Although Broncos safety John Lynch was surrounded by loved ones and smiling, something was wrong with the picture.
As a camera clicked earlier this week for a family portrait after practice, Lynch already was being pushed toward the door by his NFL employer.
It’s hard to believe the Broncos no longer have a need for Lynch’s leadership, but it became apparent Wednesday that Lynch would be wasting his time by spending another minute with Denver.
Another day, another painful goodbye.
Tough time to be a Broncomaniac, what with Lynch leaving before the tears of receiver Rod Smith’s retirement had a chance to dry.
The football instincts of Lynch were always superb, with one exception. Almost immediately after he decided to return to the Broncos for one more season, pleasing everyone from franchise owner Pat Bowlen to fans who urged his comeback, it began to appear Lynch had finally misread a situation on the field.
What gave that impression? A gut feeling that struck me with the wallop of a Lynch tackle.
Drenched in sweat after a workout at a Broncos mini-camp less than two months ago, Lynch allowed that despite the nine selections to the Pro Bowl on his resume, he would have to sweat to regain a starting position on the team.
More important, Lynch made it clear on that spring day he had zero interest in serving as the wise, old head whose primary function on game day would be to give high-fives and advice to a younger teammate taking defensive snaps away from him.
There was no mistaking what Lynch meant in May when he said: “I’ve always thought this ‘Well, he’s a great mentor to the younger players’ stuff is overrated. I take that responsibility seriously, because there were guys who mentored me. But if you’re not playing and you’re not productive, that’s a bunch of hogwash.”
Lynch had swallowed his pride and agreed to a pay cut, because he wanted a meaningful role in helping Denver erase the bitter memory of the franchise’s worst defensive performance in the past 40 years.
He did not want a farewell tour in which he gritted his teeth, grinned and waved goodbye from the sideline.
The truth is there was football analysis within the walls of Dove Valley headquarters last season that Lynch’s skills had diminished to the point where he had ceased to be an impact player.
In December, when general manager Ted Sundquist struck such a nerve with the suggestion that Lynch had a lost a step and was no longer able to lead, it made the 36-year-old safety furious.
Sundquist was soon dismissed by the Broncos, while Lynch was lured back to the roster with a personal appeal from Bowlen.
Could this awkward departure have been avoided? Perhaps, but it’s easy to understand why Lynch was put in the lonely spot of learning on the practice field he no longer figured prominently in the defensive scheme.
When Lynch was agonizing over whether to stay in the game or retire, the Broncos probably gave him too much respect for his own good. Sometimes, there can be so much reverence for a star with Hall of Fame credentials that everybody is reluctant to tell him goodbye, even if it’s time.
Although Lynch originally earned his fame and won a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Tampa Bay Bucs, his addition to the Broncos in 2004 was one of the smarter personnel decisions of the Shanahan era and a blessing to the Denver community, which the veteran safety served with the dedication of a native.
A family is bound together by love and tradition. Every year, Lynch has gathered his wife and their four children at the outset of training camp for a photograph.
With a click of the shutter, there’s another tradition to paste in the scrapbook. It doesn’t make the kids grow any slower. But the memories are preserved forever.
Lynch gathered his loved ones for the portrait on Monday.
Forty-eight hours later, the veteran safety was out of the picture with the Broncos.
Hard to believe.
In the Not For Long, it all goes so fast.
Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053 or mkiszla@denverpost.com
