you couldn’t really ask more of Marshawn Lynch in his first game back from retirement.
Lynch finished the game with 18 carries for 76 yards and one reception for 16 yards. But it was the other things that made it feel like a complete game from Lynch.
Whether it was punishing runs, somersaulting in the air, flipping the bird, or trying to make sure he wasn’t going to get fined for a lack of media time — we got the entire Beast Mode experience.
As Lynch said at his opening presser with his hometown Raiders, “This is actually born and raised and bred pissing in them hallways and running down them alleyways. I really did that, right here and now I get an opportunity to play here.”
“As players, we all knew what was going on. We felt pressure wanting to do something that was never done before. But every week, Belichick had us balls-to-the-wall in practice about what our assignments were and little, different things to make sure our mentality was on the thing that mattered most — winning one game at a time.”
Stallworth, though, admits it was not just Belichick’s approach, great cardio, a record-setting offense, sound special teams and veteran-laden defense that helped the Patriots stay out of the loss column.
“You’re gonna need some luck or things to bounce your way,” Stallworth said. “We had that a number of times. There were a few games we should have lost that year.”
The 2017 Patriots begin their journey Thursday night trying to avoid being upended by the Chiefs, the AFC’s No. 2 playoff seed from last season who enter as nine-point underdogs. Pats players already have done a Belichickian job in downplaying the undefeated hubbub.
“To not see anything from a team and say they’re going to win every game and disrespect every opponent on the schedule is kind of ludicrous,” safety Devin McCourty told Patriots Cheap Lakers Jerseys media at the Cheap Kids NFL Jerseys start of training camp. “The good thing is we don’t pay attention Cheap Long Sleeve Soccer Jerseys to that.”