POLL: Does Marshawn Lynch belong in the Hall of Fame?

[kearly]

Does he belong? Definitely.

Will he get in? He won't be a first ballot guy, but he'll get in eventually I think. His stats are low end, but it's called the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of stats. There's too much NFL mythology and lore wrapped around him to not be in the HoF, IMO. Bevell calling that slant on the 1 yard line might have cost us a SB, but I think it cemented Lynch as an NFL legend.

And as mentioned by others above, Earl Campbell's career numbers are very similar to Lynch's, which is no doubt a case that will be made when Lynch's candidacy is debated.

Comparing Lynch to Shaun misses the point. Alexander was the beneficiary of the best offensive line in the NFL and a top ranked offense. Alexander was never really respected all that much during his time because of his rep for avoiding hits and being a finesse player. The opposite is true for Lynch. He had to produce behind mostly terrible OL play and fought hard for every inch, earning the reverence of NFL players across the league. When young RBs were asked who they wanted to be when they grew up, they said Lynch, not AP. Shaun never had anything close to that level of respect.

And I'm not really sure the press hated him all that much either, outside of a small handful of vocal popoffs. If the press hated him, then why did his podium dominate press traffic like we'd never seen before? Some press members may have been frustrated in the moment, but articles on Lynch have mostly been very kind.

 

[Blitzer88]

I think so.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

And I'm not really sure the press hated him all that much either, outside of a small handful of vocal popoffs. If the press hated him, then why did his podium dominate press traffic like we'd never seen before? Some press members may have been frustrated in the moment, but articles on Lynch have mostly been very kind.

Because it was a story, and the biggest story BECAUSE of how Lynch refused to talk.

It's a give and take, and Lynch never gave.........so IMO that doesn't help a borderline HOF player like Lynch. If he was top 10 in yards and TD's? Doesn't matter, but he's not.

 

[volsunghawk]

If the presence of Lynn Swann and John Stallworth means anything, then Lynch can get in.

The voters often rely on simple counting stats, but postseason performances mean a LOT to them, too. How many postseason runs are MORE iconic than the Beastquake run?

The Alexander comparison is worth investigating. I think Alexander is going to get dinged pretty significantly for playing behind an O-line that featured two HoF guys on the left. And while he has Lynch beat by a wide margin in TDs, he came up small in the postseason except for a couple of games.

Lynch, on the other hand, played behind guys who will be forgotten by all but Seahawks fans a couple of years after they retire. And his playoffs performances speak for themselves. If he has any shot to get in, it's going to be on the strength of that.

 

[Cyrus12]

if Terrell Davis does...so does Lynch

 

[Erebus]

If the presence of Lynn Swann and John Stallworth means anything, then Lynch can get in.

Unfortunately that was a different era when it was much easier to climb the all-time ranks and before certain minimum statistical thresholds became clearer. Those two guys also have more rings than Lynch.

 

[jlwaters1]

I don't think he has the numbers to be in the HOF. I think he'll be inducted into the Seahawks Ring of Honor and that will be it for him.

 

[hawksfansinceday1]

I saw the comparison on ESPN a little while ago.

Based on play alone i say he belongs.
I'm worried that his relationship with the media and general public will hurt his chances.

This

 

[razor150]

He has less careerxyards than Shaun Alexander. If you can't make a case for Alexander you can't for Lynch.

 

[TDOTSEAHAWK]

This is why there is a 5 year waiting period. At best - he may get in on some sort of veteran committee as he is the greatest after contact runner ever. The comparison to Earl Campbell is close but I think Campbell had a higher peak with 3 First team All Pros and an MVP and was close a second year to being MVP.

 

[Jiggy]

He'll get in.

He has made the running aspect of this game exciting. That's big in a QB driven league.

When the position of running back comes up, he is one of two names among active players (until last night) that would ALWAYS come up. Peterson and Lynch.

He has multiple super bowl appearance, a ring and championship games.

He will get in. Not first round, but he will get in.

 

[chris98251]

I compare him more to Riggens, Riggens was a different guy also but in the end they respected his contributions, he played a bit longer but the difference maker he was helped him.



Rushing yards:
11,352

Average:
3.9

Total TDs:
116

Pro Bowl selection (1975)
AP First-Team All-Pro (1983)
PFW NFL Comeback Player of the Year (1978)
1983 NFL MVP (MX)
Super Bowl champion (XVII)
Super Bowl MVP (XVII)
NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
2× Jets MVP (1972, 1975)
2× NFL leader in rushing TDs (1983, 1984)
10,000 Rushing Yards Club
80 Greatest Redskins
Redskins Ring of Fame inductee (1990)
Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee (1992)


His longevity got him the yards. 14 years I think.

