Oakland Raiders: A Few Pros and Cons To Dealing For Marshawn Lynch
By Kevin Saito
PRO: He Doesn’t Have To Carry the Load On His Own
The Raiders proved last year that the potency of their ground attack was due to the different facets it contained. You had Latavius Murray doing most of the heavy lifting and being the big, short yardage body needed to grind out the tough yards or punch it in at the goal line.
Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington provided a spark out of the backfield and an excellent change of pace. They’re quick, shifty, and can strike like lightning. Even Jamize Olawale had his moments. And all three of those proved to be excellent receivers out of the backfield as well.
The strength of Oakland’s running game was in that it contained power and speed. It was a three-headed beast that ran the ball so effectively for the Raiders last season – which is something that can very well continue with Lynch in the backfield.
It seems incredibly obvious that Murray benefitted from having Richard and Washington taking up some of the workload last season as his carries dropped from 266 carries in 2015, to just 195 last season. Less work, equals fresher legs, which results in better productivity.
It was the division of labor in the backfield that not only allowed all three backs to find some success, it allowed the offense as a whole to flourish. With defenses suddenly having to account for a potent ground attack, it opened things up in the passing game a bit.
Lynch would most definitely benefit from having fewer carries. Over his decade in the league, his body has absorbed a tremendous amount of punishment. Lynch, who prior to his injury-ravaged 2015 season, averaged almost 300 carries a season between 2011-2014.
If he still has something left in the tank, that can be extended even further by a reduction in his workload – and it would make Oakland’s ground game just as imposing in 2017.