Marquette King fired up about Raiders landing Marshawn Lynch
By John Buhler
So Marshawn Lynch is bringing Beast Mode to the Oakland Raiders? Nobody is a bigger fan of that happening than Raiders All-Pro punter Marquette King.
The Oakland Raiders may be relocating to Las Vegas in a few years, but they should still have one of the better teams in the AFC in 2017. Oakland made its first trip to the AFC Playoffs in well over a decade last January. The Raiders could be the New England Patriots’ biggest threat in the AFC to get to Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis.
Well, it looks like the Raiders just got better on Friday, as former Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch has come out of retirement to play for his hometown team in 2017. Lynch is an Oakland native and starred collegiately for the California Golden Bears in Berkeley. He had his best years in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks. His bruising running style and off-the-field personality made Lynch a cultural phenomenon.
The Raiders are happy to have him join the team in 2017, but nobody is more pumped about his signing than Oakland’s All-Pro punter Marquette King. Just look at his Twitter after he found out about the Lynch signing.
King loves to pin the opposition deep into their territory. When he first came to the league, he faced a great challenge in unseating potential Pro Football Hall of Fame punter Shane Lechler. King has made Oakland proud as one of the most impactful special teamers in the game. With Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee retiring, there is no doubt who the coolest punter in the NFL is today.
Adding Lynch will make things easier for King to do his magic as a punter. Lynch should be able to keep the chains moving as a solid, rotational running back. Oakland should be able to pass the ball well in 2017 with Derek Carr as its quarterback. The running game was a bigger question after last year’s starter Latavius Murray signed with the Minnesota Vikings in free agency.
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Better field position from an improved ground game will give King more opportunities to nail the opposition inside their own 20 to being drives. The Raiders already have a lot of personality to begin with. King is one of a kind, as is Lynch. Now they are Oakland teammates. Exciting times lie ahead for the Silver and Black.