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Originally posted by MadDog49er:
Good question. I think each situation warrants a unique response. In the case of Boone, he was a drunk, but not a guy who was an a**hole. Chemistry a big part of the equation to me.
Originally posted by Wodwo:
Boone was an a*****e when he was drunk, which was all too often.
So, what you're saying is that you really don't know, but you like to pretend that you do.
Fine with me.
Originally posted by 49erThrowback:
Added a line.
"Boone, the former All-Big Ten tackle at Ohio State and star at St. Edward, was arrested late Sunday night in Aliso Viejo, Calif., after a drunken outburst in which police allege the 6-foot-8, 312-pounder was jumping up and down on the hoods of cars, attempted to smash the window of a tow truck and then fled police and had to be tasered twice in order to be subdued."
I'm pretty sure the guys and gals whose cars he stomped would probably agree with the a*****e part.
The fact that his association with the 49ers helped him put his life together -- and probably saved his or someone else's -- gives one hope for Aaron Lynch. The latter's problem seems to be immaturity and maybe narcissism, and like Boone, I'm thinking he has exactly one chance to get on a good path and provide himself a successful career and life. I thought Boone's chances at the outset were pretty slim, and frankly I'd say Lynch's seem about the same at this point. We'll certainly know within a year or two.
Is 49ers' draft pick Aaron Lynch a bad guy or just an immature 21-year-old in need of firm guidance?
On one hand, then-South Florida strength and conditioning coach Hans Straub, who presumably has some insight into Lynch, sent out a tweet Saturday saying the selection of the Bulls outside linebacker made it clear the 49ers didn't prioritize character and integrity.
Wow. Think about that: A person within USF's program attacked Lynch's character moments after he realized a dream by getting drafted. That appears to be rather damning.
On the flip side, consider the relationship between USF head coach Willie Taggart and Jim Harbaugh.
Taggart counts Harbaugh as one of his closest friends. They met 21 years ago when Harbaugh, working for his dad, Jack, as an unpaid assistant during his NFL career, recruited Taggart to Western Kentucky. Harbaugh was the best man at Taggart's wedding, Taggart was a groomsman in Harbaugh's wedding and they worked together for three years at Stanford.
So what did Taggart tell Harbaugh before the 49ers selected Lynch on Saturday? Go ahead. He's not a hopeless head case. He can succeed in the NFL.
Think about that: Why would Taggart put Harbaugh in a bad situation by selling him on a player likely doomed to fail?
Taggart spoke with The Chronicle today and explained why he believes in Lynch, a first-team Freshman All-American at Notre Dame in 2011 whose career cratered after he transferred to USF.
Taggart said the underachieving Lynch will respond well to Harbaugh, who demands accountability, but is honest and supportive with his players. Taggart, who spent one year with Lynch, has a similar style. He says he could the see the benefits of that approach in the latter stages of the 2013 season: Lynch, who played in 11 games, had all five of his sacks and 9.5 of his 11.5 tackles for loss in the final six contests.
Straub would presumably paint a different picture of Lynch, but likely won't be doing interviews on the subject any time soon. The strength coach resigned today after his disparaging tweet.
Here's the Q&A with Taggart:
Why do you think he can succeed in the NFL?
Taggart: First of all, I think he's a freak of an athlete. He's one of those guys that come around every blue moon. He has tremendous talent and he's still learning. He only played two years of college football. But I think he's a good kid that's been through a lot and a kid that needs good structure, a good mentor in his life. I think he'll thrive in that. I was very excited that he got drafted by the 49ers because they have a veteran locker room and guys in there that he can look up to and that can help him grow. He's a young man that's still growing.
He's made some mistakes. Everything hasn't been smooth and peaches and cream. But he's learning. The mistakes that he's made are really not much different than mistakes a lot of other kids have made. It's about learning the process. Here, I think he had a lot of expectations after what he did at Notre Dame. He had a lot of expectations on him coming into the season. I think the first half of the season he was trying to live up to those expectations and he didn't get a lot done. The second half of the season you started to see what kind of player he can be. I was very happy that he got drafted. Like coach (Harbaugh) said, it's not going to be easy. But he's going to continue to grow and continue to be around good people.
