The Darkside of John Lynch's Decision

Do you think that when John Lynch made the decision to leave the Denver Broncos last month that he thought for a second that the Denver Broncos had a chance at a Super Bowl? Of course not, he wouldn't have left, fear around these offices was that he would return home to San Diego... He did one better, he moved in with the New England Patriots. Yet, with the Patriots John Lynch will see even less time then he would have with Denver. How does that feel for a backhand Denver? Smarts a little bit and every little bit helps, because Denver plays New England mid-season and they don't really have anything to prove, just Lynch- who won't be on the field much. Denver, however, will be on the field the whole time.

Quick question, with all of the discussion of legacy and athletes playing out their careers beyond their time. What if Denver were to go to the Super Bowl this season and not New England. Would John Lynch become this years Tiki Barber? There's a man who lost a lot of respect, I'm sure not just in New York. Tiki Barber's decision to retire couldn't have backfired worse, he's been the butt of a lot of jokes and probably will continue to be now that Michael Strahan has a job in broadcasting.

What If?

I'm not particularly worried about John Lynch going to San Diego to play football. Some fans seem to be livid over the idea, if Lynch were to return to his hometown and play for the Chargers this season... What would that really be saying about former Charger safety (and current Bronco) Marlon McCree? San Diego let him walk, to apparently, "get younger," at safety.

Marlon McCree is in fact the main reason that Lynch was cut from the Broncos. McCree replaced Lynch in the nickel and dime formations, he will also most likely replace Lynch in the base 4-3 formation as well. San Diego let McCree go, McCree comes to Denver, knocks Lynch off of his depth chart spot and then Lynch goes to San Diego to play?

Come on... I don't see how San Diego fans can justify that one. Seriously, it will be a laughable point to make in any conversation between a Bronco and Charger fan for years to come.

Steve Young, "I decided to retire because I didn't want to go play for Denver."

Don't know if anyone caught that on NFL Live yesterday. I actually forgot that he had received permission from the 49ers to speak to the Broncos and was meeting with Mike Shanahan in Denver. Had Young joined Denver it would have been for the 2000 season, imagine... Steve Young in a Broncos #8 jersey, handing off to Terrell Davis, scrambling and tossing the ball to Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey.

Denver ended up going 11-5 that season, finishing 2nd in the AFC West (one game behind the 12-4 Oakland Raiders) and losing in the first round of the playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.

Ah, what if...

Is it Sunday yet?