Anthony Lynn's football life met a new turn in 2021 when he was fired by the Chargers, and with it came an expectation for a well-deserved vacation.
A year off was in Lynn's plans when a former player of his dialed him. Now he's back on the sidelines, but instead of powder blue, he's wearing a shade of Honolulu. Lynn is again coaching, this time alongside new Lions head coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, two former Cowboys who played in Dallas when Lynn served as running backs coach.
"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," Lynn said during an appearance on the Compas On The Beat podcast with Gilbert Manzano and Fernando Ramirez. "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."
So far, Campbell has made as many headlines for what he's said as what the Lions have done, but their staff is filled with former NFL players who might turn Detroit into an attractive destination in the future. First, though, the Lions need to demonstrate they can win games and Lynn will be tasked with turning Detroit's offense into a competitive group headlined by new arrival Jared Goff.
It's a tall task, sure, but one Lynn has embraced because of who is involved in Detroit. On paper, this certainly isn't a run-of-the-mill coaching staff.
"I just think given I've been on the sidelines since I was six years old -- I have not had a break since I was six years old, literally every single fall," Lynn said. "And I really had in my mind that I was going to take a gap year, man. Travel a little bit, go see some other teams, visit some of the coaches I knew, see how they're doing things. I had made my mind to sit out.
"But then when Dan called, that changed everything. But out of respect, I did go talk with a couple other coaches. And those are guys that have helped me in my career on the way up, so I owed them that. But it just felt right in Detroit."
Winning always feels right. We'll see this fall if Lynn and the rest of the Lions staff can create a winning environment in Detroit.
