Special to the AmNews
On the surface, Pete Carroll and Marshawn Lynch appear to be polar opposites. Carroll, the Seattle Seahawks’ eternally youthful 63-year-old head coach, is outwardly energetic, engaging and uninhibitedly revealing. Lynch, one of the most dynamic running backs in football, exhibits a publicly insular and dismissive demeanor. He is unwilling to share superficial thoughts, much less his innermost feelings.
But a close examination of the coach and the player reveal that at their cores, they are anything but contrasting souls. More accurately, Carrol and Lynch are kindred spirits driven by passion, competition and resilience, and they have provided the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks their heart and character.
As expected, Lynch was terse Tuesday in Arizona at Super Bowl Media Day. He responded to every question with, “I’m just here so I won’t get fined.” Twenty-nine times he said it, and he exited after four minutes and 51 seconds.
Subsequently, Lynch was harshly criticized by countless fans and the media. But many of the voices in the press maligning the Oakland native have ironically exposed themselves as flippant, duplicitous and arrogant, misusing their expansive platforms to craft subjective, agenda-driven narratives. From this vantage point, Lynch is none of those descriptors, just distrustful and attentive.
On the other hand, Carroll excitedly articulated substantive thoughts to the multitude of questioners. “To live vicariously through the development of our players, and to watch them experience the game … and see the heights and the challenges that it brings them, it brings me back day in and day out,” Carroll said. He candidly spoke about his transformation as a coach.
In so many indistinct ways, Carroll and Lynch reflect each other. And together they will lead the Seahawks to a 24-20 victory over the New England Patriots Sunday in Super Bowl XLIX.
