Lynch The Ultimate Entertainer

Marshawn Lynch’s first season with the Raiders has confirmed a long-held and well-known truth about the veteran running back: There is never a dull moment when Beast Mode is involved.

From running onto the field to break up a potential fight between some of the Raiders offensive linemen and Kansas City Chiefs cornerback (and Oakland native) Marcus Peters which ended with Lynch grabbing a referee and being ejected to practicing with his former high school during a one-game suspension to scoring a pair of touchdowns in his first game back, Lynch has managed to package an entire year’s worth of entertainment into the first nine weeks of the NFL season.

Certainly no one can be surprised, least of all the Raiders who were well aware of what they were getting into when they lured Lynch out of retirement to anchor their running game.

While the plan hasn’t unfolded entirely the way either side hoped it would, Lynch remains a vital key to whatever chance the Raiders have of getting back into the playoff hunt.

Against Miami, Lynch showed how critical a role he can play. He scored two touchdowns after having only two total through the first seven games he played. More importantly and to the point, Lynch tallied 14 carries — not a huge work load by any stretch of the imagination but Lynch’s most since the season-opener — which gave the offense some much-needed balance and helped keep some of the pressure off quarterback Derek Carr.

It should also be a wakeup call to Raiders offensive coordinator Todd Downing, whose use of Lynch has been sporadic. Carr noted as much while talking to reporters when he stressed the importance of having Lynch as a central part of the game plan.