Hit by injuries in secondary, Patriots sign veteran Lynch

[DenBronx]

It's official, Lynch is a Patriot.


http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80a001e4&template=with-video&confirm=true

John Lynch was a Pro Bowl selection in each of his four seasons with the Broncos.




The New England Patriots have reached an agreement with nine-time Pro Bowl safety John Lynch on a one-year, $1.5 million deal, NFL Network's Adam Schefter is reporting.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick met with Lynch on Wednesday, and the former Denver Broncos star took a physical. The Patriots have been hit by injuries in the secondary, both at safety and cornerback. Safety-linebacker Tank Williams had a season-ending knee injury in their first exhibition game.

Lynch and the Broncos amicably parted ways late last month after he told coach Mike Shanahan he wasn't happy with his reduced playing time. He had been with Denver the past four seasons, making the Pro Bowl in every one.

But with Marlon McRee playing well, Lynch saw little playing time in nickel and dime packages early in training camp. McRee started all 16 regular-season games for San Diego last season.

John Lynch, S

Age: 36
Born: 9/25/1971, Hinsdale, Ill.
Height: 6-2 Weight: 220
College: Stanford
Experience: 15th season
After leaving Denver, Lynch, a veteran of 15 NFL seasons, said he could sign elsewhere.

"I still have a great passion for the game of football," he said at the time. "I still very much love it in my heart. I still feel like I can compete at a Pro Bowl level, but the situation is going to have to be right. I'm not going to just play for any team or any situation."

Lynch, who spent his first 11 seasons with Tampa Bay, played every snap in Denver's last three games in 2007, but earlier he was taken out on passing downs.

Information from the Associated Press was included in this report

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[Tebow4Ever]

I think it's a good fit for Lynch. He will be a situational player but then again they have Rodney Harrison as a full time starter with less talent then Lynch. So he may start..Who knows...Nice Thread..

[KCL]

This is why the Pats do so well...they know how to sign good players!
I was surprised the Broncos released him.

[DenBronx]

This is why the Pats do so well...they know how to sign good players!
I was surprised the Broncos released him.

I was too! I mean I know Lynch is getting older and might be on the field as much as he would like to be but I think Mike should have tried a little harder to keep him here. Lynch is still decent at stopping the run so he would have fit in nice on 2nd and 3rd downs. Hopefully Mcree will step it up and prove us wrong on this one.


Just a little pissed at Lynch for going to the Pats though. :tsk:

[KCL]

I was too! I mean I know Lynch is getting older and might be on the field as much as he would like to be but I think Mike should have tried a little harder to keep him here. Lynch is still decent at stopping the run so he would have fit in nice on 2nd and 3rd downs. Hopefully Mcree will step it up and prove us wrong on this one.


Just a little pissed at Lynch for going to the Pats though. :tsk:

He has to follow the money trail..esp since he isn't ready to hang it up yet!

[honz]

Traitor. Unless he was promised a starting job, I just lost a lot of respect for John Lynch. I have no problem with him wanting out of the Broncos if he wasn't happy with the situation here, but at least be honest about it.

[Nomad]

Oh well, that's why i don't buy players jerseys anymore (McCaffery was my last one). I buy only BRONCOS gear and no jerseys because of the player turnover in the NFL. Lynch is a good guy and i don't know the details of his leaving, so I'm not going to throw him under the bus. He did very good here at Denver, but too bad his memory is short because I thought Denver was where he wanted to retire and live being family was here.:noidea:

[Denver Native (Carol)]

Traitor. Unless he was promised a starting job, I just lost a lot of respect for John Lynch. I have no problem with him wanting out of the Broncos if he wasn't happy with the situation here, but at least be honest about it.

I agree - if he is a starter there, then I understand - if he takes a backup role, then I TOTALLY will not understand

[DenBronx]

[/FONT]

He has to follow the money trail..esp since he isn't ready to hang it up yet!

I don't think it was money. I think it was the fact that the Pats have a better chance at a ring.

[KCL]

I don't think it was money. I think it was the fact that the Pats have a better chance at a ring.

Yea thats true...I know he isn't hard up for money but sometimes the
offers can make a player choose one team over another and as far as a ring
goes...that why I stated what I did in my first post!

[Stargazer]

I hope the Broncos burn him for massive TD's come October 20th. Can't wait!

[atwater27]

That can't be good for Denver's D that Lynch took a look around at the beginning of camp and decided he didn't want to be part of this mess.
Not good at all.
Crap.

[Retired_Member_001]

That can't be good for Denver's D that Lynch took a look around at the beginning of camp and decided he didn't want to be part of this mess.
Not good at all.
Crap.

It's not that big. He didn't want to put his body on the line for a team who's chances of the Super Bowl are slim. He would have known that a team like New England would been interested in him, so he made his move.

[MOtorboat]

Traitor. Unless he was promised a starting job, I just lost a lot of respect for John Lynch. I have no problem with him wanting out of the Broncos if he wasn't happy with the situation here, but at least be honest about it.


I agree - if he is a starter there, then I understand - if he takes a backup role, then I TOTALLY will not understand

It's a business.

[KCL]

It's a business.

Thats true...its rare anymore if a players plays for the same team
his whole career!

[BroncoWave]

This is why the Pats do so well...they know how to sign good players!
I was surprised the Broncos released him.

John Lynch's best days are far behind him. I've been saying that for the last 2 seasons. No surprise at all that he's gone.

[BroncoWave]

It's a business.

Agreed. I don't blame him at all for signing with the Pats.

[BANJOPICKER1]

Traitor. Unless he was promised a starting job, I just lost a lot of respect for John Lynch. I have no problem with him wanting out of the Broncos if he wasn't happy with the situation here, but at least be honest about it.

