Stretching the Field
by Luke Paul Chandler
The release of John Lynch is the kind of risk that the Broncos should not be taking.
The door keeps opening in Denver to let out another veteran. This week, the team agreed to part ways with safety John Lynch, one of the leaders on and off the field for the Broncos defense. The team let him know that his role as a starter would be safe, but that he’d face reduced time in the team’s nickel and dime defenese, and Lynch didn’t feel it was a fit for him. Releasing a veteran like Lynch represents a huge problem for a team that lacks discipline and on-the-field leadership. Letting Lynch go could not have come at a worse time for the Broncos.This all comes at a highly tumultuos time for the Broncos. The team has shuffled through defensive coordinators on a yearly basis, and they are fresh off a power struggle between head coach Mike Shanahan and former general manager Ted Sundquist, which resulted in Sundquist’s termination by owner Pat Bowlen. The Broncos have failed to make the playoffs in the past two seasons, after making it to the AFC Championship game in 2005. Shanahan no longer has anyone left to blame but himself if this does not pan out.
A few days after the retirement of wide receiver Rod Smith, Lynch’s role should have increased, but now he is leaving the team. Smith and Lynch personified players who worked their way up from nothing, and became strong contributors. Smith was an undrafted free agent who carved out a niche as the hardest working receiver in the league, while Lynch was a player who was merely special teams player until Monte Kiffin took him under his wing in Tampa. Both showed the kind of hard work and discipline needed to thrive in the NFL for many years.
Losing Lynch also caps off the a second season in a row where a defensive leader was lost. Former middle linebacker Al Wilson was cut in February 2007. In Wilson’s case, his recovery from a neck injury has practically ended his playing career. Both Wilson and Lynch were keys to the Broncos run defense. In 2007 the team ranked 30th in run defense, and they figure to struggle again this season with Lynch’s departure. The Broncos key mistake in losing Wilson was merely replacing him another body, and not replacing the strong presence he had on the field. The same will be said again this season with Lynch’s departure.
Outside of quarterback Jay Cutler, the Broncos lack a fiery passion on the field. Cutler has took on a more visible role this past season out of necessity. Without Cutler, the Broncos would be without a player who could rally the team together. He has question marks also, due his recent admission of being afflicted with Type 2 Diabetes. If the team were to lose Cutler’s presence on the field for a length of time, it could mean the end.
In the past few seasons, the Broncos have been liberal with their players, choosing to gamble on character risks like third -round pick Maurice Clarett and former defensive tackle Gerard Warren. This past offseason the team signed running back Michael Pittman, who was once arrested for aggravated battery on his wife. In general, most of the Broncos gambles on character have failed to pay off. Not only will the team risk on a player with a criminal past, but a questionable work ethic like newly acquired defensive tackle DeWayne Robertson.
On a team that continually takes risks on players with questionable character, they are losing one of their key character men, but still have several questionable players and attitudes. Players like receiver Brandon Marshall and defensive tackle Marcus Thomas get more credit for their headlines and lines in the police blotter rather than their on field performances. In Marshall’s case, his star as a dominant receiver is being overshadowed by his trouble off the field. His antics and play have been a source of great frustration, with the police being called to his residence 11 times in the past two years, per the Rocky Mountain News. Marshall is also facing possible suspension by the Commissioner’s office for a possible violation of the personal conduct code in the NFL.
Without veteran leaders like Lynch, the team is gambling in a big way. For a team that has been a disappointment for the past two seasons, anything less than a deep playoff run this year could cost Shanahan his job. Despite being one of the longest tenured and most successful NFL coaches of this era, he has taken many risks to get back to greatness with each bringing him an inch closer to the edge of destruction. Let’s hope that Shanahan’s success with finding running backs can spread to his luck with finding veteran leaders.
Contact Luke at Luke@newerascouting.com.