Lynch


Rushing yards:
9,112

Rushing average:
4.2

Rushing touchdowns:
74

Receiving yards:
1,979

Receiving touchdowns:
9

Super Bowl champion (2014)
2x NFC Champion (2013, 2014)
5× Pro Bowl (2008, 2011-2014)
First-team All-Pro (2012)
Second-team All-Pro (2014)
2× NFL rushing touchdowns leader (2013, 2014)
NFL total touchdown co-leader (2014)
2× NFL post-season rushing leader (2013, 2014)
24th all-time in rushing touchdowns

 

[Babsmack]

I don't think so because of two reasons;

1. Stats: #32 all time rushing and #52 all time TD's, the two biggest stats for RB's for HOF credentials.

2. Lynch being an ass to the press, of which comprise part of the selection committee.

It's why Tony Dungy got in, and not Mike Holgren who has more career wins. Dungy's been a kiss ass media friendly coach and player forever. Which scored him brownie points.

all of this

 

[redhawk253]

I think were gona have the terrell davis argument.. lynch is 3rd all time in 100 yard playoff games behind td and e smith

Problem is his career numbers.. 9200ish and like 76 or 78 tds or somethin..

You got shaun alexander sittin with more yards and 100+tds

Really hope beast reconsiders and goes to play in oakland in his hometown for a year or two so he can break 10k yards and maybe get to 100 tds.. they are a player or two away from contending. Even if he isnt in seahawks blue n green.. i love watchin him play and would like to see him get in the hof

 

[kearly]

And I'm not really sure the press hated him all that much either, outside of a small handful of vocal popoffs. If the press hated him, then why did his podium dominate press traffic like we'd never seen before? Some press members may have been frustrated in the moment, but articles on Lynch have mostly been very kind.

Because it was a story, and the biggest story BECAUSE of how Lynch refused to talk.

It's a give and take, and Lynch never gave.........so IMO that doesn't help a borderline HOF player like Lynch. If he was top 10 in yards and TD's? Doesn't matter, but he's not.

I think most of them loved it. Even without him saying much, it got them clicks.

 

[bjornanderson21]

Ring of honor? Sure.

HOF? No.

Even if you ignore the fact that he basically hates the people who vote on it and made it clear during his time in seattle, he is still a solid 2-3 years away from it.

Even if Lynch had been given the handoff and scored a TD to give us back-to-back super bowls he still wouldn't make it.

Lots and lots of players have good careers but not HOF careers. Add Lynch to that list.

 

[bjornanderson21]

The shameless homer in me stood up and voted Yes.

At least you admit it was the shameless homer in you.

 

[kearly]

I see a lot of Seattle sports fan syndrome in this thread. Personally, I would be really surprised if he's not in at some point. The Hall is for icons and legends, and only a handful of RBs in the history of the game have been bigger icons than Lynch.

 

[sutz]

I think were gona have the terrell davis argument.. lynch is 3rd all time in 100 yard playoff games behind td and e smith

Problem is his career numbers.. 9200ish and like 76 or 78 tds or somethin..

You got shaun alexander sittin with more yards and 100+tds

Really hope beast reconsiders and goes to play in oakland in his hometown for a year or two so he can break 10k yards and maybe get to 100 tds.. they are a player or two away from contending. Even if he isnt in seahawks blue n green.. i love watchin him play and would like to see him get in the hof

Well, if he retires, he can't do that. Oakland would have to compensate the Hawks in some way.

 

[bjornanderson21]

I think were gona have the terrell davis argument.. lynch is 3rd all time in 100 yard playoff games behind td and e smith

Problem is his career numbers.. 9200ish and like 76 or 78 tds or somethin..

You got shaun alexander sittin with more yards and 100+tds

Really hope beast reconsiders and goes to play in oakland in his hometown for a year or two so he can break 10k yards and maybe get to 100 tds.. they are a player or two away from contending. Even if he isnt in seahawks blue n green.. i love watchin him play and would like to see him get in the hof

The amount of teams who make the playoffs and the amount of games played in the playoffs have both increased, making current playoff numbers weaker than playoffs stats from 20-30 years ago.

It was a lot harder to compile playoff stats back in the day