Lynch a ‘good’ hire

When Bill Lynch is at a loss for words, he has a repetitive, almost lovable defense mechanism to deflect attention. \nA particularly tough defeat leads to Lynch praising a “good football team.” An impressive performance by an opponent would lead to the anointment of a “good football player.” \nHe’s a thesaurus’ nightmare. Luckily for Lynch, Roget and Merriam-Webster weren’t spear-heading the search for IU’s future coach. On Monday, IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan announced Lynch and the Hoosiers had agreed upon a four-year contract. \nThere were no “four more years” chants breaking out during Lynch’s press conference, but rather polite golf-clapping taken straight from a State of the Union Address. As Lynch sat waiting to be formally introduced, one unsaid sentence kept resonating through the empty space in my skull ... \nBill Lynch is a good football coach. \nI’m not taking the easy way out, it just seems like the most appropriate phrasing. Lynch is a good hire – not bad, not great. In fact, Lynch is at the very essence of the word “good.” He’s not spectacular or flashy, but he’s also not incompetent or over his head. He’s just good. \nThe man who announced Lynch’s hiring, Greenspan, said he went home and pulled the covers over his head after the Hoosiers lost painfully to Northwestern two weeks ago. He was unsure if the Hoosiers would be able to rebound against Purdue, unsure whether Lynch was the right guy for this program. \nOn Monday, Greenspan admitted, “I was wrong.” \nLet me do the same. Three weeks ago, I wrote that the Hoosiers wouldn’t even give Lynch a chance in the coaching search, let alone a contract through 2012. Looking back on my column, I wouldn’t be surprised if Will Smith did a movie based on me titled “I Am Idiot.” \nI said it was too little, too late for the Hoosiers to get to seven wins. They did. \nI said the Hoosiers would conduct a national search for a new head coach after the season. They did not. \nAnd I said Lynch winning two out of his last three wouldn’t necessarily result in him retaining his job. It did. \nBut unlike my interactions with the opposite gender, I didn’t get everything wrong. I did say Lynch had “done a good job” this season, which is something I stand by. In fact, it’s exactly what Lynch did this year: a good job. \nIt’s anyone’s guess whether Lynch turns out to be a great hire – but you can’t help but notice the similarities to the last major extension the Hoosiers doled out. \nBoth former men’s basketball coach Mike Davis and Lynch had fairy tale first seasons with their predecessor’s system and players. Both were also rewarded with multi-year contracts, despite a lack of successful coaching experience. \nBut not everything is equal between the two. Davis wore his emotions on his sleeve; Lynch keeps his safely buried between his crimson sweatshirt and his heart. Davis was often a press conference spectacle; Lynch prefers to deflect attention to his players. \nBut on Saturday all eyes were on Lynch. Twiddling his fingers, adjusting his tie and studying his notes one last time before he spoke, Lynch looked as comfortable in a suit as he would be handing the Old Oaken Bucket to Joe Tiller. \nLynch opened by thanking a majority of the people present and closed with a sales pitch, something his friend Terry Hoeppner was great at. \n“We’re not going to sell any magic,” Lynch said. “We’re going to sell a great university, we’re going to sell a great staff, we’re going to sell a great commitment to football and we’re going to get better.” \nTime will tell if the good coach delivers a great football program.