Delay the "fire Lynch" talk

On a freezing November afternoon, with the metal bleachers feeling like ice without a body to warm them, a large, white sheet protruded from the student section with the words “Fire Lynch.”

The sign of protest came in last season’s final home game, a 55-20 drubbing at the hands of the Wisconsin Badgers. Since then, a barrage of comments, Web sites, Facebook groups and tweets have poured into the Indiana mainstream calling for the dismissal of IU football coach Bill Lynch.

My question is: Why?  

I know the obvious answers that are sure to be thrown at me. Yes, the team couldn’t stop the run, score points or win a meaningful game in the Big Ten.

Admittedly, last year was atrocious. But does anyone remember how the team performed in 2007, Lynch’s first year as coach?  

In that year, the team rewrote the school’s offensive history books, beat the teams it should have beaten and went to its first bowl game in 13 years. Lynch’s 7-5 in-season record was the best for any Hoosier coach in his first year since 1905 and a contract extension through 2012 followed.

Then, as I saw the Badgers pound the ball down our throats, the honeymoon officially died.

With such a Jekyll-and-Hyde-type of two-year stint, it’s hard to get a reading on Lynch as the head coach of this football team. However, a number of situations play into figuring out why 2007 and 2008 were such different seasons:


• A good chunk of NFL-caliber players were in their prime in ’07 and left before ’08 began.

• The offensive line was absolutely ravaged by injuries last year, making running and passing the ball a nightmare.

• The injuries to quarterback Kellen Lewis put Ben Chappell in charge of the spread offense, a formation his abilities simply aren’t compatible with.

• Safety Austin Thomas, a member of the injury list for all but six games last year, was somehow the team leader in interceptions with two.

Now, let’s take a look at this year’s situation:


• Heading into 2009, the Hoosiers return 35 upperclassmen, 17 scholarship seniors and 18 scholarship juniors.

• The offensive line, headlined by seniors Roger Saffold and Pete Saxson, is finally fully healed.  

• Chappell is set to run the pistol offense, a formation designed to fit his abilities.

• The defensive backfield, which has Thomas and Nick Polk healthy and Ray Fisher making the switch to corner from wideout, is sure to grab more than six interceptions this year.

Even with all these issues resolved, there is still one looming factor that might put a damper on the Hoosiers’ hopes.

It’s a cliché at this point, but, as the differences between Lynch’s first and second year show, if any Big Ten team’s success this season depends on staying healthy, it’s the ’09 Hoosiers.  

The injuries last season not only knocked out star players, but they forced in players too immature to deal with the situation at hand. Their immaturity showed in the second-half of games, when each team makes changes, It’s on the players to respond to those changes.  

Last year, with freshmen and sophomores running the show in most positions, the Hoosiers were outscored 208-75 in the second half, with only 17 points scored in the fourth quarter all year.  

Now, a full year is under the belt for the youngsters, and the seniors are coming off the injury list ready to make a splash.  

As for Lynch, he refuses to let the pessimism of the fans get in the way of his team’s preparations for a year in which he hopes will be a turning point for the Hoosiers football program.  

“That stuff doesn’t really enter our minds,” Lynch said, “But you have to be that way, because, obviously, if you dwell on that, then you’re not doing your job, which is getting this team ready to play.”  

Is it honestly the best football decision to fire Lynch now, before he has a chance to show he can win with his guys, and begin building from the ground up again, like the school has done with coaches like Gerry DiNardo in the past?

Maybe the Hoosier haters are right, and Lynch ultimately isn’t the man for the job.  

For now, let’s see what he can do with a healthy group of experienced players.