I just wanted to pass long this great story on John Lynch, and his struggles in dealing with retirement. Written by Rick Reilly, a fantastic sports columnist. I remember feeling a bit betrayed when he went to the Patriots, but I am sad that he’s not playing anymore. It sounds like Lynch’s experiences are pretty bittersweet. Whether he decides to come back and play (and I always hope he’ll end up wearing Orange & Blue again), I definitely wish the best for the Lynch family. I’m also glad to hear they’re still in Colorado.
Sports
2-0(*?)
Two days after the Broncos huge win over the Chargers, and still everyone is talking about the “Refgate” show heard around the world. In case you don’t follow the NFL/Broncos, head ref Ed Hochuli (who should be called “Ed Hurcules”) blew a call on the last drive. Peter King describes it best in his column:
Methodically, Cutler drove Denver downfield. On second-and-one from the Charger 17 with 77 seconds left, Cutler rolled right and the ball popped out of his right hand as he raised it to throw. He definitely was not in the throwing motion. The ball landed on the ground near the Chargers’ 10, and San Diego recovered. But wait. Hochuli had blown his whistle. The play was dead. When a quarterback loses the ball on a play like this, any whistle means the play is over, unlike if it happens to a running back or receiver; those balls can be recovered. Not this one. Denver retained possession. Two plays later, Cutler threw to second-round rookie Eddie Royal for a four-yard touchdown. Immediately, Shanahan held up two fingers.
I respect Peter King and his statement when he says in the same column “The Chargers were robbed”. The refs did blow the call. At the same time, the Refs weren’t the ones couldn’t stop Cutler from throwing the touchdown pass two plays later, and the Refs weren’t the ones that gave Eddie Royal the two point conversion as well.
Either way, I’ll take 2-0 and the Broncos Offense machine running on all cylinders. The defense. well I hope they can step it up with the Saints come to town this weekend. The Chargers have great weapons, and they were able to hold those weapons down in the first half. However, blowing it in the second half has become all-too common for the Broncos defense. Something tells me that this next Sunday will be another shoot-out.
A Pat? Say it ain’t so John Lynch!
This is a few days old, but still noteworthy nonetheless. A few weeks back I was saddened to hear that John Lynch asked for his release from the Broncos at the start of training camp, seeking a team where he could play a full-time role. Things remained quiet for a few weeks, but the news broke: The New England Patriots signed John Lynch.
As a Lynch fan, I’m happy he’s still playing in the NFL. He’s an amazing player, and nothing will take that away from him. As a Broncos fan, I’m definitely disappointed and actually feel a little betrayed by John.
When the story of Lynch’s release request broke, it was said he left because the Broncos weren’t playing him full time:
“[T]wo sources close to the situation said, because he is unhappy with his role. He has been working with the first-team defense in the first week of training camp but not in nickel and dime defensive packages. He has admitted that not playing significantly bothered him.”
I definitely could respect that, except for the analysis that came out about Lynch’s signing.
From John Clayton’s blog on ESPN:
“Lynch can fit into packages that would allow him to play 10, 15 or 20 plays a game. Belichick is the best at figuring out ways to use veterans and not wear them out. He did the same with Junior Seau, who enjoyed his Patriots experience so much that he’d love to come back.”
So Lynch left Denver because he was unhappy about not playing full-time in nickel and dime packages, and goes to a team that will play him 20 plays a game? The knee-jerk in me wants to think that this was a hypocritical move and can’t help but feel a little betrayed.
At the same time, it very may well have been that Lynch watched the phone for full-time starter jobs and when it wasn’t ringing, decided to pursue other options. I’m also a realist, and understand that the Patriots have a better chance of winning the Super Bowl next weekend than the Broncos do – but this isn’t Junior Seau: Lynch has a Super Bowl ring with Tampa Bay. I didn’t want to see John Lynch go to a bottom-feeder team just to be able to start, but I hate to see him in a Patriot’s jersey. The only thing that would be worse would be Lynch in Raider Silver & Black.
Selfishly, I’m torn about what to do about my Lynch jersey. He’s still an active player and I want to support him as the player, but I would also like to wear the jersey of a current Bronco if I can help it. I have no idea what I’m going to do.
John Lynch leaving?!? [Noooooooo!!!!]
I was at the gym when I saw the devastating news. I couldn’t read the close-captioning clearly, as the captioning got lost in the bottom TV graphics, so I was hoping my eyes were deceiving me. Sure enough, unfortunately what I suspected was true:
Longtime star safety John Lynch is leaving the Denver Broncos.
"I’m going to explore all of my opportunities," Lynch said Wednesday night, according to the newspaper. "Is it retirement? Maybe. Is it playing for another team? Maybe. [Coach] Mike [Shanahan] has given me the opportunity to explore that and that’s what I’m going to do. But I won’t be playing for the Broncos."
Surprised? Not really. You could see the writing on the well when Denver signed a slew of young safeties to compete for the starting job. While I was ecstatic that Lynch signed on for another year, I knew that retirement was looming on the horizon, and his chances of starting full-time aren’t what they used to be. It sucks because like the Packers, what’s in the best interest for Lynch and what’s in the best interest for the Broncos don’t coincide.
Depressed? Absolutely. Lynch is still an awesome player, a great character guy (much needed for our team) and has done a lot for the Broncos, and I wish him success wherever he ends up. We’ll definitely be missing him in more ways than one.
Worst of all, I’ll need to get a new jersey. Who do I go with?
Thank you, Rod!
Today one of the greatest players to ever wear a Broncos uniform has retired. After giving his heart for over 12 years, his body just couldn’t take it anymore and forced Rod to sit out the full season last year. After two hip operations, Rod had no choice but to call it a career.
Thank you Rod, for everything that made you great. You embodied perseverance, from starting out as an undrafted free agent, being signed to the practice squad and ultimately becoming a valued member of the receiving corp, ultimately becoming the leading wide receiver through Broncos history.
Despite all of the success you’ve attained – the records, the Super Bowl rings – he’s remained humble. At an age of flamboyant receivers such as T.O. and Chad Johnson, Rod arguably contributed more to your team than either of those guys, yet remained humble. In a strange way it seems fitting that your retirement received very little coverage outside of Broncos Country. You won’t get the media love-fest that Favre’s retirement had, but you’re going out classy nonetheless.
I heard that Smith is being offered a TBD role in the Broncos organization, I hope he sticks around the team for a long time to come. We’d be lucky to have him.