Getty Anthony Lynn on the field coaching the Chargers in 2019.
The Detroit Lions made one of the biggest splashes of the NFL hiring cycle when they landed Anthony Lynn to lead their offense, and landing the coach was a big deal for the team.
Lots of other squads wanted to talk with Lynn about him joining the mix, and he was a coveted coach in the cycle. Even such, he only had serious eyes for one opening, and that was the one with the Lions. Why? His connection with Dan Campbell as well as Aaron Glenn as former players helped to grease the wheels.
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Recently, Lynn joined the Compas On The Beat podcast with hosts Gilbert Manzano and Fernando Ramirez as recapped by NFL.com writer Nick Shook, and as he explained, the chance to work with Campbell and Glenn was too much to pass up, even though he considered sitting out a year.
He said:
“I got to know those two very well. They handled themselves like coaches as players. And so because coach [Bill] Walsh kind of picked me out and sat me aside and talked to me about coaching and it worked, I try to do the same thing with current players. I just helped plant that seed — when you’re done playing, that’s something I think you should do. And I did that with Dan and Aaron Glenn. And I was actually going to sit this year out, but when they called, I had to go because I wanted to be a part of that. I knew it was going to be special.”
Lynn was compelled enough by the opportunity presented to him by Detroit that he passed on taking time off to take the job. That speaks volumes to the faith he has in the current Lions outfit finally getting this right in a major way. To that end, it should be a reason fans are energized further by the new staff.
Lynn Interested in Winning on Offense
Many have wondered if the Lions will be more run-heavy given Campbell’s desire for toughness. Others have maintained that Campbell might want to pass the ball more given his experience with the New Orleans Saints as an assistant coach lately.
The man who will determine what really happens is Lynn, and while many might speculate about what Detroit’s offense may look like, it’s harder to get an idea of what Lynn could want to do. As he explained when speaking with the media, the answer to that question is pretty obvious from a coaching standpoint.
What type of offense will the Lions have? It doesn’t really matter as long as it’s one that helps the team win some games most of all.
New Lions OC Anthony Lynn: “At the end of the day, we just want to win damn games. If we’ve gotta throw it 50 times, we will. If we’ve gotta run it 50 times, we will.”
But adds, “I believe the more ways you can run it, the more ways you can throw it.”
In reality, that’s exactly what offense should be about. Many will try to claim the Lions should be one thing or another, but the team simply needs to find the right balance on the field to make them winners. Whether that involves throwing the ball multiple times or running the ball multiple times shouldn’t exactly matter.
Lynn is smart enough to know that his career in the city will be determined by wins and losses and nothing else, so it’s smart that he believes the approach to win will be whatever the given game should dictate on offense. It will be interesting to see if he sticks to that plan.
Lynn’s Career Biography
Lynn, 52, has a wide-ranging background in football stemming from his days as a player. From 1992-1999, Lynn was a running back in the league and the highlight of his career was winning back-to-back Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos. Quickly after in 2002, Lynn began his coaching career in Denver, then went to. Jacksonville, Dallas, Cleveland and the Jets as a running backs coach. In 2016, he was the Bills offensive coordinator and took the job with the Chargers. Lynn went 33-31 as the coach there, and worked with Justin Herbert this past season. To that end, he might have the right blend of experience for the Lions.
Nobody would have blamed Lynn for sitting on the sidelines, but it’s clear he believes in what the team is doing and wants to be part of something great. That’s something which should fire up fans ahead of the 2021 season.
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Anthony Lynn Explains Why He Turned Down Year off to Coach Lions