Cal tailback and team leader also doesn't want to discuss individual accolades
By Jay Heater
BERKELEY - With so much on the line for Cal's football team, Old Blues probably haven't considered they might be seeing tailback Marshawn Lynch perform at Memorial Stadium just one more time. The Golden Bears host Stanford on Dec. 2, their final home game of 2006. Although Lynch is a junior, he is projected as a high NFL draft pick in April. On Tuesday at Memorial Stadium, Lynch said he hasn't decided what his future holds. He remains firm about the task at hand, which is winning the Pac-10 title. However, certain clues indicate Lynch, the Pac-10's leading rusher at 109.8 yards per game, will do what everyone expects, enter the NFL draft. He doesn't care about national accolades or attention. A skill position player hoping to enhance his draft value would like to win the Heisman Trophy. "I don't care about that," Lynch said. Wouldn't he be excited about flying to New York City in December as one of the Heisman finalists? "I would tell them to FedEx it to me," he said. "I want it for him more than he does," said Lynch's teammate and cousin, Robert Jordan. When Jordan thinks of the Heisman, does he think of Lynch? "Hell, yeah," Jordan said. Lynch looked at his cousin as if to say, "Cut that out." But Jordan answered his glance quickly, "I'm just keeping it real," he said to Lynch. The interaction between the two is more like brothers than cousins. They not only play football and go to school with each other, they live together.
Lynch's teammates often say he is concerned with family first, but lately Lynch has opened his arms to the Cal community. His much-talked about cart ride after the Bears' 31-24 overtime victory over Washington on Oct. 21 was punctuated with a rousing fan salute. Before that game, he carried the Cal flag during the March to Victory through the fans. "I like to see my team relaxed and comfortable," Lynch said. "Sometimes that takes a little extra. But that's when we play our best." He is talking more at team meetings and offering motivation before games. "He is just being himself," Jordan said. Lynch was asked if his Cal teammates have become part of his extended family. "Justin (Forsett) and Marcus (O'Keith) have been like two of my big brothers," he said. "They've been there to experience the same things. They've helped me through the process. "Then there is Kyle Reed and David Gray and Derrick Hill and Daymeion Hughes and Brandon Mebane and ... " Jordan told him to stop.
"We're not accepting any memberships (to their family)," said Jordan, noting that blood is thicker than football. Indeed. Lest anyone believe that Lynch's new comfort level at Cal might convince him to stay in Berkeley one more year need only to have heard his response to the question of whether he feels like he is at home at Cal. "Nah, my home is Oakland," he said.
Home might not be anywhere near the Bay Area next season unless the 49ers or Raiders decide to enhance their offense with Lynch's presence. If Lynch does go to the NFL, would he return to finish his Cal degree? Lynch didn't bite on the question. However, he did say a degree is very important to him. "Yeah, I've been told my whole life that I was nothing in school," he said. "I've never been a great student. In junior high school, I couldn't play sports because I couldn't reach that 2.0." Those days are over. Now his grade point average is 3.0. "He helps me most of the time," Jordan said when it comes to being stumped on homework. Lynch broke into a smile. "Don't let him fool you," he said. Perhaps Lynch doesn't want the secret to get out, that he's a pretty smart dude. Smart enough to know that a college football player doesn't talk about the NFL with a Pac-10 title on the line.
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