Oakland Raiders: Can Marshawn Lynch live up to the hype?

The Oakland Raiders signing Marshawn Lynch has been the highlight of the offseason. But will the “Beast Mode” mania be crushed under unrealistic expectations?

When the Oakland Raiders officially announced the acquisition of then-retired running back Marshawn Lynch, Raider Nation collectively erupted with “Beast Mode” mania, and understandably so. But with that level of excitement comes lofty expectations. Will Marshawn be able to live up to the hype?

The arrival of Lynch in Oakland reads like a fairytale, as he’ll don the iconic Silver and Black colors of his hometown team. Marshawn mania will continue as long as he remains with the team, as he instantly became a top three favorite player amongst the fan base. Not to mention the merchandise deal Marshawn has with the Raiders to sell his personally branded gear with the official team logo, and that no. 24 jersey that bears his name is sure to be a top seller.

The question is, with such optimistic regarding his comeback, can a player who’s numbers (and health) began to decline before he retired deliver on what might be unrealistic expectations.

Fans often get caught up in the headlines and the social media frenzy with a major player organization. Raider Nation has been down this path plenty of times before, such as with the additions of Randy Moss, Warren Sapp, Richard Seymour, and countless draft picks. The hope is Lynch will be more Rich Gannon or Jim Plunkett than any of the aforementioned news, obviously aside from playing a different position.

Lynch’s declining numbers in his final season with the Seattle Seahawks might paint a more realistic picture of what to expect this upcoming season. As Pro Football Reference points out, Marshawn’s numbers in his final season were samaritan at best. He compilted 417 rushing yards on 111 touches, only scoring 3 touchdowns with an average of 3.8 yards per carry.

However, it should be pointed out Lynch had sports hernia surgery his final season, which certainly had an adverse affect on his performance. But at the same time, that also makes health a question mark.

If Lynch’s final season in Seattle was an anomaly due to injury — which is fair to say — it doesn’t change the fact that he is aging, and aging running backs rarely pan out. At 31, coming out of retirement after not having played one of the league’s most punishing positions, how will he hold up over the course of the entire season? Will he be fresh? Or will those injury concerns arise once again?

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Looking at other backs who have ran into issues after reaching 30 years old, it’s safe to say that history isn’t on Lynch’s side. Adrian Peterson, for example, was expected to come back and play like his former self. But poor performance combined with yet another serious injury has been the main story with him.

Edgerrin James only rushed for 514 yards after hitting 30 years old, and Marshall Faulk ran for 818 yards after his 30th birthday. But like with any rule, there are exceptions. Emmitt Smith rushed for 1,397 yards and another 1,203 yards after reaching 30 yards of age.

With all that being said, there is plenty of hope that Marshawn Lynch will still be the Beast Mode we all know and love. But it remains to be seen how much he has left in the tank, so Raider Nation would be wise to temper their expectations.

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