Add Hall of Fame NFL defensive end and current FOX Sports studio analyst Howie Long to the list of names who support the hiring of John Lynch as the new general manager of the San Francisco 49ers. There have been many – mostly those who do not know Lynch – who have been critical of the hire. However, those who know Lynch and have worked with him have praised the hire and believe that he will have success.

Howie Long: John Lynch will be 'as committed of a guy as you'll find'

"John is a unique guy," Long said while speaking to Rich Eisen on the "Rich Eisen Show" in Houston. "John is a special guy. He's, in my mind, a Hall of Famer. Whether that's year two, year three, year four, John Lynch is a Hall of Famer. He's a game changer. That defense was of its generation and that Tampa 2 and John Lynch was a part of it.

"John's a smart guy. He's a well-prepared guy. He's a Stanford guy like John Elway. People think, 'Well, you've got to deal with the salary cap. You've got to negotiate contracts. No, there's a kid from MIT two offices down from John Lynch who does the salary cap. There's a guy that negotiates contracts. John's about evaluating talent working hand-and-hand with what will probably be Kyle Shanahan. So, I don't think John is reinventing the wheel but John will be as committed a guy as you'll find."

Others who have praised the hiring of Lynch include FOX insider Jay Glazer, NFL Network analyst Brian Billick, former 49ers tight end Brent Jones, and former NFL quarterback and current FOX sportscaster Troy Aikman.