Lynch answers all but only on Tuesday

By Dave Newhouse, STAFF WRITER
BERKELEY — Tuesdays with Marshawn. That's the new policy of Cal's Jeff Tedford, who is limiting media access to Marshawn Lynch as the head coach projects an explosive season for the sophomore running back.
This is Lynch's first year as a Cal starter, but Tedford has set media ground rules regarding the Oakland Tech product who averaged 8.8 yards a carry last year backing up 2,000-yard rusher J.J. Arrington.
So Tuesday will be the one day each week the media can interview Lynch other than postgame comments. Even Arrington, an All-American, was more available, but, then, ESPN the Magazine didn't do a preseason feature on him as it has done with Lynch this summer.
Thus Tedford anticipates a media blitz with Lynch.
"Marshawn might be the best all-around player I've ever coached," he said.
Lynch doesn't mind the media restriction. He is quotable, but the fewer times heis quoted, the better it is for his egoless soul.
"I'm kind of happy that they set it up like that," he said Tuesday, "so I can get my mind on football. I don't mind talking (to the media), but if I had a choice, I wouldn't."
There is a new look about Lynch this year. He is 5-11, 215 pounds, having added 15 pounds to his muscular frame.
"It wasn't like I tried to do it," he said. "It just happened. I'll try to keep it at 215, but I might lose it in camp. Whatever I'm at, I'll feel comfortable."
And Lynch will wear No.10, his Tech number, instead of 24. Senior wide receiver Burl Toler III wore 10 last year.
The added weight hasn't affected Lynch's amazing all-around talent. New Cal quarterback Joe Ayoob said Lynch can punt with and throw the ball farther than anyone on the team.
"Nah, they can hold that title," Lynch said modestly. "I just like looking at myself as getting the job done and doing anything I can to help the team."
Lynch also blocks, catches the ball, and he could placekick, too, reminiscent of the late Walter Payton. "The only thing Marshawn has more than Payton is speed," said Delton Edwards, Lynch's high school coach. "Marshawn doesn't know how fast he is. He hasn't even elevated his potential. But I'd compare him more to Jim Brown with his impact, his power, and his not wanting to go down."
Walter Payton? Jim Brown? Such comparisons are highly premature, but there is a dynamic quality about Lynch that also was attached to Payton and Brown as college sophomores.
"Marshawn has a natural gift," Edwards said. "The sky's the limit. I'd be shocked if he didn't get at least 1,500 yards this year. This is an important time for him, carrying the load for his team. He doesn't want to be a leader, or in the spotlight, but people cling to him."
The 19-year-old Lynch, who maintained a B grade average as a freshman, dislikes the glare of the spotlight. 'It's not hard to accept the (expectations for him)," he said, "but I could accept it without the big lights. I'm just hoping for the best, to have fun."
Remember Lynch's post-Big Game comment last year, that he was laughing inside his helmet as he ran with the ball, because he was having so much fun? He plays football with an unbridled joy. It's not an act. He is excited about Cal's depth and the talented newcomers who have entered the program. His goals aren't individual, but team-oriented.
"I'm just hoping for wins," he said. "That's all I'm hoping for. I'm no different than last year. I'm the same, a chill person." The big chill, that's Lynch's new life. Except on Tuesdays.