Image courtesy of M I K E M O R R I S's Flickr page - IMG_4588: https://www.flickr.com/photos/23471940@N02/14898375347/in/photolist-oGw4Wt-oGuW3C-oYXTsE-oYHBjV-oYHZxT-oGvjFx-oYYUZt-oGzKm6-oYYooL-oGzdnT-oZ1dNT-oGuUnG-oGvJsQ-oGwhjp-oGvpVF-oGvE7h-oGvb5d-oZ4Ex2-oGA3F4-oGvpcA-oZ4rEt-oYJmct-oGyYDR-oGuR7x-oYZ1DK-oYHEyF-oGvM3u-oWXcq1-oGusVG-oGvQMc-oGw9bb-oZ3czy-oGuKFy-oGuT7h-oYNq48-oGvetC-oZ38aG-oGzakP-oGA5iy-jNc1Fn-oGvzj9-oGvRha-oYZB4g-oGvqpe-oGyYec-yd9N4P-oGvmBM-oGz5QQ-oYNfui-oX3rFf
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A few years ago, Marshawn Lynch seemed to be on top of the football world. He was on the Seattle Seahawks, and they seemed on the verge of winning a second straight Super Bowl. Lynch himself was a huge part of this, with a power running game that allowed him to earn the nickname "Beast Mode."
I have said this before here at some points, but that 2014 Seattle Seahawks team reminded me a lot (I mean a lot) of the 1993 Dallas Cowboys. Like that Cowboys team, they Seahawks were defending champions, and they also looked destined to at least win the NFC title, and likely en route to another Super Bowl title. Like the 1993 Dallas team, they had an aggressive defense, and a tough offense centered around a start running back that provided power, and allowed them to control the clocks. Lynch was starting to look every bit as relevant to the enormous success of that Seahawks offense as Emmitt Smith looked for the 1993 Dallas Cowboys.
Sure enough, the Seahawks found themselves back in the Super Bowl, and like the 1993 Dallas Cowboys, their opponents were a common AFC powerhouse who themselves were no strangers to the Super Bowl. But that was where the similarities ended, because while Dallas faced a Buffalo team that seemed always to make the Super Bowl, but never to win it, Seattle faced the New England Patriots. True, the Pats had not won in about a decade, but they were always one of the favorites, and one of the elite teams.
The Buffalo Bills provided a tough challenge for the heavily favored Cowboys through the first half, although they did not act as confident as a team that had dominated the first half usually would. Sure enough, they collapsed quickly in the second half after a crucial mistake that tied the game and gave momentum to Dallas, and the Cowboys rolled on to a convincing victory, earning a second straight Super Bowl title. Needless to say,the Seahawks were not nearly as heavily favored, and the Patriots provided a very tough challenge through the first half. And while Seattle did seem to dominate the third quarter, taking a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter, New England really came alive in that final quarter, and came back to score two touchdowns, taking a 28-24 lead as the game wore down.
Still, the Seahawks had a chance. It took a bit of a miracle play, but in the game's final minute, Seattle had a 2nd and 1 for what would very likely be the winning touchdown, which of course would earn them a second straight Super Bowl title. Conventional wisdom had most people feeling that handing it off to Lynch would seal the deal. Seattle would get the touchdown, and then have to rely on that tough, physical, aggressive defense to hold Tom Brady and New England's offense in check.
We all remember what happened, though, right? The Seahawks opted not only to pass, but to throw a risky pass. And the play wound up being a huge blunder, possibly the biggest single blunder in recent sports history. The play was a fiasco, resulting in an interception. Lynch did not get that final chance to punch the ball into the end zone, and give his team the win. The play call was hugely criticized, and many faulted head coach Pete Carroll for making what some suggested was the most idiotic play call in history.
Obviously, there was a lot of controversy after this play, which cost the Seahawks the Super Bowl. Pete Carroll was blasted by most people for not playing it safer, and not simply giving it to Lynch to win it for his team. Many speculated that there may have been a secret reason for this, that Carroll (or someone else in the top brass) did not want Lynch to be the hero of the Super Bowl. There were some issues that certain people had with Lynch's public image, and he had received some flack for that. But some were asking that if this was the real reason why the ball did not go to Lynch, and why the play that was called wound up being such a disaster as to outright prevent the Seahawks from even winning that second straight title, was it really that important?
