It is no secret that Marshawn Lynch was the driving force behind the Seattle Seahawks’ offense during their golden era in the early 2010s. The marriage between him and HC Pete Carroll was so strong that it led to five Division Round visits in six years.
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After seeing the success that they had, Raiders GM John Spytek is trying to replicate it with a new addition to the team — rookie Ashton Jeanty. He was the best running back in the draft, and when the Raiders saw the opportunity fall into their lap, they immediately drafted him sixth overall.
In recent OTA workouts, Jeanty’s footwork and body control have left many in awe. And the Raiders expect nothing less from him.
In a recent interview with John Middlekauf, Spytek opened up about what the thought process of the office was before drafting Jeanty.
“There was just a lot of motivation from the way that we saw it, the way that Pete [Carroll] wants to build the team, the way that you know that Seattle franchise changed when Marshawn Lynch showed up.”
Spytek later clarified that he isn’t comparing Ashton Jeanty to Marshawn Lynch. However, he made it clear that Pete Carroll would know what to do with an explosive RB and how this could set the tone for the entire offense, just like he did more than a decade ago with the Seahawks.
“Now I’m not saying he’s Marshawn Lynch, I don’t really do comparisons, but the idea of this kind of tone setter in the run game and the amount of times he’s going to touch the ball really matters to our program,” Spytek added.
With this move, it is clear that Spytek and Pete Carroll are trying to build a team similar to the Seahawks that reached back-to-back Super Bowls with a quarterback like Russell Wilson.
However, the biggest difference maker of that Seahawks team was the Legion of Boom, which featured star names on the defense like Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor. To make that legendary run possible, Carroll would have to make his defense as strong as that.
Although the Raiders have the likes of Maxx Crosby at DE, they still lack that kind of star power at safety. Maybe it’s just the start of a new era, one inspired by the Seahawks’ past success. And it could only get better with every passing season now that the core positions have been established.
