Whether he's ripping off the legendary "Beast Quake" run that registered on a nearby seismograph or taking a golf cart for a joy ride through the field, Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch always keeps it real.
Beast Mode's honesty and hard-nosed running made him a fan favorite in Seattle, which is why he made it rain Skittles when he scored in his return this year. But nothing screams Marshawn Lynch like one of his signature press conferences.
Marshawn Lynch Press Conference
In what may have been his final postgame press conference as a player following the NFC West's Seahawks' 28-23 loss to the NFC North's Green Bay Packers in the NFL divisional round, Lynch delivered a gem on Sunday night.
Reporters asked the 33-year-old back a few generic questions and received the expected responses.
How would you describe your three-game comeback?
"It was solid."
Four touchdowns in three games?
"Pretty solid."
What's going through your mind right now?
"Shoot, we lost."
Come back next year?
"We'll see what's happenin'"
Then, in a beautiful unprompted moment, Lynch says what's really on his mind. He offers advice to young players and mentions taking care of their "chicken", which we can infer means money if we use context clues.
"It's a vulnerable time for a lot of these young dudes, you feel me? "They don't be taking care of their chicken right. If they was me, or if I had the opportunity to let these young [guys] know something, I'd say take care of your money, because that s—- don't last forever. Now, I done been on the other side of retirement and it's good when you can get over there and you can do what the f—- you want to.
"I'll tell y'all right now while y'all in it, take care of y'all bread. When y'all done, go ahead and take of yourself. While y'all at it right now, take care of your bodies, take care of your chicken, take care of your mentals, because look, we ain't lasting that long. I had a couple players that I played with that are no longer here. So start taking care of your bodies, your mentals and your chicken. So when you're ready to walk away, you walk away and be able to do what you want to do."
— Marshawn Lynch
Spot on, Marshawn. Careers can end in the blink of an eye, and many times players have to scramble to figure out what they're going to do next. Heck, even a future Hall of Famer like Adrian Peterson admitted he was almost broke.
One reporter tried to sneak in a final question about Aaron Rodgers after the playoff game, but Lynch had clearly checked out after putting in his two cents. I'll give him credit, though. At least he said more than his first press conference since playing for the Oakland Raiders that went as followed: "Happy holidays. Merry New Year. Y'all have a great day. It's a great feeling to be back. Thanks."
Of course, Lynch has been doing this for some time now. He made "I'm just here so I won't get fined" his catchphrase at the Super Bowl Media Day in 2015. That went viral along with most of the things he does (and doesn't) say.
"I'm Just Here So I Won't Get Fined"
As wild as the NFL playoffs have been — the Houston Texans blowing a 24-0 lead versus the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tennessee Titans beating the New England Patriots in a wild card game then pummeling the Baltimore Ravens — it's refreshing to at least know that Lynch can deliver one of his expected press conferences.
The Seahawks may not be playing in the NFC Championship Game like the Packers or San Francisco 49ers, but let's hope head coach Pete Carroll and the team decide to bring back Beast Mode next season.
