Wide Receiver Seth Roberts
Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley, Robb Nen, and… Marshawn Lynch?
The Bay Area has a rich history of closers on the diamond, but with his unique skillset, and as dynamic as the Oakland Raiders offense already is, *The MMQB's *Peter King believes that Lynch could be the next great closer to take up residence at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
"He's a closer, and that's what I think the Raiders acquired," said King Monday during a training camp visit to the Oakland Raiders Napa Valley Training Complex. "If it goes the way that [Head Coach] Jack Del Rio [and] [General Manager] [Reggie] McKenzie, if it goes the way those guys think that it should go, than that is the perfect way to think of him. He should be the ninth inning guy. He should be the closer."
Throughout the course of his 10-year career, Lynch has become synonymous with power. Not only does a quick look at a cutup of his career show some of the more ironic runs in recent NFL history, but he's also been incredibly consistent in his decade as a professional.
Lynch has never averaged less than 3.5 yards per attempt in a season, and in 2012 – his most productive season in terms of rushing yards – he averaged a staggering 5.0 yards per touch, and he's shown time and time again that he's at his best running between the tackles gaining tough yardage. In Oakland, Lynch will also have the benefit of having Jalen Richard and DeAndré Washington operating out of the same backfield, making the trio about as dynamic as any in the NFL.
In that running backs room, there's no question; Lynch is the power back, and the one who King thinks will be asked to close out games when Del Rio's group is looking to kill the clock, and keep the chains moving.
"In a football sense, he is the power back that a team that is close, and might need that power back, the real physical running back to win a game or two down the stretch, to give you 12 carries in the second half when you're trying to nurse a three-point lead in Mexico City against the Patriots," King explained. "You want to give the ball to Marshawn Lynch 15 times in the second half."
While thinking ahead to a return to the postseason is nice, the Silver and Black are currently fully immersed in Training Camp 2017, and after two days practicing in shells, the Raiders finally put the pads on Monday afternoon.
Fullback Jamize Olawale has blocked for his fair share of running backs since he became a Raider in 2012, but according to the veteran fullback, Lynch and his style stand a man apart.
"He's his own player, man," Olawale explained. "He has his own style, a different mentality, and that's what makes him great."
Granted it was just the first day in pads, but Lynch certainly looked at home running behind the Raiders daunting offensive line, and Olawale doesn't expect that to change going forward.
"He is who he is," Olawale said. "I don't think he tries to change for anybody, so I guess what you see on TV, that's who he is. Like I said, he's a competitor, so I'm looking forward to great things this year."
Notable:
-Monday afternoon a Cuyahoga Grand Jury returned a "No Bill" on all possible charges brought against rookie cornerback Gareon Conley. Following the day's practice, General Manager Reggie McKenzie addressed the media about the topic.
"I'm excited for Gareon," said McKenzie. "It's tough on a young man like that to go through this, and I'm excited for Gareon on the Raiders, for the process to work."
-SiriusXM NFL Radio's Gil Brandt was also in the house Monday afternoon, and when asked about the Raider Nation, Brandt didn't hesitate to say that they were one of, if not the best fan base in the NFL.
-While he still wasn't able to participate in practice, after doing some work with the training staff, linebacker Bruce Irvin donned a jersey, and stood with his defensive teammates through the afternoon session.
-Wide receiver Seth Roberts had a nice day at the office, making a few impressive catches, most noticeably a shoe-string grab during one of the team's 11-on-11 sessions.
-Rookie defensive tackle Treyvon Hester generated some good interior pressure Monday, shedding a lineman, and forcing the quarterback outside into what would have likely been a sack.
-Linebacker Cory James also enjoyed strong back-to-black plays Monday; at first securing an impressive pass breakup during a seven-on-seven session, then following it with an impressive open-field tackle of Marshawn Lynch.
-Don't sleep on Reggie Nelson. Now in his 11th NFL season, the veteran safety still has a nose for the football, and he showed that off Monday, coming over the top, and making an athletic pass breakup during one of the final 11-on-11 periods of the afternoon.
Song Of The Day:
"I Wanna Rock And Roll All Nite" – KISS
Try not to sing along when this song comes on, I dare you.
Quotable:
"I'll tell you, the first day in pads is always really the most exciting. Everybody gets the pads back on. They get out of the shorts. A lot of times personalities change once you put the pads on. You start running into each other full speed. There's a little bit of difference."
-Defensive Coordinator Ken Norton, Jr., discusses the team's first padded practice.
Tweet Of The Day:
