So now we’re officially living in a post-Beast Mode world. The Seahawks announced Marshawn Lynch’s retirement Thursday afternoon.
The finality of it was harsh, blunt, a stiff-arm to the chest. Fitting, wasn’t it?
And as simple and stark as his first clue that his NFL days had ended, on the night of the Super Bowl.
It would be nice to say that Lynch changed the game, and that his imprint will be felt for years after his last carry, and that he’ll be followed by an army of imitators.
But it’s really the opposite — no team is really trying to imitate the way the Seahawks played with Lynch.