

Elliot Harrison @HarrisonNFL

Lynch might need another ring and another monster campaign

Let me say this before I get into my answer: I love watching Marshawn Lynch play -- how he competes and legitimately energizes both sides of the ball in Seattle. I don't care that he doesn't want to talk to the media. He is a GREAT player.

But I don't think he's a Hall of Famer. Not yet. He's played eight years in the league, and six were outstanding. Since 2011, he has not only produced, but been one of the premier running backs in the league. That said, that kind of time span is generally not long enough to land anybody in the Hall of Fame, much less Lynch. Think of Terrell Davis, who played just seven years and is still waiting to be inducted. Davis, after all, was the best running back in the league in the back end of the '90s. Has Lynch ever been considered the No. 1 back in the NFL? Davis also ran for 1,750 and 2,008 yards in his last two healthy seasons. Lynch has never even really approached those figures.

While he might be this era's power back, analogous to John Riggins or Jerome Bettis, both those guys played for more than a decade and have career numbers that far outpace Beast Mode's. Currently, Lynch is 35th all time in rushing. I know: Power backs like him usually don't pile up NFL-leading totals. But Bettis ranks sixth and Riggins 17th on the all-time list. And while we're at it, Bettis is still waiting for his Canton call. (We'll see what happens this year ...)