Anthony Lynn
| Buffalo Bills | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive Coordinator | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | December 21, 1968 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | McKinney, Texas | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Texas Tech | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1992 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
Anthony Ray Lynn (born December 21, 1968) is a former American football running back. Lynn began his professional coaching career with the Denver Broncos in 2000 as a Special Teams Assistant, and is now the current Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator for the Buffalo Bills.[1]
Playing career
The 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Lynn played at Celina High School and later at Texas Tech (1988–91), where he was an All-Southwest Conference running back in 1990. His senior year was cut short by a knee injury, and concerns about the injury left him undrafted. He was a journeyman reserve running back and special teams player during his NFL career, playing for the Denver Broncos (1993, 1997–99) and San Francisco 49ers (1995–96). He retired in 2000 due to repeated neck stinger injuries. Lynn was part of Denver's back-to-back Super Bowl champion teams (1997–98).[2] In 1997 he had his best personal year as an NFL player.
Coaching career
Upon retiring in 2000, he joined the Denver coaching staff as an offensive assistant and special teams coach (2000–02), before joining the Jacksonville Jaguars as the running backs coach (2003–04). He left Jacksonville after being switched to special teams coach following a coaching staff shakeup by head coach Jack Del Rio in 2005[3] and quickly joined the Dallas Cowboys staff as the running backs coach.[4] On January 26, 2007, with the retirement of Bill Parcells as Dallas head coach, Lynn signed on with the Cleveland Browns to fill their RB coach vacancy.[5]
Lynn was named the Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs coach for the New York Jets on February 1, 2012 under head coach Rex Ryan, and was subsequently interviewed for the Head Coach job in January, 2015 after Ryan left. When he did not get the position, he followed Rex Ryan to the Buffalo Bills where he has taken the same position. On September 16, 2016, Lynn was promoted to offensive coordinator / assistant head coach of the Bills when Greg Roman was fired.[6] Then later in September, Anthony Lynn was promoted to Offensive Coordinator.[7] When asked what he wants his offensive identity to be, Lynn responded, "I want to play smart, physical football. I want to be explosive down the field... We're going to play a little bit faster and see if we can put a little pressure on the defense. Just execute."[8] Lynn made his debut as Offensive Coordinator against the Arizona Cardinals, pulling out a 33-18 win.[9]
Coaching Philosophy
Lynn is known for advocating the infamous "Ground and Pound" technique.[10] He likes to run the ball on offense, and keep the defense rested so they can "pound" the opposing team.[11] He provides a strong running game and has exceptional run reads.[12] Offensively, his approach spirals off the idea that the running game should open up opportunities for the passing game.[13] He welcomes his players input and gives them a voice. [14] By simplifying the playbook, Lynn aims to reduce the stress of his players so they can execute with precision.[15] Anthony has coached some of the best running backs in the game and has been the common denominator in some of the greatest rushing offensives.[16]
Some of the players Lynn has coached include Fred Taylor, Julius Jones, Jamal Lewis, Thomas Jones, LaDainian Tomlinson, Shonn Greene, Chris Ivory and LeSean McCoy.
