RENTON — No, Marshawn Lynch was not back at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Wednesday as hoped. However, there appears to be a growing belief among the Seattle Seahawks that their injured star running back will be back in the fold sooner rather than later.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll addressed the media Wednesday afternoon at the VMAC, and although he didn’t have Lynch at his side at the podium, he did express optimism that Lynch would be back with the team in time for the first round of the playoffs.
“I would think he can make it back,” Carroll responded when asked if Lynch would be able to play in Seattle’s playoff opener, which will be either Jan. 9 or 10. “That’s what we hear. It’s really up to that day-to-day kind of progression that he’s making. There’s a lot of days between next week’s start and now, we’ll see what happens.”
Carroll said Monday that Lynch, who’s missed the past six games because of an abdominal injury that required surgery, could be back with the team Wednesday had everything gone right on Monday and Tuesday. Carroll said Lynch’s workouts in San Francisco on Monday and Tuesday went well, but not well enough for Lynch to return to the team. Carroll declared Lynch out for Sunday’s regular-season finale at Arizona, but he also said it’s possible Lynch could make his way back to the VMAC later this week.
“He’s really day-to-day right now,” Carroll said. “He’s in the final mode of his rehab, but he’s not ready to be here yet.
“He had a really good last couple days and he needs to continue to do that so we can get him running.”
Lynch’s teammates are looking forward to his return.
“It’d be great,” Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman said. “Obviously he’s a great player in his own respect. He’s a tremendous asset in the locker room. He’s just a great guy to have around.”
Lynch has taken an unusual route with his rehabilitation. Since undergoing his surgery on Nov. 25, Lynch has not been with the team. Instead, Lynch has spent the past five weeks rehabbing on his own at Empower Gym in San Francisco, a mixed martial arts training center where Lynch does his offseason work.
Yet Carroll continued to stress Wednesday that he’s fine with Lynch rehabbing away from the team.
“Under these circumstances, because he’s always trained with these guys, I know it seems a little bit hard to understand, but think about it,” Carroll said. “He’s never been here in the offseason, so he’s always been with these guys when he’s at his best. We think he understands best this phase of his preparation better than we do. So we’re just going with what we think is best. I’m in total support of what he’s doing, I have no problem with the way this is going. He’s working out all day long, basically, and they’re giving him great care and all that in a mode he’s been able to benefit from in the past.”
Lynch’s teammates seem to accept the situation as well.
“They’re good with it,” Sherman said about the reaction in the locker room. “Whatever works, different strokes for different folks. We know when that guy comes in the building and he gets on the field, there’s nobody like him. There’s nobody who’s giving more effort, who’s going to sacrifice more for their team. There’s no question about his loyalty to the team or his work ethic or anything like that. That guy is exactly who we think he is. If he needs to rehab at home, we’re all for it. We know he keeps the team first in his heart, so we have no questions about his intentions or anything.”
To get back to playing, Lynch will not only need to fully recover from his surgery, but also get back into game shape.
“There’s still some discomfort for him,” Carroll said. “He trying to establish the consistency of coming back the next day and showing he can get back out there, which he’s doing. But still he’s not quite over the hump yet.”
The Seahawks have been subsisting with a running-back committee, headed by bargain-basement pick-ups Christine Michael and Bryce Brown, ever since Thomas Rawls suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Seattle’s 35-6 victory over Baltimore three weeks ago. Seattle, which ranks third in the NFL in rushing, rode the committee to 182 yards on the ground in the Seahawks’ 30-13 victory over Cleveland two weeks ago. However, Seattle’s running game was shut down in a 23-17 loss to St. Louis last Sunday, with Michael and Brown combining for a mere 15 yards on 13 carries.
Getting a healthy Lynch, who’s gained 6,347 yards in his six seasons with Seattle, back would give the Seahawks a substantial boost heading into the playoffs.
“It’ll mean a lot, but we always have this concept of, ‘Next man up,’” Seattle center Patrick Lewis said about the prospect of getting Lynch back. “Whoever’s in there, just do your job and do it to the best of your abilities. But having him back would be a huge plus for us, he’s the heart and soul of this team.”
Check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/seattlesidelines, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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