RENTON — The Seattle Seahawks are heading into the playoffs riding high.
And now it looks like they’re getting their Beast Mode back, along with several of his friends.
The Seahawks are about to get a huge boost heading into the postseason with star running back Marshawn Lynch rejoining the team Monday.
Lynch hasn’t played since Nov. 15 because of an abdominal injury, and he hasn’t been with the team since undergoing surgery on Nov. 27, opting instead to rehabilitate on his own in San Francisco.
But the news just continues to get better and better for the Seahawks. Not only did Seattle finish off the regular season in style by crushing the high-flying Arizona Cardinals 36-6 Sunday, Lynch was back at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Monday for the first time in more than a month, and Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said he was hopeful Lynch would be able to play in Sunday’s NFC wild-card game against the Minnesota Vikings.
“He’s ready to go,” Carroll said about Lynch during his Monday afternoon press conference. “He’s in the program, going, working. He’s going to keep doing his workouts here with us today and tomorrow. Wednesday we’re going to practice and see how he feels and how far he can take it. He’s worked out in incredibly competitive situations. He physically should be ready to go and now we have to translate that to football. I’m not worried with him having any problem with the system or any of that kind of stuff. It’s been a while, but he’ll be fine. We’ll just see if he can handle it and I expect he will. We’ll see how it goes.”
Though Lynch has yet to participate in a practice since returning to the team, Carroll said Lynch is confident he’s physically ready to return to the field.
“He feels good now, that’s why he’s back,” Carroll said. “He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t feel like he could go. He’s ready to rock. We’ll just have to find out what it looks like. I really think it’s going to be just fine, I’m not really worried about it at all.”
Lynch’s return is sure to provide a spark to a team that’s already on fire, having won six of seven and rallied to finish first in the NFL in scoring defense for the fourth straight year.
“He’s an extraordinary member of this team, he always has been,” Carroll said. “He’s been a lead dog for a long time in this program about carrying the football, being tough and physical, stepping up when you have to. He’s never been anything but that. So the fact we get a guy like that coming back to us is a great boost. He’ll add to everybody’s confidence and he’s fun to have around and all that. It should work out great.
“That said, I hope he can play this week, I hope it works out.”
Seattle has cycled through several running backs in Lynch’s absence. Undrafted rookie Thomas Rawls announced himself as the heir apparent after Lynch was sidelined, but Rawls suffered a season-ending ankle injury of his own three weeks ago in the Seahawks’ 35-6 victory at Baltimore. Since then Seattle has relied primarily on the duo of Christine Michael and Bryce Brown, both of whom were picked up off the scrap heap. Michael in particular has proven effective, rushing for 102 yards on 17 carries against the Cardinals.
But Lynch, who has gained 6,347 yards in his six seasons with Seattle, would give the Seahawks a proven playoff commodity, and it appears likely he will be available Sunday. Carroll was asked whether it was realistic for Lynch to carry the ball 20 times next week, and Carroll replied in the positive.
“I think so,” Carroll said. “This is similar to the first game of the year, which is really what it would be like. We don’t have any different expectations than that, so we’re going at it with the same thought. The fact we’ve seen C-Mike do such a nice job, he’s ready to go. He ran the ball hard the other day and was very effective. Bryce too, so we’re in good shape in that position now if he’s (Lynch) able to make it through the week.”
Lynch isn’t the only impact player the Seahawks could get back this week. Strong safety Kam Chancellor (tailbone), tackle Russell Okung (calf), guard J.R. Sweezy (concussion) and tight end Luke Willson (concussion) all sat out against the Cardinals because of injuries. However, Carroll expressed optimism Monday that all four could be back in time for Sunday’s game against Minnesota. Even cornerback Jeremy Lane, who left Sunday’s game because of an oblique injury, is thought to have a chance of being back by Sunday.
Everything seems to be falling into place for the Seahawks on the eve of the playoffs. Last Sunday’s victory over Arizona saw Seattle dominate a team that was playing for the NFC’s top seed — showing last week’s 23-17 home loss to the St. Louis Rams was an aberration. With Lynch and others now on the verge of returning from injury, Seattle is hoping to ride the wave of momentum to a third straight Super Bowl.
“This win was about momentum,” Carroll said. “You guys asked that: Did you need it? Well, you want it if you can get it. So we feel good about where we’re going right now.”
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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