NFL Interest
On December 30th, 2015 the Miami Dolphins interviewed Lynn for their head coach position.[17] He was the fourth head coaching candidate interviewed that week.[18] Anthony Lynn also interviewed for the head coaching job with the Jets organization on January 6th of 2015, shortly after head coach Rex Ryan was terminated.[19] Lynn knew the organization well, and was extremely well-respected.[20] In January 2016, Lynn was a head coaching candidate for the San Francisco 49ers.[21] He removed his name from consideration before a decision was made.[22] Despite not taking a head coaching position in 2016, media insider Ian Rapoport listed Anthony Lynn as one of his candidates in a good position to become a head coach. [23]
Accomplishments
- In 2003-2004 with Coach Lynn on the roster the Jaguars had one of the top four rushing seasons in team history, with Fred Taylor at 1,572 yards in 2003.[24]
- Assisted Jamal Lewis in 2007-2008, who yielded back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons.[24]
- From 2009-2013, with Lynn as running backs coach, the Jets running game produced an NFL-leading 137.0 yards per game.[24]
- In 2013, Lynn help Chris Ivory establish a team-leading 833 yards on 182 carries.[24]
- Lynn coached rookie fullback Tommy Bohanon, who gained 62 yards on 17 carries and 69 yards on 11 receptions in 2013.[24]
- Top ranked running game for the Buffalo Bills in the 2015-2016 season.[25]
Personal
Lynn has a son, D'Anton, and a daughter, Danielle, with his ex-wife, Cynda. He married journalist Stacey Bell in 2011.[26] His son, D'Anton, played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, and was signed as an undrafted rookie by the New York Jets following the 2012 NFL Draft. Lynn was supportive of his son's decision to follow in his footsteps, and taught him about the hard work that goes into being a professional football player both on and off the field. [27]
During Cowboys training camp on August 20th, 2005, Lynn was a victim of a hit-and-run automobile accident.[28] Lynn and Todd Haley, both offensive assistant for Parcells, were out for pizza after the end of training camp in Ventura, Ca.[29] Although Lynn has difficulty remembering all of the details, Haley remembers them all to well. After the hit and run by a drunk driver, Sergio Sandoval, both of Lynn's lungs collapsed and due to shock, suffered from temporary paralysis in his legs. Lynn would then go through four surgeries on his face, knee and shoulder due to the incident. Haley recalls the night of the tragic accident, "The breathing is what I remember, his nasal cavity was open, it was an awful sound. He would stir and not really know where he was or what was going on. I don't think anyone survives that but somebody who built their body for years of running down kickoffs and the things he did as an NFL player. I just don't know who survives that." As a testament to Lynn's perseverance and strength, he was back on the field in a week and a half because he did not want to disappoint his team, the Cowboys. The incident created an immediate long-lasting bond between Lynn and Haley. Haley remarks, "I will always root for Anthony. He was tied up and under contract when I got this job, but he's somebody I'd love to be working with again. Maybe, when he's a head coach."[30]
Coaching Tree
Anthony Lynn has worked under 5 Head Coaches:
- Mike Shanahan, Denver Broncos (2000-2002)
- Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars (2003-2004)
- Bill Parcells, Dallas Cowboys (2005-2006)
- Romeo Crennel, Cleveland Browns (2007-2008)
- Rex Ryan, New York Jets (2009-2014), Buffalo Bills (2015-present)
References
- ↑ "Bills OC Anthony Lynn Ready For Challenge".
- ↑ "Anthony Lynn Passes First Test As Offensive Coordinator".
- ↑ FOX Sports on MSN - NFL Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-12-11. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
- ↑ DallasCowboys.com - News Archived February 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Bills hire Anthony Lynn as running backs coach". Profootball Talk. January 21, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
- ↑ "Lynn Helps Bills Get House In Order".
- ↑ "Anthony Lynn Press Conference Transcript".
- ↑ "LA Times "AFC notes: Broncos have been the best in September over the last three years "".
- ↑ "Week 3 Award Winners".
- ↑ "Jets Nation: Anthony Lynn Mic'd up".
- ↑ "Bills Ground Game Churning".
- ↑ "Coach Anthony Lynn Interview- Cleveland Browns 8.19.08".
- ↑ "Wood Happy With Offensive Turnaround".
- ↑ "How Buffalo Returned From The Brink".
- ↑ "Buffalo Bills Offensive Coordinator News".
- ↑ "Dolphins Interview Bills Assistant Anthony Lynn for Head Coaching Job".
- ↑ "Dolphins Interview Anthony Lynn".
- ↑ "Anthony Lynn To Get In-House Interview For Jets Head Coach Job".
- ↑ "Jets Seven Potential Head Coaches".
- ↑ "49ers Set To Interview Anthony Lynn".
- ↑ "Lynn Removes Name From 49ers Consideration".
- ↑ "Possible Head Coaches With Most To Gain And Lose".
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Anthony Lynn Coaches Inc. Bio".
- ↑ "Anthony Lynn Up Among Bills Coaches".
- ↑ "Where Are They Now: Texas Tech Alum Anthony Lynn".
- ↑ "Son Following Anthony Lynn Footsteps To The NFL".
- ↑ Cowboys coach: 'I thought I was going to die'
- ↑ "Coach Lynn Has Put Accident Behind Him".
- ↑ "Jets Anthony Lynn Chiefs Todd Haley Share A Friendship Shaped Through Football & One Painful Night".