There John Lynch was, being a nice guy again.
He answered this question about the Raiders, and that question about the Bucs, and another question about the Super Bowl. But the questions about the Raiders kept coming. What were the Bucs going to do about Rich Gannon? About Tim Brown? About Jerry Rice? How could they possibly match up.
Finally, Lynch’s eyes turned cold, and his voice grew an edge.
“You know,” he said, “we’re pretty good, too.”
That was Lynch, who was always prepared to match his team’s defensive stars against the offensive stars of the opponent. It could have been the Rams or Vikings or Lions or Raiders.
The fire was never very far from Lynch, the Bucs’ hard-hitting safety. He would laugh and joke and be good company, but there was a fierce pride to him, too. And, on gameday, Lynch would knock you out. It didn’t matter if you were a running back or a receiver – or his brother-in-law John Allred, who Lynch once left lying in the Chicago sod.
Lynch was a vital piece to the great defenses of the Bucs.
Next season, the Bucs will honor him by adding his name to the Ring of Honor.
Lynch will be the ninth Tampa Bay player added, joining teamates Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp, Mike Alstott and Paul Gruber. Other Bucs in the Ring include John McKay, Lee Roy Selmon, Jimmie Giles and Doug Williams.
The official announcement will be 3 p.m. Friday.
