire Lynch for a 2011 fourth-round pick and a 2012 conditional pick that became a fifth-rounder. At the time, the Seahawks ranked 27th in the league in rushing, and had not had a 1,000-yard rusher since Shaun Alexander's MVP season in 2005.
Seahawks acquire Marshawn Lynch in trade with Bills for two undisclosed draft picks. http://shwks.com/pb4h
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 5, 2010
"We've been interested in Marshawn for a long time, and it finally came together," Carroll said after the trade was finalized. "John got it worked out with their people, and we're pleased to get him. He's a guy that I've known for a long time, going through recruiting in high school...We bring a guy into the program that we think is going to give us a little boost. We've emphasized trying to get this running game in order, and we hope that he'll help us in that regard. So we're pleased to get that done.
"He's got a style about him that we like. People that have played against him and coached against him all know...Everybody has great respect for what he brings to game day, so we're looking forward to that."
Lynch opened his Seahawks career with a modest stat line of 44 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, but his presence in Seattle's 23-20 victory at Chicago was felt by the Seahawks. "We could feel him," Carroll said after the game. "You could feel him playing with us. His style is something we needed. He's physical, he's tough, he's going to fight you and battle you. He did that...Marshawn makes a difference to us in our mentality. He makes a difference. He was a factor in the game."
In 12 regular-season games with a Seahawks offense still finding its way, Lynch had yet to have a 100-yard game with Seattle—though he did rush for three touchdowns in a victory over Carolina late in the season—but Lynch's breakout moment finally came in his first career playoff game.
With the Seahawks hanging onto a lead late in a game that up to that point had been dominated by strong passing performances, Lynch ran his way into Seahawks lore with a 67-yard touchdown run that helped clinch the game while also cementing his status as a Seattle sports folk hero. Lynch finished that game with 131 yards on 19 carries, the first of six 100-yard performances in the postseason, one shy of an NFL record.
Lynch's big playoff performance wasn't followed by instant success in 2011, and by the middle of that season, the Seahawks were 2-5 and Lynch still had not eclipsed 100 yards in a regular season game with Seattle. Lynch also hadn't carried the ball 20 or more times that season, and heading into their Week 9 game at Dallas, the Seahawks were averaging just 77.7 rushing yards per game.
That's when Carroll, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and offensive line coach/assistant head coach Tom Cable decided that it was time for the Seahawks to make a serious commitment to the running game. The Seahawks lost in Dallas that week, but Lynch rushed for 135 yards on 23 carries that day, and Seattle still hasn't lost a game by more than 10 points since. The Seahawks went on to win five of their next six after that Dallas game, and Lynch had more than 100 yards in five more games that season. Seattle didn't make the playoffs in 2011, but players have pointed to that strong finish as a springboard to their 2012 success.
"So many times you see in football that a team gets a quarterback and says, 'Hey, we should throw 50 times a game,'' but then you turn around and they don't win," Cable said before the 2014 season. "You look at what's going on around the league, some teams, they get to be pretty good, and they still have issues. If you look at it, the physicality is usually what's missing."
“That's our style.”— Tom Cable (on Lynch's physicality)
In a 31-24 victory over Philadelphia, Lynch rushed for 148 yards on 22 carries, his most rushing yards in a regular season game with Seattle.
The San Francisco 49ers were the tough, physical team on top of the division in 2011, and while the Seahawks lost this game, Lynch gained 107 yards on 21 carries, making him the only back to rush for 100 yards on the 49ers that season. Lynch's touchdown run in that game marked his 11th straight game with a touchdown run or reception, a team record. It was the first of many big games for Lynch against a team that didn't often allow big games to running backs. Between 2011 and 2015, Lynch rushed for more than 100 yards six times in 10 games against the 49ers, postseason included. The rest of the NFL produced 13 100-yard performances in 77 games during that span, and one of those came from Thomas Rawls last November.
| Year | Attempts | Yards | Yds / Att | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 21 | 107 | 5.10 | 1 |
| 2012 | 19 | 103 | 5.42 | 0 |
| 2012 | 26 | 111 | 4.27 | 1 |
| 2013* | 22 | 109 | 4.95 | 1 |
| 2014 | 20 | 104 | 4.20 | 0 |
| 2015 | 27 | 122 | 4.52 | 1 |
Lynch's 100 yard rushing performances vs. the San Francisco 49ers (*including postseason)
After making the Pro Bowl in his second season with Buffalo, Lynch returned to the league's all-star game in his second season with the Seahawks. Lynch returned to the Pro Bowl the following season, and while Seattle's appearances in the Super Bowl kept him from playing in the game again, Lynch earned Pro Bowl honors in 2013 and 2014, giving him five total selections in nine seasons to go along with All-Pro honors in 2012 (first team) and 2014 (second team).
The Seahawks assure that Lynch will be a part of their long-term future by signing him to a four-year extension.
