Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Chargers’ Anthony Lynn credits Bill Walsh for his coaching career
Jan 17, 2017 at 12:00 PM
•
During his introductory press conference on Tuesday, Anthony Lynn accidentally said that he was proud to be the new head coach of the San Diego Chargers. Of course, the team is now the Los Angeles Chargers. The move is still fresh on the minds of coaches, players, and fans, so the mistake is understandable and will probably happen a lot as everyone adjusts to the change.
While addressing the Los Angeles media, Lynn did have an interesting story to share about his introduction into coaching. He credited former San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh for helping him consider a future in coaching. Lynn played as a reserve running back for the 49ers in 1995 and 1996. His playing career was cut short due to repeated neck stinger injuries and he retired in 2000. While Walsh was no longer the head coach of the 49ers when Lynn was playing for the team, he rejoined the 49ers in 1996 as an administrative aide and would eventually become the vice president and general manager in 1999.
Lynn remembered the moment he was introduced to the idea of coaching. "I remember the day when Bill Walsh came down to the locker room in 1996 and he grabbed me and he said, 'We need to talk,'" Lynn said. "I said, 'Oh s--t, he's about to cut me.' That's what I thought. Bill goes, 'No, I want to take you to lunch. I want to talk to you about something.' He started talking to me about coaching. He said, 'I've identified you as a coach in the National Football League and I want to talk to you about my program for minority coaches.'
"And we began this talk about coaching and I never thought about coaching before. That's where the seed was planted – from Coach Walsh and at the time, being a young man, I didn't know if I should take that as an insult because I thought I was in the prime of my career and this man is already talking to me about coaching or take it as a compliment. But now I take it as a compliment because it really got me thinking about this and from that moment on, every team meeting that I sat in, every coach that I played for, I took notes like a coach. I started preparing like a coach."
Lynn went on to say that other coaches noticed that and when he retired, it was Mike Shanahan that gave him his first opportunity in coaching.
The new Chargers head coach was also a candidate for the 49ers' job. He interviewed with the team on Wednesday, January 4. It was the first head coach interview that the 49ers conducted after firing Chip Kelly following the team's final game of the season.
LISTEN
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
49ers coaches Anthony Lynn, Bobby Turner explain what makes Christian McCaffrey special
Christian McCaffrey arrived with the San Francisco 49ers on October 21, the day after learning the Carolina Panthers traded him. Two days later, the star running back lined up with his new teammates against the Kansas City Chiefs.
McCaffrey ended up elevating the 49ers offense to new heights. He started the next week against the Los Angeles Rams, earning rushing, receiving, and even a passing touchdown against his new division rival. San Francisco won that game and the 11 that followed.
McCaffrey got more comfortable with the offense as the season continued. However, against the Chiefs, the running back's head was spinning. He only had a couple of days with the playbook, after
Isaiah Oliver analyzes Trey Lance, Sam Darnold, his fit in the 49ers defense
New San Francisco 49ers cornerback Isaiah Oliver is coming from the Atlanta Falcons. While in the NFC South, he's faced quarterback Sam Darnold, now his teammate.
The 49ers are in their second week of organized team activities (OTAs), and Oliver has had a chance this offseason to get a good look at Darnold and third-year quarterback Trey Lance during practices. So what has he taken away from going against the two former No. 3 overall draft picks?
"I mean, they're both really good quarterbacks," Oliver told reporters on Wednesday. "Obviously, I've played against Sam a few times. I haven't played against Trey before, so just kind of seeing him [for the first time]. But yeah, they're both just real athletic guys. I feel like a lot of people don't respect that
49ers OL coach Chris Foerster on RT Colton McKivitz: "The job is his coming into it"
By Rohan Chakravarthi
Jun 1
The San Francisco 49ers had a significant change this offseason, letting go of several key starters, such as Mike McGlinchey and Jimmie Ward, who earned lucrative multi-year deals elsewhere.
That left the 49ers with a void at the right tackle position, where the team didn't add any significant talent in free agency or the NFL Draft, meaning that Colton McKivitz is the odds-on favorite to be the starter at the position.
Speaking to the media for the first time this offseason, offensive line coach Chris Foerster praised the swing tackle, pointing out his value in spot duty and that it's McKivitz's job to lose, which should help build his confidence in a crucial year.
"Colton, he's done a great job for us through the years he's been here,"
49ers WR Deebo Samuel rips his 2022 performance: 'It was awful'
Deebo Samuel made it clear Tuesday he's on a mission to erase all memories of his performance during the 2022 season, which he feels was nowhere near his previously established level of play.
The 49ers' standout wide receiver/running back addressed that performance during a press conference on Day 1 of 49ers mandatory minicamp. He did not hold back when issuing a critique of how things went for him in 2022.
"Oh, it was awful," Samuel said. "Every aspect."
Samuel, 27, caught 56 passes for 632 yards in 13 games last season while rushing for 232 yards and three touchdowns on 42 carries. There were moments on the field when Samuel certainly made his presence felt, but overall he fell short of making the type of impact he made in 2021, when he caught 77