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KRIEGER: In new breed of safeties, Lynch wasn't first

By Dave Krieger, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published November 17, 2008 at 8:07 p.m.

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Mike Shanahan threw it out there as if it were a foregone conclusion.

"They don't come around very often, and that's why I believe he'll be in the Hall of Fame," he said Monday of John Lynch as the veteran safety retired after 15 NFL seasons.

If Shanahan had recently checked the list of pure safeties in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he might be inclined to hedge his prediction.

Of the 247 members of the Hall, exactly seven are identified exclusively as safeties: Jack Christiansen, Ken Houston, Paul Krause, Yale Lary, Emlen Tunnell, Larry Wilson and Willie Wood.

Not one of them had fewer than 46 career interceptions. Lynch had 26.

So, being the quarrelsome type, I mentioned a couple of pretty good former Broncos safeties who can get in the Hall only with a ticket - Dennis Smith and Steve Atwater.

Was Lynch better than those guys?

"To be honest with you, Dennis Smith is the hardest hitter I've ever been around. On any team. Bar none," Shanahan said.

"Steve Atwater, I think we know what type of player Steve Atwater was. Very similar to Dennis Smith.

"John Lynch we got at the tail end of his career after he was basically let go from Tampa Bay and he came in here and made four Pro Bowls. And he's got a Super Bowl ring and a bunch of Pro Bowls himself. I think Dennis Smith and Steve Atwater should still be in consideration for the Hall of Fame. The only thing John's got over them is probably a Super Bowl ring that they don't."

Somebody mentioned that Atwater has Super Bowl rings.

"That's right," Shanahan said. "I shouldn't have said that. How many has he got?"

Two, he was told.

"Since he went to the Jets I'm still mad at him," a chagrined Shanahan said. "No, not really."

Shanahan's senior moment reinforces how important it is to get considered by the Hall as soon as you're eligible. If your own coach can forget your Super Bowl rings, imagine how fast they might slip the minds of mere spectators.

"People that make a case for me often say, 'He was instrumental in changing the way that position's played,' " Lynch said.

"Tony (Dungy) and those guys came in and said, 'Hey, we're going to do some things that change the way this position's played forever.' So you take some pride in that. Used to be you grabbed a safety in the third, fourth, fifth round. Wasn't really high on people's draft priority. And now you're seeing, year-in, year-out, guys are being taken high in the first round."

While it is fair to say that Lynch represents a breed of safety not yet recognized by the Hall, it is not true that he was the first of that breed. Twenty-seven years ago, Smith arguably was - a 6-foot-3, 200-pound locomotive out of Southern Cal.

Safeties have been first-round draft picks since at least 1981, when the Broncos selected Smith with the 15th choice overall.

Eight years later, they grabbed an even bigger version - the 6-3, 218-pound Atwater, also in the first round.

"At times you were asked to be a defensive lineman, at times you were asked to be a linebacker, at other times you were asked to cover like a cornerback," Lynch said of the modern job description. "So they asked a lot, but I always loved that challenge.

"You take pride when you see the great safeties of today, the (Troy) Polamalus, the Bob Sanders, the Ed Reeds, that do all those things so well, that maybe you had a little part in the evolution of that position."

It is no knock on Lynch, an intimidating tackler, to point out that Smith and Atwater were playing his brand of safety a long time ago. In fact, by the statistical measures we have, Smith had more tackles than Lynch (1,152 to 740), more interceptions (30 to 26) and more sacks (15 to 13).

Lynch has an edge in Pro Bowls (nine to Atwater's eight and Smith's six), but Hall of Fame voters tend to discount modern Pro Bowls because so many alternate selections end up there, including Lynch last year.

"You guys know how much I love this league and everything it stands for and that's the best of the best," Lynch said of the Hall. "So to even be considered is extremely humbling.

"In terms of what my chances are, I don't know. Herm Edwards used to say, 'Every time you go on that field, autograph your performance.' I tried to do that for 15 years, and if it's good enough, it's good enough. But I don't make those decisions. I did my part and we'll see where that goes."