The Seahawks never really did recover from that yet. There they were, a powerhouse team seemingly on the cusp of emerging as the league's newest dynasty. Instead, they suffer one of the most devastating losses in Super Bowl history. They were nowhere near as good the next season, and were even worse in 2016, and outright misses the playoffs in 2017.
As for Lynch, he left the Seahawks following the 2015 season. But he returned to the NFL in 2017, donning the silver and black of the Raiders, playing in his hometown of Oakland.
Some have continued to take exception to both his on the field and off the field antics. Indeed, perhaps grabbing his crotch and taunting an opposing team while scoring a touchdown is not the epitome of class. Nor were some of the more serious issues while behind the wheel, both in Buffalo and in California.
But make no mistake: Lynch has done some things right. Contrary to the way that he is often portrayed, Lynch has apparently done an exceptional job financially, as he has apparently literally not touched so much as a dime of the obviously extensive money that he has earned during his NFL career. That means that the nearly $50 million that he earned on the field (and not the extras for endorsements and such off of it) are still his, entirely.
That requires a level of discipline that is extraordinary, especially in major North American sports, where we hear seemingly inexplicable stories of guys who have made a ton of money (Mike Tyson, Allen Iverson, and Antoine Walker come to mind) and spent it so freely as to have to file for bankruptcy just a few years later.
Lynch could teach those guys a thing or two, at least in regard to their finances.
Obviously, there was a lot of controversy after this play, which cost the Seahawks the Super Bowl. Pete Carroll was blasted by most people for not playing it safer, and not simply giving it to Lynch to win it for his team. Many speculated that there may have been a secret reason for this, that Carroll (or someone else in the top brass) did not want Lynch to be the hero of the Super Bowl. There were some issues that certain people had with Lynch's public image, and he had received some flack for that. But some were asking that if this was the real reason why the ball did not go to Lynch, and why the play that was called wound up being such a disaster as to outright prevent the Seahawks from even winning that second straight title, was it really that important?
The Seahawks never really did recover from that yet. There they were, a powerhouse team seemingly on the cusp of emerging as the league's newest dynasty. Instead, they suffer one of the most devastating losses in Super Bowl history. They were nowhere near as good the next season, and were even worse in 2016, and outright misses the playoffs in 2017.
As for Lynch, he left the Seahawks following the 2015 season. But he returned to the NFL in 2017, donning the silver and black of the Raiders, playing in his hometown of Oakland.
Some have continued to take exception to both his on the field and off the field antics. Indeed, perhaps grabbing his crotch and taunting an opposing team while scoring a touchdown is not the epitome of class. Nor were some of the more serious issues while behind the wheel, both in Buffalo and in California.
But make no mistake: Lynch has done some things right. Contrary to the way that he is often portrayed, Lynch has apparently done an exceptional job financially, as he has apparently literally not touched so much as a dime of the obviously extensive money that he has earned during his NFL career. That means that the nearly $50 million that he earned on the field (and not the extras for endorsements and such off of it) are still his, entirely.
That requires a level of discipline that is extraordinary, especially in major North American sports, where we hear seemingly inexplicable stories of guys who have made a ton of money (Mike Tyson, Allen Iverson, and Antoine Walker come to mind) and spent it so freely as to have to file for bankruptcy just a few years later.
Lynch could teach those guys a thing or two, at least in regard to their finances.
Marshawn Lynch reportedly hasn't spent a penny of the $49.7 million in salary he has made in his NFL career Cork Gaines Feb. 7, 2016, 10:28 AM
https://www.businessinsider.com/marshawn-lynch-saves-nfl-salary-lives-off-endorsements-2016-2?fbclid=IwAR0QYiWlotsSB4WB9cpzVbQa2wS8C-4SHJXBb65WfO7pL8kzNboCWJ1fJrs&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=topbar&utm_term=mobile&referrer=facebook
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