Sherman Hopeful of Lynch Return

You’d be hard pressed to find two teammates more dissimilar off the field. Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman and freshly retired running back Marshawn Lynch share little in common, except deceptive intelligence, team mentality and a will to win.

It’s that drive that keeps Sherman thinking that Lynch isn’t yet done with the NFL. “I don’t put anything past him,” Sherman said when asked about Lynch’s retirement. “He’s about as predictable as a pair of dice, so I don’t try to call his plays,” he added aptly.

But despite his curious sense of humour and strained relationship with the media, Lynch strikes as a man of integrity; one who thinks very carefully about his decisions, and doesn’t flip-flop when he reaches an answer.

Lynch played nine seasons in the NFL – an eternity for a modern tailback, especially one with as violent and persistent a style as Lynch – and seems very content with moving on to the next chapter of his life.

Marshawn announced his retirement in the most Marshawn way possible, tweeting a picture of his cleats hanging from a telephone wire, accompanied by a “peace sign” emoji. Oh, and it was posted during the third quarter of the Super Bowl so as to fly under the radar just that little bit more.

“We got a little sample of [Lynch’s absence] last year,” said Sherman, referring to the sports hernia that kept Lynch sidelined for much of last year, paving the way for rookie Thomas Rawls to break out.

“We had to play without him for a good portion of the season,” Sherman continued. “I think we’re prepared for it in some aspects. But you never really want to be prepared for that. You would hope that he comes back. In the back of your mind, you hope he comes back and plays another year. But he doesn’t owe us anything. He’s given us everything. He’s given the game everything we asked.”

The departure of “Beast Mode” would leave the Seahawks thin at running back. The team would be left to rely on a sophomore coming off a season-ending injury and a number of mid-to-late-round draft picks as his replacements. But more than that, Sherman might be hopeful of enticing Lynch to return for one last shot at another Super Bowl…assuming Marshawn even cares about that stuff.