Former Buccaneers great John Lynch missed out on election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year, the third year that has happened.
A leader of some of the best defenses in NFL history, Lynch played a key role as an enforcer from his position at safety. His no nonsense play style helped lead the Bucs to a victory in Super Bowl 37 in 2003, the team’s only Super Bowl win.
Originally a quarterback during his college days at Stanford University, Lynch was converted to safety before being drafted in the third round of the 1993 NFL draft by the Buccaneers. He became well known as a hard hitting player, and frequently punished players that tried to make catches in his vicinity. Lynch made the Pro Bowl nine times in his career, along with three straight first team All-Pro selections.
After the 2003 season, Lynch was a salary cap casualty and released by the Buccaneers. He signed with the Denver Broncos that season, spending four years there and almost made it to another Super Bowl, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2005.
He became eligible for the NFL Hall of Fame in 2014, along with Derrick Brooks, Jerome Bettis, Morten Andersen, Eddie DeBartolo Jr., Tony Dungy, Charles Haley, Marvin Harrison, Walter Jones, Andre Reed, Will Shields, Michael Strahan, Aeneas Williams, Kevin Greene and Tim Brown. With Andersen getting elected this year, Lynch is the only player on that list to not get in.
Many experts are not surprised by the snub. Safeties have traditionally had a difficult time making the Hall. In fact, there are only 13 players in the Hall that have played in the safety position. This is not unexpected, as they tend to not have the statistical impact on the game compared to other positions, such as cornerbacks. Lynch is no exception to this. In his 224 games, he totaled 1,051 tackles and 13 sacks, while collecting 26 interceptions and forcing 16 fumbles. These numbers do not catch the attention of the Hall of Fame committee, and is likely the main reason for leaving him out of the Hall.
What these numbers miss is all the ways a player like Lynch can have an impact on the game that is less quantifiable. How many throws that were made to the other side of the field simply because Lynch was not there. How many receivers dropped a pass or missed the ball because they were concerned where he was, and when the hit was coming. The mental fatigue players dealt with because they needed to account for his location at all times.
Unfortunately, the outlook for Lynch’s enshrinement into Canton is even bleaker for the 2018 selections. Legendary players will be making their debut on the ballot, names like Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher, Jeff Saturday, Randy Moss, Steve Hutchinson and Buccaneers cornerback Ronde Barber. Also, considering that Terrell Owens missed out on the Hall this year as well, the chances of Lynch making it in are slim to none.
It is not all doom and gloom for Lynch though. He was recently named General Manager of the San Francisco 49ers, and will be tasked with bringing them out of the mess they got into. In time, the selection committee should see reason and add Lynch into the fold of Hall of Famers but for now, it’s just wait and see.
photo: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class James E. Foehl. Cropped by User:Blueag9.