Since the Denver Broncos announced their Ring of Fame Class of 2016 on May 17, there has been an ongoing debate about whether one player actually deserves the honor or not.
Along with Simon Fletcher and Jason Elam, two of the greatest Broncos of all time, John Lynch‘s name will also be placed high in the stands of Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium despite only playing for the Broncos during the final four years of his 11 year career.
Even though Lynch was at the end of his career, he was still a starter and a significant contributor to the Broncos defense that reached the playoffs during Lynch’s first two seasons in Denver.
Lynch was a force not only on the field but in the community as well. The question that remains in the back of everyone Bronco fan’s mind, though, is should someone like Lynch, who is primarily remembered as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, get to relish in Denver Broncos immortality?
This is a topic that Dan Williams and Marcello Romano dove into on a recent segment of the Morning Mayhem on Mile High Sports Radio.
“If the guy’s a Hall-of-Famer, why can’t he be on your Ring of Fame?” Romano said.
After listing off numerous Bronco greats such as Ed McCaffrey, Tyrone Braxton and Mark Schlereth, Williams made a point that resonates with many Broncos fans.
“I think John Lynch could be in the Ring of Fame, he just shoudn’t be in front of those guys.” Williams said.
Like Lynch, Manning spent the final four years of his Hall of Fame career with the Broncos. Unlike Lynch, Manning had the single greatest season a player has ever had at his position while with the Broncos, and he won a Super Bowl
So the question that arises is: When will Peyton Manning be inducted into the Ring of Fame?
Denver Broncos CEO Joe Ellis said at Manning’s retirement ceremony on March 7 that Manning will be inducted into the Ring of Fame, but how long should he wait?
The Denver Broncos Ring of Fame has a customary five-year waiting period, but that waiting period has been broken before, with John Elway. Is Manning deserving of similar treatment?
While with the Broncos, Manning reached the playoffs in every season. Manning and the Broncos reached the Super Bowl twice, winning their most recent trip to Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara back in February.
Up until the 2015 season, Manning carried the Broncos. He was the leader of the greatest offense in NFL history, and without him at the reigns, the Broncos wouldn’t have been the team that they were. Although he wasn’t the same player during the Broncos latest Super Bowl run, Manning was directly responsible in helping land the free agents that made the 2015 Broncos defense one of the best ever.
John Lynch was a great addition to the Broncos when he joined the team in 2004, but Peyton Manning changed the direction of the franchise. An accomplishment such as that shouldn’t warrant a long wait.
Listen to the rest of Dan Williams and Marcello Romano’s discussion below.
https://soundcloud.com/milehighsports/5-24-16-the-ring-of-fame-peyton-manning-fan-vote-his-full-career-through-a-looking-glass-dc
Catch Morning Mayhem with Danny and Cello every Monday through Friday from 7a-9a on Mile High Sports AM 1340 and FM 104.7, or stream live anytime for the best coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.