Today, when you wake up, know that pro football coaches have already been awake for several hours while you were in bed dreaming about your favorite team winning the Super Bowl. After all, your coach is up all hours of the night to try to make your dream a reality.
The Denver Broncos have always been one of the most active teams in free agency. They are never afraid to roll the dice, especially with Mike Shanahan at the head of the casino table. Last year, Shanahan rolled the dice and came up no dice. His big acquisitions were Travis Henry and Daniel Graham. He traded for and then signed Dre' Bly to a contract extension. Let's just say the jury is out on all three------although, Henry's restructured contract perhaps shows Judge Shanahan has rendered his verdict on the troubled running back.
However, despite the tinkering the Broncos finished at 7-9 in 2006. It marked the second straight year the Broncos failed to reach the Playoffs and the losing mark was only the second in the Shanhan era. So, The Mastermind, under some self-imposed heat, needs to come up big in free agency to bring the team back to the elite level he took it to in years past.
The first order of free agent business for the franchise is the player that arguably has been the face of this franchise in the community----not to mention being pretty good on the field as well, as denoted by his Pro Bowl appearance this past season. Of course, we are speaking of John Lynch.
My overall impression is that even though Lynch has considered retirement, after 15 seasons of crunching hits and neck surgery, wants to continue playing. That logic may seem to fly in the face of the cold reality in that even Lynch himself has said his intentions to retire have never been stronger. Although, in the end, I just think his competitive spirit may not allow him to walk away from a brilliant career on the heels of a 7-9 season. Lynch has always had high standards and I think retiring now would leave him with the feeling of unfinished business.
That said, if he indeed does want to return, the question needs to be gently raised: Do the Broncos want him back? To me, this isn't as obvious as it seems. Lynch is a great player on the back end of his career. Has he reached the point of diminishing football returns? That is in the eye of the beholder, though I think no matter where you stand on this issue, most will agree that the Broncos, even with $16 million in free agent money available, can't spend too much of it on Lynch. Does that mean Lynch won't play for a lower salary? Only one person knows the answer to that question.
To me, irrespective of where you stand on this issue, the return of Lynch means the return to his numerous charitable and civic endeavors in Denver and the several people who have benefitted from his genorosity, would tell you, unlike his salary, you can't put a price on that.
I hope everyone has a great weekend. See you on Monday.
-"z"
