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- Mar 20, 2019
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The surprise of the year came from Marshawn Lynch’s late-year return to the Seahawks. And the Seahawks, along with everyone else, will learn what Lynch has left on Sunday night, when Seattle hosts the 49ers.
Seahawks coaches and players have spoken publicly on the development; as the week unfolds, more and more 49ers will be reacting to the move.
The first came from tight end George Kittle, who appeared on #PFTPM when the move was still merely a possibility.
“That’d be awesome,” Kittle said Monday morning. “I love watching him play. I mean he brings a lot to the table so it’d be an unreal challenge. I’ll let that play out but I’m a fan of it. I would love to see that.”
Later that day, the possibility became reality when Lynch passed a physical and signed a contract.
“I was kind of surprised by it,” quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo told reporters on Tuesday. “Guy is a hell of a player. He was unreal when he was playing. We’ll see what he’s got.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan knows it won’t be easy for Lynch, or for Robert Turbin, to make a major impact days after ending an extended absence from the game.
“It is a huge challenge,” Shanahan told reporters on Tuesday. “It depends on how much those guys have been working out and stuff like that. I do think it’s a little different with the running back position. There’s a lot that goes into people understanding the scheme and the game plan and everything, but you can use a running back a lot easier just depending on if you’re handing him the ball and he needs to run. So, you can get guys up to speed a lot faster in that way. The rest will be how much they’ve worked out, which keeps them in shape. No one’s in football shape. I don’t think those guys are planning on any single guy just carrying the load the whole game. The football shape and how they react will probably be more of an issue for them the next week than the first week.”
Shanahan is right about Lynch and Turbin not being in football shape. Once they get there, however, they’ll be a lot fresher than the guys who have been practicing and playing since July. And while Lynch may not be a major factor in Round Two of 49ers-Seahawks 2019, Lynch could be ready to do a lot more if/when there’s a Round Three.