Marshawn Lynch vs. Shaun Alexander

[Spin Doctor]

I would take Alexander on the 2005 Seahawks over Lynch, but I wouldn't take him over Lynch on the current Seahawks. Alexander was a running back that had really impressive burst. He could go from zero, to full speed in the blink of an eye during his prime. His more deceptive than one might think, I saw a lot of defenders grasping for air when Alexander played during his prime. Alexander was also better in the redzone than Lynch. During his prime I do not think there was a better back in the redzone than Alexander.

That being said, Lynch is much better at dealing with penetration, and creating something from nothing. Lynch has been the best back after contact for several years now. If the hole suddenly closes up he can turn a bad situation into 5-7 yards. He may not bust of for big runs often, but he's probably one of the most consistent running backs around. He almost never takes a loss. I think he's also a better blocker and receiver than Alexander ever was.

 

[endzorn]

Alexander was a princess.

 

[DSM]

I still wear my Shaun Jersey. . Marshall is better.

 

[The Grouch]

Alexander ran and looked lighter than he weighed. Very fleet of foot... nimble AND fast. Marshawn runs and looks heavier than he weighs. Not quite as "I'll run around you", much more "it doesn't really matter 'cause imma get mines". Another thing Alexander had that Lynch doesnt...?
Mack Strong. The Beast before Beastmode...

 

[NoChops]

its debatable. I like Marshawn more, but he is still about 30 TDs shy of 37..and has started 15 more games. Yeah, 37 had the line, but not the Defense, and played in a WCO that threw the ball at least twice as much.

 

[Sports Hernia]

Was he better than lynch and would you start him over lynch.

NO. Put Lynch behind Alexander's line and he probably breaks the NFL single season record for yards. Reverse that and it gets ugly fast.

 

[JaiSeaSea]

They are/were fun as hell to watch. Whatever the reason.

 

[BirdsCommaAngry]

I'd love to see that alternate reality where PC and JS get a young SA early on in their four-year plan. I wonder if they'd recognize his potential and emphasize the offensive line more than they did with Lynch to best tap into it, or let him walk in favor of a player with less "feast or famine" to his skill-set.

Lynch on Holmgren's team would be fun too. If he fit well enough with the team, I suspect he'd perform similarly statistically by season's end with a bit less variance between games and fewer long rushes compared to SA. Lynch gets bonus points for the awe-inspiring, will-shattering way of how he gets things done but those bonus points don't fully translate into gawdy numbers quite like SA's elusiveness and speed could.

 

[themunn]

Lynch breaks contact by players that never got close to Alexander.

For all the times we credit the 05 line, Lynch is much slower to hit the hole, even Turbin is faster than him, hence the number of times we say "Lynch would have broken that tackle", that Turbin falls down on. Alexander turned those into 20+ yard runs.

Remember his streak of games with 10 yard runs? I don't care how good your line is, linebackers and safeties still need to be dodged.

A perfect example of Alexander's ability is on the clip of Jones' awesome block against the Panthers - Alexander dodges 4 tacklers in 3 seconds - he never had to break tackles because defenders never got close to him.

I won't flat out say Alexander was better than Lynch, he was just a completely different style of runner who I think would be just as successful behind this line as he was in the 00s.

I tell you what though, if we had both those guys in the same backfield we would never lose a game

 

[hawknation2015]

I tell you what though, if we had both those guys in the same backfield we would never lose a game

Bevell still would have dialed up a slant to Lockette at the one-yard line. :34853_doh:

 

[two dog]

Inside the red zone Alexander was the equal of any back in recent memory.
When he was close to scoring he seemed to find something extra.

Lynch though, in addition to excellent running skills, digs deep and comes up
with something that could only be called heart. Doesn't matter if the situation
is near hopeless or the 'Hawks are cruisin', he brings it every play.

Alexander, it seemed to me, would tend to get down a bit if the game was not
going well. Also, he wanted his carries and made a much bigger deal out of
not getting his yards for the rushing title than Lynch did over not being given
a chance to win the Super Bowl.

Alexander was a gifted runner but I'll take Marshawn.

 

[two dog]

Inside the red zone Alexander was the equal of any back in recent memory.
When he was close to scoring he seemed to find something extra.

Lynch though, in addition to excellent running skills, digs deep and comes up
with something that could only be called heart. Doesn't matter if the situation
is near hopeless or the 'Hawks are cruisin', he brings it every play.

Alexander, it seemed to me, would tend to get down a bit if the game was not
going well. Also, he wanted his carries and made a much bigger deal out of
not getting his yards for the rushing title than Lynch did over not being given
a chance to win the Super Bowl.

Alexander was a gifted runner but I'll take Marshawn.

 

[dino26]

Alexander was the dude, though Marshawn is better

 

[Overseasfan]

They're both amazing RBs that any team would love to have on their roster. Although I think there isn't a large skill gap between them I do feel like Marshawn has a bit more of an impact on a game, so I'd take him over Shaun most of the time.

 

[Sterlinghawk]

Alexander was a td machine...automatic inside the ten

Marshawn Lynch is perhaps my favorite Seahawk of all time

Either one could score from the one if the game was on the line!

 

[BobcatHawk]

Alexander is nowhere near an HOF type back. Lynch at his prime is arguably the match for many RBs in the HOF.

I disagree with this statement. In nine seasons, Lynch has not put up the numbers in any category except fumbles (L: 19, A: 29) that Alexander put up in his nine seasons in the league, including his atrocious 2006-2008 seasons. When it comes right down to it, the Alexander vs Lynch argument comes down to running style preference.

To me, it's just like asking whether Earl Campbell or Shaun Alexander had the better career. Most people would say the Campbell had the better career, which is why he's in the HOF and Alexander is not. However, if you look at the numbers, Campbell and Alexander had very statistically similar careers. It's just that Campbell was an unbelievably tough runner while Alexander was a finesse player; most would prefer to have the former style, rather than the latter, on their team.

As others have stated in the thread, it's been a privilege to watch both players play. Alexander's quickness and nose for the end zone was amazing; Lynch's heart and determination are off the charts.

 

[Largent80]

Lynch all day and every day. Now if we only had an OC that would let him run the ball into the end zone.... :roll:

 

[c_hawkbob]

This will only really be a fair comparison when both players are in the rear view mirror. Any time you put a great current player up against a great former player the popular sentiment will be with the current player.

I couldn't imagine being without either player on the respective teams and eras in which they both played/are playing. So happy they were/are both Seahawks.

 

[Barthawk]

enjoy

 

[oldhawkfan]

Shaun Alexander is one of my all time favorite Seahawks. Marshawn Lynch continues to be one of my favorites. They are both successful RBs in the NFL. The great thing I loved about 37 was that he was just so smooth to watch. The thing I love about 24 is his toughness. I rate them both equal. They are just very different in their styles.