Lynch, Owens await the call
Niners’ GM, retired receiver among finalists
Last year, John Lynch, known as a former Pro Bowl safety, added a new title: 49ers general manager.
This year, he’d like to add another: Hall of Famer.
For the fifth consecutive year, Lynch is one of 15 modern-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which will add up to five members Saturday.
Lynch, 46, is by now familiar with the agonizing drill: On Saturday, 48 selectors will meet in Minneapolis, the site of Super Bowl LII on Sunday, to select the Hall of Fame class and the finalists are asked to sit tight in a hotel room to await their fate.
A finalist knows it’s good news if Hall of Fame president David Baker knocks on their door (bad news: a phone call).
At some point, Lynch, who is still waiting for the knock,
said he got tired of waiting.
“I’ve cheated the last few years because they tell you they really don’t want you to leave the room,” Lynch said on KNBR. “I tried that the first year and (my wife) Linda and I were just sitting on the edge of the bed. It wasn’t very fun. So, in years past I’ve told my marketing agent: ‘Book me an appearance. Make me busy. And they can call me — I’ll get back to the room in proper time.’ So I just tried to stay busy on that day.”
Lynch, in his sixth year of eligibility, went to nine Pro Bowls during a 15-year career with the Buccaneers and Broncos. He made the cut from 15 to 10 finalists last year, which could be a good sign for his 2018 chances.
However, he’s now contending with a strong group of first-year eligible players. It includes linebacker Ray Lewis, wide receiver Randy Moss and linebacker Brian Urlacher, all of whom could be first-ballot Hall of Famers.
And then there is the case of former 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens, who hasn’t been selected in his two years of eligibility despite possessing Hall-of-Fame numbers: Owens ranks second in NFL history in receiving yards (15,934), third in receiving touchdowns (153) and eighth in receptions (1,078).
So what’s kept Owens from Canton? Some voters are factoring in his personality and noting that some teams determined his talent wasn’t worth the locker room trouble he created. Owens played for five teams in his 15-year career, which began with eight seasons with the 49ers.
“I feel more disrespected than disappointed,” Owens, 44, told the NFL Network this week. “And I’ve always said, too, that when you align your expectations with reality, you’ll never be disappointed. So I think in terms of my body of work and what I’ve done for the game, that speaks loudly for itself. But as far as bringing up all these other narratives as for why I’m not in the (Hall of Fame) as far as character issues … it doesn’t add up.”
Of the 15 modern-era finalists, none is more familiar with the process than Lynch. He is the only five-time finalist among the group. None of the other 14 players has been a finalist on more than three occasions.
Lynch and safety Brian Dawkins, a finalist in his first year of eligibility last year, are looking to join an exclusive group: There are eight pure safeties in Hall of Fame.
“I think the most grueling part of it is you’ve had success in your career and life and you usually feel like you are somewhat in control,” Lynch said. “There’s no control right now. Your story’s been written long ago and now you sit back and let other people evaluate that.”