I Love him but he cannot play on passing downs, our new guys can, Done!:D

GOOOOOOOOOO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:salute:

[MOtorboat]

Thats true...its rare anymore if a players plays for the same team
his whole career!

If you're going to criticize John Lynch for wanting out of Denver for a chance to play the same role on a better team, you better criticize Denver for cutting Travis Henry.

It's a business.

[KCL]

If you're going to criticize John Lynch for wanting out of Denver for a chance to play the same role on a better team, you better criticize Denver for cutting Travis Henry.

It's a business.

Hey who would of thought that Favre would ever be in anything but a
Packers uniform! He has pretty much played with the Packers his whole
career up until now!

It is a business...thats why most players have agents!

[claymore]

If you're going to criticize John Lynch for wanting out of Denver for a chance to play the same role on a better team, you better criticize Denver for cutting Travis Henry.

It's a business.
Honestly though, if lynch was such a character guy, he would have stayed in Denver and helped with Depth. He knows he cant cover anyone.

[BeefStew25]

Our team got better when he left. Yeah, he was a leader, but leader's don't come off the field on 3rd downs.

He is going to get picked on this year.

[MOtorboat]

Honestly though, if lynch was such a character guy, he would have stayed in Denver and helped with Depth. He knows he cant cover anyone.


Our team got better when he left. Yeah, he was a leader, but leader's don't come off the field on 3rd downs.

He is going to get picked on this year.

I think this "veteran leadership" concept is a little overrated.

[atwater27]

I would have liked him to stay in a player/coach capacity and then just a straight up secondary coach.

[Magnificent Seven]

Broncos will see him on Monday Night Football. I am sure that John Lynch couldn't intercept Cutler's ball.

[SR]

John Lynch can't run fast enough to intercept a Jay Cutler rocket ball.


I'm not conflicted with John Lynch's release. He isn't a team player. He's a great locker room guy, but apparently he's a "me first" type of player. There has to come a time in every player's career where they realize they're getting old and they can't play every down. Lynch simply cannot cover guys like TO, Fitz, Boldin, Chad Johnson, BMarsh, and all of these other big, fast receivers when they come over the middle. He'll get burned more and more by players like them as he gets older. He should have just had a gut check and realized that he's not 25 anymore and he can't cover the league's elite receivers and tight ends. If he can't realize that, then it's his own problem. When BMarsh comes screaming through the secondary on Oct 20, maybe Lynch will wake up.

Oh well though. He's not a Bronco anymore.

[scott.475]

That can't be good for Denver's D that Lynch took a look around at the beginning of camp and decided he didn't want to be part of this mess.
Not good at all.
Crap.

I think it is great that Lynch looked around, after being told he could no longer effectively cover receivers and would not be used on nickel and dime packages, and decided to try to find a team that would use him for those formations. Nobody who has watched him routinely getting torched by receivers can really be too disappointed. Note, only a team that has been wracked with secondary injuries signed him. I would not have been surprised if he had not been picked up at all. I like the guy, but he just is not the all-around player we needed him to be.

[Poet]

I agree - if he is a starter there, then I understand - if he takes a backup role, then I TOTALLY will not understand

Why? If he gets more or less snaps he did not want to be a Bronco anymore. Most people who are as accomplished in their field like Lynch is can choose wherever they want to work. Holding a grudge against a guy who was a beast for you guys makes no sense to me.

[Poet]

Honestly though, if lynch was such a character guy, he would have stayed in Denver and helped with Depth. He knows he cant cover anyone.

How could you expect a guy to do that? He can obviously get more snaps somewhere else, if anything organizations owe guys like him more than the other way around.

[Stargazer]

I wonder how many times Denver will play action when Lynch is playing on the field to stop the run. I'm hoping atleast 10 times during the Oct. 20th game.

[Retired_Member_001]

John Lynch can't run fast enough to intercept a Jay Cutler rocket ball.


Heck, Lynch couldn't run fast enough to intercept a weak Plummer throw.

Uh-oh, Plummer debate.

:target:

[pnbronco]

It's a business.

I am so grateful for all that John did for our community as a person. He started his Foundation in Denver from the beginning. There are many young people who's lives have been changed because of him and his wife. I will really miss the person.

Being out of camp I was so reminded that football is a business. I needed the roster every time I went out there and could remember who had that number instead of who was wearing it that day.

[jrelway]

i hope cutler abuses lynch and harrison when we play them. gotta take advantage of that situation.

[tomjonesrocks]

Really disappointing. He must have known the Pats would be interested if he could get out of Denver.

[pnbronco]

Really disappointing. He must have known the Pats would be interested if he could get out of Denver.

:confused: Lynch got released July 31. Tank Williams was hurt Aug 7 in the game with the Ravens and put on IR on Aug 10th.

[hamrob]

[/FONT]

He has to follow the money trail..esp since he isn't ready to hang it up yet!Money trail? Let's see...if he stays in Denver he makes 2 million for the season....in NE he's scheduled to earn 1.5 million. That's not a very lucrative money trail. Is it?

The guy looked around and said...I'm losing playing time to a bunch of average players on an average team...what am I doing here? Asked for his release and B-lined it to the Superbowl Favorites.

[hamrob]

I think this "veteran leadership" concept is a little overrated.I disagree. In fact, I think our lack of leadership is why we are only going to be a slightly better than average team. Listen to Rod Woodson...he understands!



http://www.nfl.com/videos

[hamrob]

Do you think that Lynch might be blitzing Jay when we play them this year? I hope Hillis Jacks his A** up!