Marshawn Lynch - some interesting stats

MontanaHawk05

Well-known member
Joined
May 1, 2009
Messages
17,888
Reaction score
404
Lynch's lower YPC validates him further for me. It means he's gaining consistent yardage on plays and not padding his stats with any long runs (which are usually created by a breakdown in the defense). Defenses are keeping him in front of them and he's still bursting through.

I'd like to see more touchdowns, but his 100-yard games aren't "useless" as I've seen others imply. Every drive that he spearpoints helps keep an opposing offense (and our own defense) off the field. He's key to keeping our D top-notch.
 

pehawk

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 23, 2007
Messages
24,216
Reaction score
1,738
The fact Lynch is running so well, ESPECIALLY in game's it's necessary to win, like Stl and SF, and the Hawks offense STILL struggles speaks to Bevell's performance thus far. IMO, of course.
 

VHawk

New member
Joined
Sep 16, 2011
Messages
2,524
Reaction score
0
Location
Naples, FL
If there wasnt so many dropped passes in crucial moments of the game on Thursday we would have seen that this offense could be crazy good.........it is so damn close.
 

BlueTalon

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
8,947
Reaction score
1,594
Location
Eastern Washington
manders2600":3r9ekqx8 said:
The Forsett point is a solid one, although this would seem to be negated by only looking at RBs with 50+ carries so far. I suppose you could further whittle it down by looking at only RBs who have 75+ or 100+.
I think if you are trying to compare the relative effectiveness of RBs, I think it is reasonable to have a minimum average carries per game of 10 or 12 (arbitrarily chosen numbers), which would put it close to what you mentioned.
 

manders2600

New member
Joined
Oct 27, 2011
Messages
203
Reaction score
0
kidhawk":292jjfsk said:
manders2600":292jjfsk said:
kidhawk":292jjfsk said:
YPC isn't as good a stat to go by as one would think. Justin Forsett consistently had a high YPC average, but couldn't keep it up when given the majority of carries in any game. The fact of the matter is that teams are stacking against the run and Lynch is still averaging near nearly four and a half yards per carry. He's (I believe) the league leader in yards after contact...THIS is a real stat to consider, because where a RB is first hit will vary, but how he runs after that is where the ability lies

Unfortunately, it also speaks to the strength of the offensive line, and can be detrimental to a RBs long-term health.

Ideally, you don't want any RB to get most of their yards after contact AND have 300+ carries on the season (Lynch has 147 so far, or 21 per game, putting him on pace for 336 carries).

The Forsett point is a solid one, although this would seem to be negated by only looking at RBs with 50+ carries so far. I suppose you could further whittle it down by looking at only RBs who have 75+ or 100+.

I don't think 300+ carries is a huge number for a RB. 400+ Is, but if a RB runs the ball 20 times per game, that's 320 carries over the course of a season.

Also, you can't always blame a RB getting hit sooner on the offensive line. When a defense puts 8 men in the box, it's rare for them not to put a hit on the rB within the first yard or 2. Lynch is that special type of back who can still churn out those runs and make them 4+ yards. This is the skill you want in a RB. RB's aren't meant to last 10 years. They take lots of hits and they get that one really fat contract and then they start to decline by the end of it. We have Lynch in his prime and I have no problem with using him to carry a load.

What we need to do, is get the short - intermediate passing game going, so those linebackers and safeties don't cheat up to stop the run. This will give Lynch the chance to get some momentum going before that first contact, and when that happens, watch out

Well, only 3 players have had more than 350 carries in the last 5 seasons (2007-2011): Adrian Peterson and Michael Turner in 2008, and Chris Johnson in 2009. No one has had 400 carries in those seasons.

Last year, Lynch had 285 carries on the season, giving him the 4th most carries that year.

Good running teams routinely face 8 men in the box, and Seattle is certainly one of them. However, given the 4.4 ypc for Lynch (and for Turbin) and the fact that Lynch has the highest yards-after-contact of RBs, it seems that he is being contacted sooner rather than later. Whether this is a factor of poor line play, poor blocking by FBs and TEs, or the lack of a passing game is more difficult to say (probably a combination of the three).

This is not taking anything away from Lynch, who is amazing, but rather the long-term efficacy of Seattle's approach to him.

My point being that Seattle cannot continue to have a single RB with the 2nd highest number of carries while running the 18th most offensive plays, and getting the most yards-after-contact, with any level of sustainability. In essense, Lynch needs other players on Seattle's offense to step up, because at the moment, he IS Seattle's offense, and is being subjected to greater risk of injury.
 

themunn

Well-known member
Joined
May 18, 2012
Messages
3,946
Reaction score
463
kidhawk":3m7f4mxg said:
I don't think 300+ carries is a huge number for a RB. 400+ Is, but if a RB runs the ball 20 times per game, that's 320 carries over the course of a season.
Also, you can't always blame a RB getting hit sooner on the offensive line. When a defense puts 8 men in the box, it's rare for them not to put a hit on the rB within the first yard or 2. Lynch is that special type of back who can still churn out those runs and make them 4+ yards. This is the skill you want in a RB. RB's aren't meant to last 10 years. They take lots of hits and they get that one really fat contract and then they start to decline by the end of it. We have Lynch in his prime and I have no problem with using him to carry a load.
What we need to do, is get the short - intermediate passing game going, so those linebackers and safeties don't cheat up to stop the run. This will give Lynch the chance to get some momentum going before that first contact, and when that happens, watch out

Only 5 players in history have ever carried the ball 400 times in a season, only one (James Wilder) didn't have a significant drop in production and carries the following season (with 3 of them missing several games through injury)

So whilst I'll agree that it's a HUGE number, it's far above huge, it's simply too much.
350 is pushing the limit of the punishment a RB can take, but the way Lynch runs, he takes a pounding equivalent to someone who carries the ball significantly more times than him.
 

Kixkahn

New member
Joined
Sep 17, 2009
Messages
802
Reaction score
0
There have been times he could have scored (third and 2 on like the 6) when for some illogical reason they called a passing play. Think we did something similar more than once. It is time for the beast to arise.
 
Top