Marshawn Lynch doesn't talk

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To say Marshawn Lynch is an oddity would be an understatement. The man is famous for Skittle-guzzling, he coined the phrase "Beast Mode" for the way he plays and his grill is a road of gold. Seahawks fans love Lynch since he's everything their former running back, Shaun Alexander, was not. Hard-hitting, bruising and somebody that fights for extra yardage.

However, you won't here much from him. Or about him, for that matter. The running back is a bit of a recluse when it comes to speaking with the media and nobody is hyping him up heading into this post season despite rushing for over 1,500 yards this season and 11 touchdowns. The media spotlight seems to be brightly focused on rookie quarterback Russell Wilson and maybe that's how he wants it.

Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times wrote an article about the enigma that is Marshawn Lynch. Naturally, there are no quotes from Lynch.

Perhaps its the way he talks, since apparently he has his own language...

This story should be easier to write. Lynch is not only one of the most important players on Seattle's team, but one of the most colorful. The man who authored the third-highest season rushing total in franchise history has a gold tooth and his own distinct way of talking that can only be described as Marshawnese. "What you say, bruh?" he asked during an interview earlier this year. It was a request to repeat the question.

Although, you can't really blame him for being leery of the media. He has had a few run-ins with the law and that cost him the starting job in Buffalo. Only 26, he has found a spot in the lineup of Seattle but don't expect any wonderful ancedotes from Lynch.

Outside the locker room, the man known for breaking tackles is more apt to throw a block. In Toronto last month, Lynch was in the team's hotel when a woman approached him and asked, "Are you the Skittles guy?" "I'm Marshawn Lynch," he said. She wasn't sure what to make of that. Later, when someone else asked if he played football, Lynch just said he was waiting for his friend. If he's going out of his way to avoid interviews, it's because he's not all that interested in letting people inside. He's run the gamut of media coverage. He received credit for back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons in Buffalo. Then he was criticized during a prolonged hit-and-run investigation and an unrelated three-game suspension that stemmed from a weapons charge in California. This offseason he was arrested for DUI in California, a charge that still must be resolved.

So the reclusive, yet affable running back will talk the bulk of the carries this weekend for Seattle in their first-round playoff games. Fans will certainly be thrilled when he runs somebody over. That's how we treat guys that can carry a football. It's still an oddity, however, that a man so colorful as Lynch doesn't speak with the media. Since he's doing so well right now, people just think it's quirky. If his performance drops off, however, will people start to think its arrogant or mean-spirited?