Wide Right: Block isn't what makes Lynch a hero

Bucs safety Corey Lynch understands what it takes to be a hero.

Although Lynch does not consider himself one, many Appalachian State fans do after he blocked a potential winning field goal during his team's historic upset against Michigan in 2007. He also is considered a hero for saving a stranger's life after witnessing a car accident earlier this year. Lynch is married to the former Cissie Graham, granddaughter of Billy Graham, who is a religious hero to many of his followers.

Lynch and I spoke about his heroic experiences as he prepared for today's game against the New York Jets for this week's Wide Right column.

Anwar: Who is your favorite superhero?

Corey: My friend got me to be a Superman guy.

Anwar: What makes him better than Batman or Spider-Man?

Corey: He can fly.

Anwar: How good are you at "Guitar Hero?"

Corey: I'm OK. I play my brothers sometimes, and they're on expert levels. They sit there all day and play it, but I really don't play games that much. I'm all right at it. I can hang with people on the medium level, but when it gets to expert, I'm gone.

Anwar: What do you like on your hero sandwich?

Corey: I like the Publix trio sandwiches. It has roast beef, ham and turkey. I've got to have the Boar's Head meat. It's great.

Anwar: Who are the real heroes in life?

Corey: In my life it would be Jesus Christ. That's my hero. He came, died and rose again for my sins. That's my hero, definitely.

Anwar: What's it like to be considered the hero of that Michigan-Appalachian State game?

Corey: It's cool. I thank the Lord for the opportunity. It was an awesome opportunity, but obviously we had a lot of plays before that in the game. A true sophomore quarterback jumping over three people like Superman to get into the end zone. Dexter Jackson (former Bucs receiver) running past everybody. There were a lot of plays before mine, but it was definitely an honor to finish out the game like that.

Anwar: Did you consider Billy Graham to be a hero?

Corey: Yeah, definitely. He was someone who wasn't afraid to speak the name of Christ into people's lives and to change thousands and thousands of lives. If you can change people's lives for the better, you're definitely a hero.

Anwar: I'm sure Cynthia Brennan considers you to be a hero for saving her life. What happened on Father's Day earlier this year?

Corey: I was driving down the interstate and saw her van go off the road in Kentucky and fall down an embankment about 275 feet. I pulled over and just started running down the rocks. When I got there, there were four people in the car and everyone was kind of OK, but her neck was smashed because the car was upside down. She wasn't breathing and everyone thought she was dead until she started moving her fingers. I jumped in the car under the seat and released her neck so she could breath. Then the helicopters came.

Anwar: Was that just a natural reaction?

Corey: It wasn't natural to jump in the car, but once I saw her moving, it was like I had to do something. You could see she was trying to breathe.

Anwar: How did she find you when you were trying out for the Cincinnati Bengals a few months ago?

Corey: They got my information from the police officers. Then she found out I was a player and she actually contacted the Bengals. Then they asked her to come to one of the practices and we talked.

Anwar: Did you like being on HBO's "Hard Knocks" show earlier this year?

Corey: Not really. They kind of twisted a lot of stuff. It was very edited. I ended up hurting myself in it, but no one really knew I hurt myself. I didn't have good games for the first two weeks, but in the second two, I had really good games. Once you start one way, they edit it that way (to keep the story line).

Anwar: What will it be like for the Bucs to be heroes to their fans and get a win against the Jets?

Corey: To think about us finishing the season 1-15 is just crazy. At 5-11, that would be sweet to do that. I don't know about everything going on right now, but I'm just concentrating on trying to win the next four games.