California running back won't mind Wisconsin as long as Mom comes along
By Dylan B. Tomlinson
INDIANAPOLIS – While working out in the desert, Marshawn Lynch is told daily that he will soon be playing on the frozen tundra. Lynch, the University of California running back, has spent most of his off-season preparing for the NFL draft at the Athletes Performance Institute in Arizona. Lynch said all of the players there pay close attention to the mock drafts, and who will go where in the first round. Whether it's Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, ESPN or any of the other countless mock drafts on the Internet, one thing remains almost a constant. They almost all have Lynch going to the Green Bay Packers with the No. 16 pick. “Down at API where I was working out at, the guys come in and tell me, ‘Get ready to pack your ear muffs, your gloves and a big coat. You’re going to Green Bay,’ ” Lynch said. “That wouldn't bother me at all.” Running back is at the top of the list of needs that the Packers have to address this off-season. Ahman Green just turned 30 and becomes a free agent next week. Even if the Packers re-sign Green, they're going to need to bring in a player who could potentially split carries with him next season and then eventually take over as the regular starter.
While Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson is widely viewed as the best running back in the draft, Lynch said there’s no reason to think he isn't just as good, if not better. “I think I stack up right there with him,” Lynch said. “There’s a lot of things I’m bringing to the table as far as catching the ball and lining up at receiver.” There wasn’t much Lynch didn’t do while at Cal. He rushed for 1,356 yards and 11 touchdowns and also caught 34 passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns and would seem to be a perfect fit in Mike McCarthy’s offense. If the Packers draft Lynch, it would reunite him with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was his teammate at Cal. Lynch said he looked up to Rodgers during his freshman season and would welcome the chance to play with him again. He and Rodgers also have the same agent, Mike Sullivan. “We had a wonderful time at Cal together. I was a freshman when he was there,” Lynch said. “He kind of took me under his wing with things I kind of struggled with as far as pass problems. He kind of pushed me to work at that a little harder.” Lynch met with the Packers informally Thursday night and was scheduled to meet with them again on Friday night.
The concerns about Lynch have very little to do with what he’s done on the field. He was recently accused of assaulting an ex-girlfriend, but was later exonerated on all charges. “It’s something that happened,” Lynch said. “It was a mistake. I moved on from it. But all charges were dropped. I was innocent. People are still going to judge me how they want too. But I wasn’t charged with anything.” Lynch said he doesn't think the incident will have any impact on where he’s drafted. “I can just learn from it and keep moving. I was faced with adversity and felt it made me stronger,” Lynch said. “I learned a lesson from that and now I have to keep moving forward. I can't think about that. That’s in the past.” Packers general manager Ted Thompson said the team spends a great deal of time researching the character of players. If the Packers decide that Lynch is the guy they want, it's a safe bet that Thompson and McCarthy will do their due diligence making sure they are comfortable with any character issues.
“In general, you look at any player you bring in - whether it be a free agent, a draft choice, a rookie free agent, a trade - you try to take into consideration the character and makeup of the individual,” Thompson said. "We think it's very, very important for the chemistry of the Green Bay Packers in specific terms that they have to be the kind of player that's going to fit in our locker room, get along with the way life is in Green Bay.” If there are concerns about Lynch's character, it should be noted that he plans to bring his mother with him wherever he goes. Lynch has "Mama's Boy" tattooed across his back and said the first thing he does after signing his rookie contract is to buy his mother a house. “She’s just my superwoman,” Lynch said. “She’s coming with me no matter where I go. If it’s Green Bay, then that’s where we’re going.”
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