Will this be the week we finally see Marshawn Lynch back on the field?
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told reporters that Lynch will take part in practice on Wednesday as he continues to work his way back from abdominal surgery. The team later confirmed that Lynch was a full participant in Wednesday's practice.
"We are gonna go day-to-day," Carroll said. "We'll evaluate the next day and see how it goes. I have a good feeling. He's encouraged to go for it again. We'll see if we can get it done."
It's important to temper expectations here. Lynch appeared on track to play in Sunday's wild-card win over the Vikings before ruling himself out shortly before the team traveled to Minneapolis. Panthers coach Ron Rivera said his team is preparing as if Lynch will return on Sunday.
Lynch hasn't appeared in a game since Week 10. He was having his worst season with the Seahawks before hitting the shelf, averaging just 3.8 yards per carry on 111 rushes. Christine Michael took nearly every carry against the Vikings, managing just 70 yards on 21 carries in sub-zero elements.
Michael has been a nice find (or reclamation) for the Seahawks, but there's no substitute for a healthy Beast Mode. We'll see if he materializes this weekend.
