CANTON, Ohio — In recent days, two players left Broncos headquarters at Dove Valley, hoisting proclamations their future destination would be the immortalized hallways of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In time, John Lynch most likely will be delivering a speech here. Rod Smith will probably need the senior committee to first state a compelling argument.
“Lynch certainly,” said Terry Bradshaw, a Hall of Fame quarterback who has long been the biggest football studio star, in a Woody Paige sort of way, on television. “Probably Lynch ahead of Smith. Lynch was an amazing safety. We had Lynch on our show last year. Smart guy.”
Lynch will one day wear a gold jacket because his nine Pro Bowl appearances at the safety position are more than any other except Ken Houston, a Hall of Famer who had 10. Lynch was also the leader of Tampa Bay’s 2002 defensive-oriented Super Bowl champion.
Anyone who believes Smith is a Canton-bound cinch isn’t familiar with the case of Art Monk. In his final four seasons, Monk played as the NFL’s all-time leading receiver, finishing with 940 catches. He also played on three Super Bowl champions.
Yet, Monk had to wait eight years before joining Gary Zimmerman in the Hall’s Class of 2008.
Smith ranked 11th in receptions following his final season of 2006, behind the likes of Isaac Bruce, Jimmy Smith, Keenan McCardell and Irving Fryar. Anybody believe McCardell and Fryar are Hall of Famers?
Yes, Smith has intangibles that should be considered. He was the greatest undrafted receiver of all time. He was a terrific blocker. His first catch was against Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green for a final- second, game-winning touchdown.
“I have no shame about him catching that ball on me,” Green said here Friday following his Hall of Fame news conference. “That catch right there should put him in the Hall of Fame. Rod Smith always has been a class act.”
Another of Smith’s assets. But it is numbers, not intangibles, that carry the discussion when the Hall of Fame writers gather to vote. Perhaps, it can be pointed out that the Broncos’ record was 112-58 in games Smith started, a .659 winning percentage.
John Elway’s all-time winning percentage was .643. Jerry Rice, indisputably the greatest receiver of the modern era, had a .631 winning percentage in his starts.
Smith’s problem, though, is by the time he becomes eligible for Canton in 2011, he might be ranked 20th in receptions.
“With the NFL throwing the ball all over the place, it’s going to be tough for receivers in the future to get in,” Monk said.
The positions of Lynch and Smith are flip-flopped, however, when it comes to the Broncos’ Ring of Fame. The only question for Smith is whether the Pat Bowlen-led committee will waive the five-year waiting period.
Lynch’s unsettling recent departure may have disqualified him from permanent Invesco Field fame. If it turns out Lynch never plays again, then nothing hurt. He will be remembered in Denver for his hard hits, locker- room leadership and sincere efforts in helping high school athletes understand the greater benefit of a college education.
But if he should wind up playing for, say, Tampa Bay, New England or Jacksonville, all of whom are on the Broncos’ regular-season schedule this year, then sorry, John. It won’t sit right.
Especially if Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler is facing a third-and-long and Lynch is spotted running off to the opposing sideline while a nickel cornerback runs in.
“I don’t blame him,” Monk said, when told Lynch left because he was uncomfortable with his part-time role.
“When you come out for certain packages, or whatever, you don’t feel like you can ever get into the flow of the game. For a player of his stature, that can be tough.”
Funny how legacies go. Nationally, Lynch is considered among the all-time greats. In Denver, Lynch was no Rod Smith.
