I'm struggling to recall a time he didn't deliver the goods. Reminds me of Gary Payton in the way that I marveled in the ability to play such a high-effort style every single time they laced it up.
He didn't always go off for 100 yards or more, there were (tiny) stretches where we'd worry if he'd lost a step - usually when the OL went through its annual suck-a-thon - but I don't remember ever watching him carry the ball and thinking yeah, that didn't look like Marshawn put all 100% into that one, whether he had a wide open lane or was staring at 5 defenders in the backfield. Who the hell runs like that?
He so epitomizes how football should be played that fans of other teams are going to get a pang watching our team with him gone, similar to how I felt watching the Niners after Gore moved on. Yeah it's cool he's not stomping you, but almost wish he'd come back and stomp again just so you could watch him play.
And yeah, I also remember him manhandling the Hawks when he was with the Bills and enjoying it even though he was doing it to us. And being a little scared of it, because good God what made the dude run so angry? Watching him run you'd expect him go for the throat of interviewers with his teeth after games but he didn't seem like an angry guy talking. But no one would think about messing with him after watching him run and so no one would think about messing with the team either.
Ugh, just sucks that we can't watch him anymore. Really really sucks.