Willie Taggart.
After he was drafted, Aaron acknowledged he'd made mistakes. Trent Baalke did the same, although he said Aaron didn't have a "rap sheet." I don't expect you to detail his mistakes, but how would you characterize some of the issues he's had.
WT: He's a kid. And a lot of kids grew up different. And a lot of kids make mistakes. You hope that they learn from them. I do believe when you have a great mentor, someone that believes in you and help you get what you're looking for, a lot of kids thrive. I think Aaron was thriving with us. Did everything go smooth? No, it didn't. But it wasn't to the point where you say, 'Hey, this kid is a detriment to our football team.' It was never to that point. It used to baffle me when I heard about all these character issues. At least since I've been here, the year that I was with him, he did things we asked him to do. I was told before I got here: 'Aaron doesn't do this. He's this. He's that.'
My first day on the job, the first thing I did was meet with Aaron. I told Aaron this is what I've heard and this is how it's going to be. As long as we're together, help me help you. Sure enough, the kid did. When we first met, Aaron had this huge Afro. He looked like he didn't want to do things the right way. I told him 'Aaron, I think you'll think a little clearer if you cut some of that off your head.' Sometimes you tell a kid that, and they take offense. It was a little after that and his hair was cut.
I didn't even know he was in the room because I was looking for the Afro. I said to the team 'Does anyone see Aaron Lynch here?' Everyone started looking around and smiling. It was little things like that that showed me the kid can grow. He just needs a good mentor. He was always respectful to me, even when I challenged him a lot in front of his peers. He never missed a practice. He's been through a lot at a young age and I believe he'll just continue to grow and learn. He's going into an ideal spot with the 49ers. He's got to want it and I think he will.
A rap on Aaron has been that he didn't always play hard. You mentioned he played much better near the end of last season. Did you tap into something that got him to play harder?
WT: I think first and foremost, is just showing him that you care about him. I think that's why our relationship was so great. I cared about him as a person, but I was also demanding as far the expectations we have this in this program. I laid it out to Aaron from day one and held him accountable to it. When he made a mistake, we held him accountable to the discipline, like we do with all our guys. But did he play hard every down? He didn't. But toward the last six games, it was phenomenal. He started making all the plays we thought he could make. He jumps offside … there are some little discipline things that he's got to understand and learn. And I think he will.
You obviously know Jim very well. Are there are qualities he has a coach that could be particularly useful in tapping into Aaron's potential?
WT: Jim is an honest person. I think it starts there. He's not going to sugarcoat anything and he'll tell you exactly how he sees it. He cares about his players. And his players know they come first. That's one thing I loved about him when he recruited me out of high school. He was that way. He's that way all the time. I think that consistency, the way Jim is: This is how we're going to do it. I think it's really going to help. Aaron responds when somebody is honest with him, when someone keeps it real with him. When Aaron feels like you don't have his best interest at heart, he doesn't respond well.
He's a guy that's really been raised by his mom. He hasn't said anything about that, but I saw how he responded with me. I think having that male figure in his life that believes in him has done him good. Aaron started to get it here with us. From a selfish standpoint, I wish he came back. I think he would have benefited from it. I think he could continue to work with him in certain areas. But I'm so excited he's going to continue to get that training and somebody going to be demanding of him. Now, he's got to do it. But if he's got a chance, it's going to be there because he's going to be around so many good people. He'll understand how to do things a winning way.
Originally posted by MadDog49er:Originally posted by Wodwo:Trends are fairly good predictors, I agree.
Can you agree that a kid can change? Alex Boone had some pretty bad trends, too.
Try looking at it this way: You are an NFL HC. A very good friend of yours is a college HC. You respect him and his opinions. He gives you what you consider a good explanation regarding a draft prospect's past poor decisions. He explains to you why said draft prospect would become a better person if he were on your team... in a way that you find convincing.
Would you ignore this and request that your GM not draft the prospect... or would you recommend the prospect to your GM?
Trends or friends?
Good question. I think each situation warrants a unique response. In the case of Boone, he was a drunk, but not a guy who was an a**hole. Chemistry a big part of the equation to me.
Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:My thoughts on Lynch are that while he's a bit of a headcase and kind of an a*****e, he doesn't have a rap sheet, he hasn't gotten into trouble with the law, he hasn't been charged with a DUI, it seems like he had some family issues going on and he seems rather immature although for a guy that only just turned 21, it necessarily isn't all that unusual. If he gets all his issues worked out, nobody is questioning his talent or ability to make plays. Taggart's endorsement of Lynch to Harbaugh is a very good sign since they have such a close relationship, I don't think Taggart would feel pressured to sugar-coat anything necessarily.
With a 5th round pick, its worth the risk, if he plays up the level he is capable of, the 49ers would have a pretty ridiculous steal on their hands. I think the upside on Lynch is so high that you can't help but take a shot at him, for better or worse.
Barrows wrote an article about Lynch, including this video which was Lynch at his best pretty much. It shows what he is fully capable of doing out on the football field.
Personally I think Lynch should work as a 3rd down pass rusher and slowly transition to a DE, taking time over the span of a year or two to add quality mass and work up to 275...280ish.....
Originally posted by Wodwo:
Boone was an a*****e when he was drunk.
So, what you're saying is that you really don't know, but you like to pretend that you do.
Fine with me.
Originally posted by bzborow1:
I think your use of word trends threw some people off. I believe what you look for in the due diligence phase of player evaluation are consistent patterns of behavior. In the case of Boone, the question is whether or not he has an alcohol addiction and if so is it fixable? Is he talented enough to make it worth your trouble?
Lynch, by contrast, has demonstrated a pattern of irritating his teammates and rubbing people the wrong way. I'm not sure I want to populate my roster with (potential) a-holes so I would have passed on the guy. But what do I know? I'm just a guy with a keyboard and time to post.
Originally posted by Scoots:
I don't think Lynch is the same as Brooks, Boone, or Aldon ... at the same time I totally support giving players another shot. I say lets trade some late round picks for Andre Johnson (just whining in the press), Josh Gordon (drugs), and Justin Blackmon (drugs). Why not give them a clean start with a team that is winning. We all know winning fixes a lot of problems.
Originally posted by Wodwo:
Originally posted by MadDog49er:
Good question. I think each situation warrants a unique response. In the case of Boone, he was a drunk, but not a guy who was an a**hole. Chemistry a big part of the equation to me.
Boone was an a*****e when he was drunk.
So, what you're saying is that you really don't know, but you like to pretend that you do.
Fine with me.
Originally posted by jreff22:
The excuse for Boone would be the substance problem. If he's only an ass when drunk...you stop the drinking. If Lynch is just naturally an ass, its not something that gets fixed very easily.
I have a very close contact at USF who didn't have the greatest things to say about Lynch. After telling them what happened with that tweet yesterday I was told, "the coach wasn't lying with those comments."
Admittedly nobody knows what this kid will or will not do. But we do have reason to throw up a red flag.
Originally posted by Quest4six:
Originally posted by jreff22:
The excuse for Boone would be the substance problem. If he's only an ass when drunk...you stop the drinking. If Lynch is just naturally an ass, its not something that gets fixed very easily.
I have a very close contact at USF who didn't have the greatest things to say about Lynch. After telling them what happened with that tweet yesterday I was told, "the coach wasn't lying with those comments."
Admittedly nobody knows what this kid will or will not do. But we do have reason to throw up a red flag.
That red flag is the reason we took him with a 5th. This kid belongs on our team,
I'm glad people think he is an A%$#$%^
I would want that kind of attitude on my team, especially a pass-rusher like he is.
Originally posted by Quest4six:
Originally posted by jreff22:
The excuse for Boone would be the substance problem. If he's only an ass when drunk...you stop the drinking. If Lynch is just naturally an ass, its not something that gets fixed very easily.
I have a very close contact at USF who didn't have the greatest things to say about Lynch. After telling them what happened with that tweet yesterday I was told, "the coach wasn't lying with those comments."
Admittedly nobody knows what this kid will or will not do. But we do have reason to throw up a red flag.
That red flag is the reason we took him with a 5th. This kid belongs on our team,
I'm glad people think he is an A%$#$%^
I would want that kind of attitude on my team, especially a pass-rusher like he is.
