Lynch adds much needed grit

He runs nasty. He wears gold teeth. He is perfect.

He is Marshawn Lynch.

The Seattle Seahawks addressed a major flaw in their offensive approach Tuesday when they acquired runningback Marshawn Lynch from the Buffalo Bills. Lynch runs with the mentality that the defender is not an obstacle to run around, instead Lynch prefers to run through the defender as if he isn't standing there. (Supposedly he has an extra gear called 'Beast Mode')

That is the type of player the Seahawks were desperate for. Many players have come through and still play for Seattle who don't have a chip on their shoulder or show a mean streak. Football is a violent game played by hard-nosed men who enjoy hitting each other. When a key position like runningback doesn't fit that profile, the mindset filters down through the team in a negative manner.

Lynch was drafted in 2007 by the Bills and he immediately paid dividends for the team. In his rookie season he rushed for 1,115 yards with seven touchdowns. Next season he repeated with 1,036 yards and eight touchdowns. During those years he ran behind a suspect offensive line and a weak passing attack. Sound familiar?

For two seasons Lynch rarely shared carries with another runningback. But then something changed. Last season there was a considerable drop-off in Lynch's numbers. The decline came when he shared half his carries with the Bills other runningback Fred Jackson. Lynch rushed for a mere 450 yards with two touchdowns. This should be a warning sign to Seahawks head coach Pete Carrol.

If Lynch performs well early on, he needs to be the featured back because it's quite possible he is a lot better rusher than current starter Justin Forsett. Plus if Lynch is running well that means he is bruising defenders. Thus, by the fourth quarter the defense will be more prone to getting run over and be tired because of all the physical play early on.

Coming into this season I thought runningback was the biggest question mark. Forsett is the Hawks most dynamic offensive player and coach Carrol would be a fool to forget that. Ideally, Forsett would play on third down or in obvious passing situations because he is a great weapon in the flat for a screen pass.

Lynch brings a nasty attitude and some flash (a gold grill) to a team without much personality. Seahawk management should be applauded for recognizing their short comings and be pro-active about it.

Seahawk fans are sure to fall in love with the team's edgy new look when they take on the blue collar Chicago Bears next Sunday.