Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch is coming off his best performance in the silver and black. Head coach Jon Gruden took that opportunity to put it in his bid for future enshrinement.
His outing against the Cleveland Browns was a flashback of vintage Lynch. According to Matt Schneidman of San Jose Mercury, Gruden feels it served as a reminder of why he should be poised for the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday:
“If that’s not a Hall of Fame back, I don’t know what is … Some of the runs, good night. Why would you have a quick whistle with Marshawn Lynch?”
There is certainly plenty of truth to Gruden’s praise. Lynch finished the day with 130 yards on 25 carries. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that 100 of his yards came after contact. He may have even been able to add on to that total had it not been for an unusually quick whistle on one of his carries.
Despite the dip in production since joining the Raiders, Lynch is still one of the most decorated players in the league right now. His resume for the Hall of Fame looks quite healthy with five Pro Bowl selections and a Super Bowl win under his belt. Furthermore, he currently ranks 28th all-time in career rushing yards with 10,303. There is a very good chance that he moves ahead of former Cincinnati Bengals legend Corey Dillon’s 11,241 yards this season.
It is encouraging to see Gruden talk up one of his new players. There was plenty of speculation regarding the dynamic between these two big personalities ahead of the 2018 NFL season. It was magnified by the arrival of former two-time Pro Bowl running back Doug Martin. However, Lynch has managed to maintain a firm hold as Oakland’s workhorse. The Raiders are hoping his performance is a sign of improvement from the offense as a whole.
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