San Francisco 49ers: General manager John Lynch Is Everything Former GM Trent Baalke Wasn’t
By Peter Panacy
New San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch is already proving to be an upgrade over former GM Trent Baalke, even though the former has zero front-office experience.
As Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News — one not reluctant to withhold his feelings on the San Francisco 49ers — noted, new Niners general manager John Lynch is the “anti-Trent Baalke, which is a good thing.”
In more ways than one.
Lynch, whose days as an NFL star and color commentator on Fox Sports built his reputation, already has that savvy for the public eye. Baalke hated this. He hated being in the limelight, preferred to operate behind the scenes.
San Francisco 49ers
Baalke’s secretive methodology worked when the 49ers were good. Winners have how many fathers? But losing is an orphan, right?
When the Niners were bad, largely due to Baalke’s actions, the former GM was out of reach. There were no radio interviews or appearances in front of the media.
On the flip side, Lynch doesn’t have anything to worry about here. He’s a natural, having been part of the media itself for years.
Try to recall a Baalke radio interview, aside from the confirmation of his firing at the end of the 2016 season. They are few and far between, almost nonexistent.
In contrast, Lynch’s most recent appearance on the Tolbert and Lund Show on KNBR 680 was about as detailed as the new GM could be without revealing any trade secrets. You can view the transcript here (h/t KNBR’s Kevin Jones).
Relationship Differences
Being media savvy is one thing. Being an effective general manager is another.
A major part of what a GM does is establish relationships within the franchise. One thing Kawakami pointed out was how isolated Baalke had become in recent years, shunning advice on how to reconstruct a demolished 49ers roster.
And there were the clashes with head coaches too. Baalke’s rift with former head coach Jim Harbaugh was well documented. It’s not hard to find issues between Baalke and one-and-done head coach Chip Kelly either. Heck, even CEO Jed York pointed that out in his post-2016 press conference.
“The marriage [between Baalke and Kelly] didn’t work, and I probably should have seen it,” York said.
Lynch has already acted differently.
“The answer for us is that Kyle and I are going to get together and — we’ve already discussed it — but we’re going to get together and find out exactly what he’s looking for in a quarterback,” Lynch said, on quarterback needs, in his KNBR interview.
Related Story: 49ers Hiring John Lynch Shows a Shift in Team Philosophy
That wouldn’t have happened with Baalke. At least not over the last three seasons or so.
An Eye for Talent
Lynch could still wind up being a bad general manager, even if his media and personnel skills are top notch. We won’t know until, well, likely two or three years down the road.
But it is possible to speculate on some vast differences already.
Just ask former 49ers great, tight end Brent Jones, who also appeared on KNBR to talk all things Lynch:
"The more that I’ve thought about it, I want a guy that’s a football guy. Here’s a guy that is the greatest of the greatest character. Honest. Communicator. He’s not gonna hide in the corner. He’s not gonna shy away from the press. He’s not gonna pick fights with players or he’s not gonna leak to the media. He’s not gonna draft receivers in the first round that can’t catch or play. He’s not gonna draft guys with ACL injuries and he’s actually gonna work with Kyle (Shanahan)."
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Jones’ comments, of course, point right at Baalke — specifically the Round 1 selection of wide receiver bust A.J. Jenkins in 2012, as well as the multiple ACL-injury picks Baalke made during his Niners tenure.
Sure, Lynch will have his mistakes. We’ll have to get past those because, well, almost every GM out there has them. No roster is perfect, even under the best of situations.
And still, Lynch has proven already he is an upgrade over what 49ers fans have come to detest in recent seasons.
Next: 5 Best, 5 Worst Draft Picks from Former 49ers GM Trent Baalke
Baalke was part of the problem. Lynch is a part of the solution.