Marshawn Lynch On Tarvaris Jackson: “i Know He Is Going To Play Well, And That Is Going To Be No Surprise To Me.”

Marshawn Lynch On Tarvaris Jackson: “I know he is going to play well, and that is going to be no surprise to me.”

The Seattle Seahawks would like to think they are quite different from the 7-9 team that somehow won the woeful NFC West and made its way into the postseason last year. General Manager John Schneider and Pete Carroll have been busy this off-season to try to upgrade the Seahawks offense, bringing in Sidney Rice, Zach Miller, Robert Gallery and Tarvaris Jackson. Gallery appears to have brought some veteran leadership to Seattle’s young offensive line, and though he’s got plenty to prove,  Jackson seemingly is the man who is expected to step in and move the organization in another direction after Matt Hasselbeck was told his services were no longer wanted.Uncertainty abounds in Seattle, but Marshawn Lynch has all the confidence in the world in the Seahawks’ new quarterback. Lynch has seen Jackson be in complete control of the huddle in training camp, and he’s impressed by Jackson’s physical attributes and how they can tilt games in Seattle’s favor this coming season.

After what Lynch did to bury the defending champion Saints in the playoffs last year, Seahawks fans are hoping Lynch gets more carries and opportunities to flex his muscles in ‘Beast Mode’ this season. If that happens and Lynch also is correct about Jackson’s ability to be a difference maker, perhaps Seattle will surprise folks and repeat as NFC West champs but in a much more convincing and impressive fashion.Marshawn Lynch joined KJR in Seattle with Mitch Levy to discuss what the offensive line and the Seattle Seahawks running game needs to correct prior to the start of the regular season, his impressions of Tarvaris Jackson, why he’s confident that Jackson will prove detractors wrong and play well, the difference between this year and last year and how much more comfortable he feels having a full camp rather than joining the squad mid-season like he did in ’10, and what the additions of Sidney Rice, Zach Miller and Robert Gallery will do for the Seahawks offense.

What are we going to do to get this running game going with this offensive line? Do you have any concerns?

“Well I know they are putting in the necessary work out here in practice. Hopefully everything they are putting on that practice field goes over into game-day.”

What did you know about Tavaris Jackson ? Did you know him before he came to Seattle? What do you like about him now?

“No I didn’t. He’s an approachable guy. This is from someone being inside the huddle with him now for a few weeks. He takes pretty good control of the huddle getting the plays communicated to us in-and-out of the huddle as well as on the ball and his physical attributes are…I mean the guy can run. The guy can throw. He is smart with the ball. I like the guy.”

A lot of Seattle Seahawks fans are down on Tavaris Jackson? Do you think he can prove them wrong?

“I get to see him every day and from seeing the kind of work he is doing out here on the practice film…I mean on the practice field and just being around the organization for a little while longer he will get settled in and I think for a fact I know he is going to play well and that is going to be no surprise to me, but for y’all probably so.”

What’s it like to have your first training camp and off-season here? Does it feel different from last year to start off with the Seahawks?

“Last year I got the intro to camp and talk from all the coaches and understanding a little bit about them as they tell us about themselves. It was just the main objectives and goals. That first meeting was the meeting that coach wanted to establish what it would be for the team and I was actually here for that. It means a little more now. I can see where he is coming from.”

On Seattle’s new additions on offense — Rice, Gallery, and Miller specifically:

“Well you can expect some nasty dog from Robert. I could tell you that much. Sid [Rice] and Tarvaris [Jackson] were teammates before they came here. They are clicking with the quarterback-receiver thing going on to add what we had with myself, Justin [Forsett], Leon [Washington], and Mike Williams. Zach will be a big help for us. We got a lot of young guys on offense who are making some plays at receiver. Chris Carter making some plays and Anthony McCoy. We got a lot of young guys that are going to be some bright spots for us as well.”