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Chick Ludwig covers the Cincinnati Bengals. He also writes about his other passions: college football, basketball and golf.Home > Blogs > Chick Ludwig At Large > Archives > 2008 > August > 03 > Entry
One word describes Lynch — WOW!
LYNCH MAKING PLAYS
ALL OVER THE FIELD,
JUST LIKE COLLEGE
Is that really COREY LYNCH roaming the natural grass field at Georgetown College’s Toyota Stadium?
The way he kicked total butt all weekend, I would have sworn the Cincinnati Bengals rookie sixth-round draft pick was actually Denver Broncos perennial Pro Bowler John Lynch.
They share the same surname … Lynch.
They play the same position … free safety.
They wear the same uniform number … 47.
And now, I can honestly say … SEEING IS BELIEVING.
Lynch — the hero of Appalachian State’s 34-32 upset of Michigan last fall — is making a serious bid to wrestle the starting free safety job away from Marvin White.
Lynch intercepted QB Jordan Palmer in end zone on the final play of Friday night’s Intrasquad Scrimmage and followed it up with an interception against starting QB Carson Palmer in Saturday’s Black-Orange Mock Game.
“He’s got a knack for the ball, doesn’t he?” defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said.
Yes, he does. Lynch made an open-field, touchdown-saving tackle on Friday night, and also sacked Carson Palmer for a safety on Saturday.
“This the first time we’ve really got a chance to see him a lot,” Zimmer added. “The safety position is a little backed up. But he showed what he did in college.
“His best play wasn’t the interception (on Friday night). His best play was on third down. It was 3rd and 4. We had talked to ‘em all week: ‘The first guy there, you take your shot. If you miss, the next guys will get there and tackle him.’ He took his shot, made the tackle and kept ‘em short.”
Lynch’s only mistake came on Saturday when he got beat by Antonio Chatman for a 33-yard TD on a pass from Jeff Rowe — the final play of the first half.
Lynch was playing nickel cornerback for the FIRST TIME.
“A first-timer going against an amazing receiver, I learned a good lesson. I like to learn lessons and recover from it. Hopefully, I did that.”
Yes, he did, by picking off Carson Palmer later in the game.
Lynch is an intelligent player with good closing speed, terrific hand-eye coordination and outstanding ball skills. He anticipates well, takes good angles and has a knack for getting in the right position to make plays on the ball in the air.
He’s not ready to play nickel yet because he’s so unfamiliar with the position, but he’s a willing learner. He arrives on the field 40 minutes early for every practice and works on catching the ball. If he doesn’t beat out Marvin White, Lynch will make an immediate impact on special teams, thanks to the kick-blocking savvy he showed at Appalachian State.
IN COREY LYNCH’S WORDS:
“I think we (the defense) did fairly well. We gave up a little bit, but we did pretty good overall. The coaches were complimenting us on how we were getting to the ball and doing the important things like lining up and stuff. We just pick it up in the back a little bit. Coach has been coaching us hard and I think it’s finally starting to click for us.
“I just thank Jesus Christ for giving me my talents and my gifts and my abilities. That’s why I play the game — to praise Him and honor Him in the way I play. I’m just very gracious to make a couple plays finally.
“I try to get out on the field early. The only other thing to do around here is sleep in bed. I might as well get out here early and work a little bit more. Until I get back home with my wife. I’ll be out here real early.”
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment | Categories: Bengals
Comments
By bob
August 3, 2008 5:43 PM | Link to this
No way Chick! You think the Bengals 6th round pick is going to be a Pro-Bowler! What an astute observation from an obvious Bengals homer unable to have an objective opinion. You could learn something from Marty Brennaman and Hal McCoy.By Chick Ludwig
August 3, 2008 7:19 PM | Link to this
Bullet Bob: Last I checked, Marty Brennaman is just a tad opinionated. As for Hal McCoy, I consider him a mentor, one of my heroes, a consummate pro. I learn from him every day. Nowhere in my blog entry did a say Corey Lynch was going to be a Pro Bowler. I simply gave a hard-working rookie some love. Bob, please do us all two favors. One: Please define “objective opinion.” Two: Get a life. Your stupidity becomes you.By dls
August 3, 2008 8:13 PM | Link to this
i think his most valuable talent is coming through in the clutch. (games like JMU, Michigan, Furman,… etc). The bengals will eventually see this when its his time to play in the crucial situations.By bburton359
August 4, 2008 2:15 AM | Link to this
Why can’t Lynch be a Pro Bowler? If he continues to work hard and make the plays that we know he can make, there is no reason that he can’t. Lesser athletes or players taken in later rounds of the draft have become Pro Bowlers. Some have even become HOFs.By Adam
August 4, 2008 8:39 AM | Link to this
Bob - a Bengals 7th round pick just made the Pro Bowl last year.By Dylan
August 4, 2008 11:48 PM | Link to this
I see no reason why Corey Lynch couldn’t one day make it to the Pro-Bowl. He’s an outstanding character guy, and comes from a very stable college program (same coach for 20 years with a 167-70 record) Here’s some interesting facts on the Lynch’s: -Both played for schools known for academics (Stanford, Appalachian State) -Both played in big time College games (JL- Block Buster Bowl 1993, CL- three National Title games [II-A] and won all three) -Both were the 9th Safties selected in their drafts, although JL was the 82nd pick and CL is the 177th pick -JL played with Dexter Jackson (now a saftey for the Bengals) on Buccaneers 2002 super bowl squad So I guess the best person to ask about the comparison would be Dexter Jackson (or Mike Tomlin seeing as he was the Bucs DB coach with Lynch)By 車 コーティング
September 21, 2008 11:35 AM | Link to this
見てよ。