If indeed Marshawn Lynch is done playing, he’s retiring at a bad time. Not only are running backs less valued now than ever before, but Lynch might be forced to become Hall of Fame-eligible at the same time as Peyton Manning and Calvin Johnson.
So the former Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks running back won’t likely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, especially since his cumulative stats are lacking due to the fact he played only six relatively healthy, full seasons.
But legacies are made in January and February, and Lynch helped carry the Seahawks to back-to-back Super Bowls while earning a reputation as one of the best playoff performers of this era.
Of course we’ll never forget this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPcfkxmhS_A
But Lynch’s postseason dominance had to do with a lot more than that one memorable run. To consider:
- The man ran for over 100 yards in six of his 11 postseason games, averaging 4.9 yards per carry and scoring nine touchdowns overall.
- I know this is somewhat of a chicken-egg stat, but when he ran the ball at least seven times (in other words, when he actually got to play), the Seahawks had a 7-2 record in the playoffs.
- He’s run for 20 or more yards seven times in the playoffs. Dating back to the turn of the century, no other back has done that more than five times.
- Lynch, Thurman Thomas and Terrell Davis are the only backs in NFL history with four 130-yard rushing performances in the playoffs.
- Lynch, Thomas, Davis, Emmitt Smith, John Riggins, Marcus Allen and Franco Harris are the only backs in NFL history with five 100-yard rushing performances in the playoffs.
Every player just named except Lynch and Davis are in the Hall of Fame, and Davis was a finalist this year. It might take some time, but it’ll happen for Lynch. Has to. And when it does, he may set a new record for shortest enshrinement speech.
