Despite a 1-9 record, first year and first time General Manager John Lynch has been impressive thus far. There was the trade from #2 to #3 in the NFL Draft that yielded more picks, while still getting what he wanted. There’s the change in culture in the building and, most importantly, the locker room.
Oh yeah, and then there was that trade for the heir apparent franchise quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo. But a one win season doesn’t come without its challenges, and Lynch knows one win isn’t going to cut it forever.
“We’re 1-9,” said Lynch. “It’s not like we’re doing cartwheels or have this figured out. We’ve got a long way to go.”
In a briefing with Bay Area reporters on Tuesday, Lynch discussed all things 49ers present and future.
Surprise, Surprise
Being a player and being in the front office are two very different things, which is something Lynch learned pretty quickly.
When asked what his biggest surprise was with the job of GM, Lynch said, “The helplessness on game day…Even as a broadcaster, you prepare all week and then you perform on Sunday. I prepare in my own way…and then you just sit back…You try to stay composed. You try to stay relaxed. I think there are certain things you can feel from being there that you can’t get on film. You take all of that in. At times, I’ve gone down to the field…because I think it’s important to feel our team on the sidelines.”
QB Conundrums…And That’s A Good Thing
Quarterback C.J. Beathard definitely had the best game of his young career against the New York Giants, making the debut of Jimmy Garoppolo a little less dire.
“We feel like [Garoppolo] is going to be our guy,” said Lynch. “We feel we have a great quarterback room.”
And, all of a sudden, they kind of do.
Garoppolo spent much of the bye week with quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello and had a one-on-one session with head coach Kyle Shanahan. There’s very little doubt that Jimmy Garoppolo is going to be this team’s franchise quarterback, but at 1-9, he doesn’t need to start this week to prove that, though they will need to see him play at some point.
“Believe me, it’s not like we don’t want to see Jimmy,” Lynch said. “We want him ready, so when he goes in there, we’re setting him up for success.”
As for his comment a couple weeks ago that Garoppolo was a “chip” that could potentially be traded, Lynch admits, “That was probably a stupid thing to say.”
Once Garoppolo does enter a game in a 49ers uniform, Lynch is very clear on what he wants to see and that is “a guy go ball out.”
I think we all want to see that. As to when we will see it, Lynch says that’s up to Shanahan. Stay tuned.
Working 9 to 5 and Then Some
A general manager has many jobs, and as Lynch said, general means just that. There is generally a lot to do. Scouting is a large part of that, but Lynch has taken some very sound advice on how to proceed.
“I got some advice from people who I respect in this league,” Lynch said. “Your first year, it’s important to be a resource for your head coach. You’re trying to create a culture in the building, it’s important that people see you. As much as you’re going to want to be out and about, it’s important that your home.”
Being home, or at Levi’s Stadium, means figuring out the best use of time and resources from week to week. Having a former GM in Martin Mayhew has been incredibly valuable to the rookie general manager.
“You divvy it up between continuing to evaluate our own roster,” said Lynch. “We’ve churned the roster a lot, because out of necessity and a want to continually get better…I relied a lot on Martin…Having my family, the first year, down in San Diego, as much as I missed them, has probably served me well, because I’ve been able just to grind…That’s been part of the learning process, how you divvy it up among those parts because you have to do it, all of it.”
The Team, The Team, The Team
The 49ers have a lot of free agents on this team with about a 1/2 dozen of them starting the rest of the season. Lynch and Shanahan are going to have a lot of decisions to make with those players, as well as all around on this team.
Here’s what Lynch had to say about some players who have stood out to him.
On left tackle Joe Staley and right tackle Trent Brown:
“We feel like there’s a lot of places where we need to improve and you always are trying to improve but those two guys are cornerstones for the next couple, few years,” Lynch said.
On rookie safety Adrian Colbert, who has shown impressive talent and toughness, though he is most likely out for Sunday with a broken thumb.
“He displayed some things in that game that are characteristic of a starter and a big time starter so we really think highly of Jimmie Ward but if Adrian keeps playing like that, you keep putting efforts out like that, you find your way [into the lineup].”
And last, but not least, on Carlos Hyde, who has proven to be a valuable asset to this team in an important contract year for him.
“He has answered some questions but I think questions we just had as a new regime coming in…I’ve been pretty vocal that we did feel something change and it manifested itself in a bunch of different ways. The way guys are playing, the way guys are acting. With Carlos it was all of the above. I think he was kind of checking us out too, checking the system out, checking all of that out and quickly he learned that this was a system that he could really thrive in and he was pushed and he responded…I think he’s a really good fit for our scheme, he’s a really good fit for any scheme. He’s had a really good year as he goes into the offseason. I really admire some of the things he does, the way he pass blocks. It’s important for him to be a complete football player and I think he’s shown that with the way he’s worked and with the way he’s played.”
Will the 49ers feed Hyde and give him a contract extension? That remains to be seen.
Kyle Shanahan will speak to the media Wednesday, November 22. More updates to come. Go Niners!
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