SANTA CLARA Calif. In the middle of his best and most boisterous postgame media session of the season Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman took a break from the trash talking and quips to address a matter more important to him.
He stumped for Marshawn Lynch to be the NFL MVP.
He should be MVP of the league and hopefully he gets that nod Sherman said after the Seahawks 19 3 victory over San Francisco on Thanksgiving night. Everybody who votes MVP Marshawn Lynch. Marshawn Lynch lot of touchdowns. Marshawn Lynch lot of touchdowns. He doesn t like to talk. You guys don t like me when I talk. Marshawn Lynch.
As campaign speeches go that one was original. But if the Seahawks (8 4) continue their second half surge they have won three of four games since the midway point against mostly quality competition Sherman will have a point and Lynch will have a case.
At first glance the assertion seems ridiculous. Lynch is averaging just 79.7 rushing yards. He s hardly on pace for the 2 097 rushing yards that Adrian Peterson amassed in 2012 which was the last time a running back won the quarterback centric MVP award. He s not going to come close to the 28 touchdowns Shaun Alexander scored during his MVP season in 2005 or the 31 touchdowns LaDainian Tomlinson scored in winning the award in 2006. But think deeper and you can see Lynch getting into this season s race.
Lynch s rushing average is misleading because the Seahawks didn t give him enough carries early in the season and they suffered because of it. Lynch had just six carries in a loss to San Diego in Week 2 and a measly 10 carries in a loss to Dallas in Week 6. The Seahawks were losing their identity while trying to force the ball to Percy Harvin and make the offense more balanced.
But since the Seahawks traded Harvin Lynch has carried the Seahawks offense. The Seahawks are 5 2 since the Harvin trade despite losing important personnel to injuries and struggling to find consistency in the passing game. They re winning with a heavy run based offense led by Lynch and supported by the athleticism of quarterback Russell Wilson.
During this second half surge Lynch has rushed for 100 yards in three of four games. He s averaging 101.7 yards and 20 carries in those games. He now leads all running backs with 12 touchdowns (nine rushing three receiving) this season. Throw in his improved receiving numbers (28 receptions 297 yards) and Lynch already has 1 253 total yards this season.
If he continues his second half pace Lynch will finish the season with 1 363 rushing yards. But more important to his MVP case is whether the Seahawks look like an elite team again. If the Seahawks do and voters look back and see that Lynch was the outstanding force in Seattle s return to dominance after a 3 3 start he would have a better case than most running back MVP candidates who don t post astronomical numbers.
Right now you can only put Lynch in the conversation. Top five finish perhaps. But he s not on the top tier of contenders for several reasons. Dallas running back DeMarco Murray has rushed for 471 more yards than Lynch so far this season. He was the midseason favorite to win the award and though the Cowboys (8 4) don t look as dominant anymore it s hard to vote for Lynch when another back is chasing 2 000 yards. And then there are quarterbacks putting up ridiculous numbers for good teams.
Quarterbacks always seem to have the advantage in an MVP race and this season Peyton Manning is playing at his usual level. Tom Brady has led New England to the AFC s best record despite the Patriots mediocre offensive personnel. Andrew Luck is on pace to throw for 5 296 yards.
Consider Brady the favorite at the three quarter mark of the season and Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers (30 touchdowns three interceptions a league leading 119.2 passer rating) should be a fairly close second. The two quarterbacks meet for the first time Sunday and it could be a key turning point in the MVP race.
As for Lynch all he can do is keep producing keep winning and let his play do the talking. The expectation level is so high for him that he ran for 104 yards Thursday and he was barely a major storyline until Sherman made his remarks.
MVP or not Lynch is carrying the Seahawks. And he s taking them back to the top of the NFL.
Jerry Brewer 206 464 2277 or jbrewer seattletimes.com. On Twitter JerryBrewer
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