Marshawn Lynch (@moneylynch) has signed multiyear contract with Seahawks http://t.co/4giGrJPp
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) March 5, 2012
In the second game of the 2012 season, Lynch rushed for 122 yards on 26 carries, the first of 10 100-yard games in what would be the best statistical season of his career. Lynch finished the 2012 season with 1,590 rushing yards, earning first-team All-Pro honors.
| Game | Attempts | Yards | Yds / Att | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| @ Arizona | 21 | 85 | 4.05 | 0 |
| Dallas | 26 | 122 | 4.69 | 1 |
| Green Bay | 25 | 98 | 3.92 | 0 |
| @ St. Louis | 20 | 118 | 5.90 | 1 |
| @ Carolina | 21 | 85 | 4.05 | 0 |
| New England | 15 | 41 | 2.73 | 0 |
| @ San Francisco | 19 | 103 | 5.42 | 0 |
| @ Detroit | 12 | 105 | 8.75 | 1 |
| Minnesota | 26 | 124 | 4.77 | 1 |
| New York Jets | 27 | 124 | 4.59 | 1 |
| @ Miami | 19 | 46 | 2.42 | 0 |
| @ Chicago | 19 | 87 | 4.58 | 1 |
| Arizona | 11 | 128 | 11.64 | 3 |
| @ Buffalo | 10 | 113 | 11.30 | 1 |
| San Francisco | 26 | 111 | 4.27 | 1 |
| St. Louis | 18 | 100 | 5.56 | 0 |
Lynch's regular-season stats for the 2012 season
One reason Lynch's best single-game performance is a modest (for elite running backs anyway) 153 yards is that he had little interest in padding his stats. Teammates, including Cal and Seahawks teammate Justin Forsett, often told stories of Lynch deferring to backups in games when the score got out of hand. That was never more evident than during Seattle's dominant stretch to close out the 2012 season when Lynch averaged better than 11 yards per carry in consecutive games, gaining 128 yards on 11 carries in a 58-0 win over Arizona, then gaining 113 on 10 carries the following week in a 50-17 win over Buffalo.
Lynch rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries in a comeback win over Washington in the wild-card round of the 2012 postseason, and also had a crucial fumble recovery he turned into a big gain.
Seahawks play-by-play man Steve Raible has been known to exclaim "Holy catfish!"" when describing amazing plays in recent years. It is believed that he first uttered the unusual phrase after Lynch's long run at Houston that saw him break several tackles before finally being brought down after a 43-yard gain.
It's hard to remember now, but there was some thought late in the 2013 season that Lynch could be losing a step. The Seahawks were winning, but heading into the postseason, Lynch hadn't gone over 100 yards in seven games, and had averaged fewer than 4 yards-per-carry in every game but one during that stretch. But in a divisional-round game against New Orleans that was marred by wind and rain, Lynch was on top of his game, rushing for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries on a day when passing yards were hard to come by. A week later, Lynch rushed for 109 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown run, in the NFC championship game win over San Francisco.
While Seattle's dominant defense was the star of Seattle's 43-8 Super Bowl win over the Denver Broncos, it was fitting that Lynch scored the first touchdown of the game for a team that had leaned on him so heavily to get to that point. Lynch would also score Seattle's opening touchdown a year later in Super Bowl XLIX.
In a 38-17 win over the Giants, Lynch rushed for 140 yards while establishing a career high with four touchdown runs.
While Lynch's original "Beast Quake" against New Orleans will go down as his best run—and as one of the best in NFL history—his 79-yard score against Arizona isn't far behind. Lynch actually missed the start of Seattle's Week 16 victory with stomach issues, but when he did play, he excelled, rushing for 113 yards on 10 carries, including another logic-defying, tackle-breaking run that will be remembered for years.
"He's really just showing the world that he's a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, continue to say bad, man," Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman said after the game, a 35-6 Seahawks win.
One of Lynch's best traits throughout his career was the way he and Seattle's running game could wear on a defense. That was never more evident than last year's overtime win over Green Bay in the NFC championship game.
At halftime, the Seahawks were down big and Lynch had rushed for just 37 yards on nine carries. In the second half and overtime, he carried 16 times for 120 yards, including the go-ahead 24-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Lynch's 157 rushing yards was a career high in both regular-season and postseason games.
While Lynch's final season was marred by injuries, he appropriately turned in his best performance against the 49ers, rushing for 122 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. Lynch carried the ball nine times on Seattle's opening possession alone, finishing the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Maybe Lynch understood the significance of his abdominal injury and what his future held before he talked to rookie Thomas Rawls prior to Seattle's Week 11 game against San Francisco, or maybe he was just trying to get Rawls ready for that one particular game, but Lynch's words seem prophetic in retrospect.
Sidelined by an injury that would end up requiring surgery, causing Lynch to miss the final seven games of the season as well as Seattle's wild-card game at Minnesota, the veteran running back addressed the rookie who was about to start in his place.
"Look youngin', I'm passing you the torch for the day, you know what to do." Rawls recalled Lynch telling him.
Rawls told Lynch, "I got you, just like always, just like always," then proceeded to rush for 209 yards while adding 46 receiving yards.
After going through the first serious injury of his career, Lynch battled back to return for a playoff game, but because of the circumstances of the game—the Seahawks quickly fell behind 31-0 at Carolina, forcing them to abandon the run by the middle of the second quarter—Lynch's impact was limited. In what appears to have been his final game, Lynch was limited to 20 yards on six carries, but that modest finish in no way tells the story of how important he was to the team he played for over the past six seasons.
In a retirement announcement that was quintessential Marshawn Lynch, Lynch tweeted out a photo of a pair of cleats hanging from a telephone wire. The tweet contained no words, just the photo and a "peace out" emoji, the perfect sign off for a player whose game spoke loudly, but who was a man of few words.
— Shawn Lynch (@MoneyLynch) February 8, 2016
Three months after Lynch’s retirement announcement, the move became official with the Seahawks placing Lynch on the reserve/retired list.