If Lynch has an advantage over Smith and Atwater, it is that he didn't play the bulk of his career in the lost time zone. That should improve his chances.

Comments

  • November 17, 2008

    9:25 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    gunslinger7 writes:

    well put Dave...John Lynch is everything an NFL player should be on and off the field but if he played in an era that didn't receive the media attention for the bone jarring hits would he still viewed as HOF player? I believe he would not. I would like to see him in Canton but there is no way he should get in before Atwater.

  • November 17, 2008

    10:41 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    BAJ writes:

    I cannot speak for what Atwater did after Denver, but he was very good for his first few years. Even though he was, at the time, one of the best safeties in the league, I would take Dennis Smith over him on any day of the week. Dennis was solid for his entire carreer here and Atwater had a few years that he was not at the top of his class.
    Lynch... well, he was solid while he was here, but his best years were in Tampa.

  • November 17, 2008

    10:47 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    J_easy writes:

    man lynch need to unretire and go back to the broncs and show the youngsters how to be leaders and bring the fire every play even tho they doin gud but they could be great with lynch as they teacher

  • November 18, 2008

    12:39 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    avsfan71085 writes:

    I truly hope their are no hard feelings with the Broncos and Lynch would consider a coaching job with us. He is a great individual, a family man and a smart man and I think he would be an excellent assistant coach. I'm wearing my Lynch jersey as I type this, come on Shanny, he would provide strong leadership in that locker room.

  • November 18, 2008

    5:36 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    gahoaglund writes:

    DS49!! THE BEST!

  • November 18, 2008

    7:11 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    MrWright writes:

    Lynch was sweet! In the mold of the originals...Smith and Atwater!!! Let's get another one like them this draft!!Pppleeeaassse!!!

  • November 18, 2008

    7:46 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    The_KIMN_Chicken writes:

    When did Atwater have a few down years? His last year in NY was a wash out but he was at the end of his run then. Atwater could easily have been the Super Bowl MVP against Green Bay if he didn't flat out drop two easy interceptions, go watch the tape he was dominate in that game.

  • November 18, 2008

    8:33 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    cutlerscannon13 writes:

    I completely agree with you avsfan71085. GREAT POST!! He was just a stud period. Like you said both on and off the field he was a great person with a great attitude. I would love to see him brought back as a coach for the dbacks or even just a defensive motivational coach, give them some attitude with those hits. S. Larsen is showing me some signs of the Lynchisms we all loved in the past few years!!

  • November 18, 2008

    9:38 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    BigRedCelt writes:

    BAJ..HUH???? Atwater "very good for his first few years"? Are you kidding me? Atwater was GREAT for many, many years. His entire time here. He spent his last season with the Jets. Atwater and Smith was the best safety combination in NFL history in my opinion. Either guy would knock you into next week. And Chicken is right, Atwater could have been MVP of the Green Bay SuperBowl (TD earned that one). Both Atwater and Smith were head and shoulders above Lynch. (and that's no slight on Lynch).

    Reading this article though I think Lynch needs to quit patting himself on the back.

  • November 18, 2008

    11:54 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    LarryB writes:

    "Imagine how fast they might slip the minds of mere spectators." When I read that line, I immediately thought of a tremendous safety of yore: Billy Thompson. He was another HOF-caliber safety for the Broncos. Trouble is, ever fewer Broncos fans actually saw him play. I did. And there is on reason whatsoever to exclude Billy from the conversation.

    However, the best safety the Broncos ever had, in my opinion, was Dennis Smith. While the other safeties had their own strong points, Dennis was strong at everything, in every phase of his position.

    But that is to take away nothing from John Lynch. He complements Billy Thompson, Dennis Smith, and Steve Atwater in giving the Broncos one of the greatest legacies in safeties in the league.

  • November 18, 2008

    3:07 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    gahoaglund writes:

    Anyone remember the Billy Thompson - Steve Foley combo? 44 INT's EACH!

  • November 18, 2008

    7:07 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    dabumster writes:

    The Broncos should have 3 safties in the HOF. I'm glad you stuck up for 2 of them, at least.

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