This has been kicked around here a few times, but this read adds more color. Some things that caught my attention:
York going against the grain and giving Shanahan the choice to hire his GM.
| After three years of discord, 49ers CEO Jed York wanted to empower the next head coach, who would be allowed to hire the GM. But he also wanted a cultural overhaul... |
Contractually, both Shanahan and Lynch have equal say in personnel.
| Both men had deep ties to Walsh's philosophy. Lynch had mostly played for Walsh or one of his disciples since he entered college, and Kyle had learned from his father, who studied how to run a team during his time as a 49ers assistant in the early '90s. It was written into their contracts that any decision was subject to approval by the other one. "We didn't know each other," Lynch says, "but right when we started working together, our personalities kind of meshed." |
John Lynch's willingness to interact during the season.
| Shanahan and Lynch had done more than present a united front; they were a united front. Lynch knows how to tell Shanahan no if he needs to, and he handles tricky conversations in the building that Shanahan doesn't have the patience for. Most GMs disappear during the season, allowing the head coach to speak for the team. Lynch is available, to season-ticket holders and to reporters... |
Nothing novel here, but a description of how Lynch operates as their GM...
| Lynch's hiring rubbed some around the league the wrong way. He'd landed a prized job without climbing up the scouting ranks. But he instinctively understood something simple about running a team that many scouts do not and never have: You have to lead, and leading is more complicated than grading players. "When you sat down with John, you see how much he cares about the team, how well he understands organization and how little ego he has," York says |
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At this level, managerial skills are more important than technical knowledge.
That's also what makes me excited about Judge.