With C.J. Spiller presumably taking over the top of the depth chart in Buffalo and Fred Jackson in line for the No. 2 position, Marshawn Lynch could be the odd man out in Buffalo.
Even if that happens, Lynch knows that he needs to show that he wants to get it done in order to continue to have a meaningful NFL career.
“I’ve never been a quitter,” Lynch told Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports. “My mentality is that it’s time to get back to work. All I can do is showcase what I’ve got, and if they utilize it, they do. And if they don’t, then you know what, they don’t. At the end of the day, it’s still going to be a business. It’s not just an audition for them. Cause there’s 32 teams in the league, and somebody is always looking.”
Lynch will be showing up this week to join in offseason workouts with the team that picked him in round one three years ago, and he won’t be demonstrating the demeanor of a third stringer. “I never feel like a ‘3',” Lynch said. “I’m always going to be a ‘1' in my mind, regardless of how the situation plays out. I feel great going back. If I would have gotten traded, it would have been something different . . . but that’s not the case. It’s not about ‘what ifs.’ I’ve got to be realistic.”
Being realistic also involved talking about his various off-field challenges, including a recent brouhaha with the homeowners’ association at his condominium complex regarding whether he could keep a pair of pit bulls. But while he had to ultimately part with the canines, he promises only one thing for 2010.
“What will you see from me this year?” he said. “Beast mode.”
The only real question is whether we’ll see “beast mode” in Buffalo, or someplace else.