NorthCoast
12-13-2020, 09:40 AM
The veteran running back has stated he wants to return to the NFL and play for a contender.
By Michael_Beck@MichaelBeck56 Dec 12, 2020, 7:00am EST 24 Comments
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Wild Card Round - Seattle Seahawks v Philadelphia Eagles
Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images
Super Bowl winning running back, Marshawn Lynch has stated his desire to return to the NFL, with the stipulation of wanting to play for a winner. Lynch has even gone as fr as saying some teams have reached out to him. Some keen Steelers fans saw Lynch’s quote and immediately married the idea of the Steelers being a contending team with running issues, with the idea of adding Marshawn Lynch to this team.
In idea alone the man they call ‘Beast Mode’ might be the perfect guy to be the short yardage back. But that's basically where the positive points stop. Adding a guy like Lynch doesn't even solve the Steelers short yardage woes. They still have their offensive lineman in two-point stances, and run out of shotgun far too often to have short yardage running success. If the Steelers aren't willing to change their short yardage philosophy then they have no reason to go after a guy like Lynch.
Another main reason the Steelers shouldn't look to bring in Marshawn is they already have four running backs on their 53 man roster. They’re not going to cut James Conner for obvious reasons, neither will they cut Anthony McFarland or Jaylen Samuels for their passing down and special teams contributions. The only logical swap is moving out a short yardage back to bring in another. Do you really think the Steelers would cut 22 year-old Benny Snell with two years remaining on his rookie deal to bring in 34 year-old Marshawn Lynch? I just can't see it happening. And you know Marshawn is not looking to sign onto a teams practice squad.
The last reason why I believe adding Marshawn Lynch wouldn't push the needle for this team is he’s simply not the player he used to be. They year before Lynch’s first retirement (2015) playing with the Seahawks he was plagued by injury and only played in seven games, averaging 3.8 yards per carry. Lynch then took a year off of football before returning with the Oakland Raiders. In 15 games in 2017 Lynch averaged 4.3 yards per carry 891 yards and 7 touchdowns. But it has been straight down hill since. In 2018 Lynch injured his groin and only played in 6 games. And in 2019 Marshawn Lynch signed a contract in Week 17 to rejoin the Seattle Seahawks, averaging 2.8 yards per carry in his loan regular season game and 1.8 yards per carry in two post season games.
The NFL’s Covid protocols also make signing Lynch a slippery road to navigate. If he does return to the NFL in 2020 I believe it will be for a team that runs into injury/covid related issues.
But what do you think? Should the Steelers look into bringing in Marshawn Lynch to Pittsburgh? Tell us your thoughts down in the comments below.
https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2020/12/12/22169193/marshawn-lynch-wont-solve-the-steelers-problems-pittsburgh-beast-mode-running-back-james-conner-nfl
By Michael_Beck@MichaelBeck56 Dec 12, 2020, 7:00am EST 24 Comments
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Wild Card Round - Seattle Seahawks v Philadelphia Eagles
Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images
Super Bowl winning running back, Marshawn Lynch has stated his desire to return to the NFL, with the stipulation of wanting to play for a winner. Lynch has even gone as fr as saying some teams have reached out to him. Some keen Steelers fans saw Lynch’s quote and immediately married the idea of the Steelers being a contending team with running issues, with the idea of adding Marshawn Lynch to this team.
In idea alone the man they call ‘Beast Mode’ might be the perfect guy to be the short yardage back. But that's basically where the positive points stop. Adding a guy like Lynch doesn't even solve the Steelers short yardage woes. They still have their offensive lineman in two-point stances, and run out of shotgun far too often to have short yardage running success. If the Steelers aren't willing to change their short yardage philosophy then they have no reason to go after a guy like Lynch.
Another main reason the Steelers shouldn't look to bring in Marshawn is they already have four running backs on their 53 man roster. They’re not going to cut James Conner for obvious reasons, neither will they cut Anthony McFarland or Jaylen Samuels for their passing down and special teams contributions. The only logical swap is moving out a short yardage back to bring in another. Do you really think the Steelers would cut 22 year-old Benny Snell with two years remaining on his rookie deal to bring in 34 year-old Marshawn Lynch? I just can't see it happening. And you know Marshawn is not looking to sign onto a teams practice squad.
The last reason why I believe adding Marshawn Lynch wouldn't push the needle for this team is he’s simply not the player he used to be. They year before Lynch’s first retirement (2015) playing with the Seahawks he was plagued by injury and only played in seven games, averaging 3.8 yards per carry. Lynch then took a year off of football before returning with the Oakland Raiders. In 15 games in 2017 Lynch averaged 4.3 yards per carry 891 yards and 7 touchdowns. But it has been straight down hill since. In 2018 Lynch injured his groin and only played in 6 games. And in 2019 Marshawn Lynch signed a contract in Week 17 to rejoin the Seattle Seahawks, averaging 2.8 yards per carry in his loan regular season game and 1.8 yards per carry in two post season games.
The NFL’s Covid protocols also make signing Lynch a slippery road to navigate. If he does return to the NFL in 2020 I believe it will be for a team that runs into injury/covid related issues.
But what do you think? Should the Steelers look into bringing in Marshawn Lynch to Pittsburgh? Tell us your thoughts down in the comments below.
https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2020/12/12/22169193/marshawn-lynch-wont-solve-the-steelers-problems-pittsburgh-beast-mode-running-back-james-conner-nfl