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San Francisco 49ers: CEO Jed York Will Get His ‘Culture’ with GM John Lynch in Place

By Peter Panacy

January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers chief executive officer Jed York addresses the media in a press conference after naming Chip Kelly (not pictured) as the new head coach for the 49ers at Levi's Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers chief executive officer Jed York addresses the media in a press conference after naming Chip Kelly (not pictured) as the new head coach for the 49ers at Levi's Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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The San Francisco 49ers have brought in John Lynch to be the general manager for the franchise, which gives CEO Jed York a chance to embrace the culture change he so ‘eloquently’ described at the tail end of 2016.

Remember back when San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York used the word “culture” a whopping total of 16 times to eulogize the team’s lackluster 2016 season?

In case you didn’t, here you go:

York’s words might have been silly. But it was painfully obvious the Niners needed some sort of culture change in the wake of former general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Chip Kelly’s firings.

Whatever that cliche might be.

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Now, York and the Niners are bringing in former NFL star and Fox Sports analyst John Lynch as GM.

Lynch, who has never held a front-office position, met with the media on Monday afternoon to discuss the hiring, his plans for the upcoming season and the franchise’s direction as a whole.

You can check out the transcript here.

Regardless, it’s clear the nine-time Pro Bowler will bring in some sort of culture change to Santa Clara. And it isn’t as if the Niners won’t benefit from it either.

“We’re going to strive to create a culture where everyone works together,” Lynch said, via Niners Wire’s Chris Biderman. “That’s been a strength of mine.”

Lynch sidestepped questions about what his specific duties would be as GM, especially considering he couldn’t name Kyle Shanahan — the assumed head coach in 2017 — specifically, due to the NFL’s tampering rules.

But Lynch did specify what he wanted out of players on the roster.

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“I want competitive players that live and breathe football,” he said, via KNBR’s Kevin Jones. “If they don’t play hard, we’ll find players who do.”

Well, Mr. York, you have your wanted culture change. Even if fans weren’t entirely sure what you meant earlier this offseason.

Next: John Lynch Hiring Is a Bemusing 49ers Surprise

Lynch will bring that, even if he lacks the front-office experience. And York should be thankful he has someone at least saying the right things when pressed.

Now comes the tough part — turning words into actions.