Jeff Garcia believes John Lynch is the reason 49ers are back on top
By John Buhler
Legendary San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia believes the job John Lynch has done as general manager is why the 49ers are back on top in the NFL.
It’s been a few years since the San Francisco 49ers have been relevant in the NFL, but their climb from coaching in the Senior Bowl to playing in the Super Bowl in one year has been remarkable. Legendary former 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia, who spoke with FanSided‘s Mark Carman on behalf of Athletes Preferred, believes that a lot of it has to do with general manager John Lynch.
“You have a guy who’s a Super Bowl winner, who’s a Hall-of-Fame candidate, who knows what a locker room needs,” said Garcia glowingly of the job Lynch is doing in San Francisco. “You have so many GMs in the National Football League who never played football or who have never been at that level of playing the game. He’s been there, he’s done that.”
When Lynch was hired out of the FOX booth to be paired with head coach Kyle Shanahan in 2017, many people questioned if Lynch had what it took to be a great general manager in this league. We knew that Shanahan was going to figure it out as a head coach, but Lynch was the biggest question mark here. In year three together, they have a chance to win a Super Bowl. Unbelievable.
Garcia added Lynch’s understanding of what it takes to build up a locker-room culture and build a winning team is all about getting high-character guys, as well as landing players who win on both sides of the line of scrimmage. The 49ers’ defensive line might be the difference in Super Bowl 54. Let’s not overlook this stellar offensive line that is keeping Jimmy Garoppolo upright either.
Overall, Garcia understands that the partnership between Lynch and Shanahan is paramount to the 49ers’ success on the gridiron. While Shanahan, Garoppolo and the rest of the team get a ton of credit, we need to respect the job Lynch has done in rebuilding this team. Being a smart, former player with a championship-pedigree has been massive in the 49ers’ turnaround in 2019.
Next: NFL Power Rankings: 30 Best QB of All-Time
Jeff Garcia spoke with FanSided on behalf of Athletes Preferred.