During Thursday's San Francisco 49ers press conference to officially introduce new general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, Lynch was asked what he would say to potential free agents in order to encourage them to come to the team. After all, this was a team that won just two games in 2016 and just seven in the past two seasons. What would Lynch's recruiting pitch be?
"Do you like winning? Because we're going to do that," Lynch answered. "Do you like doing things the right way? Because we're going to do that. You know, I'm looking at former players out here. I see Keena Turner. I see [Bubba] Paris. I believe that's Eric Wright...Guy McIntyre, Jesse Sapolu, Steve Bono...Those guys created the standard that we're striving for. I've reached out to a lot of these guys and let them know that not only are they welcome, we really want these guys around because that's what we're aspiring to be.
"I've also told them we can't ride on their coat tails. We understand that we have to earn their trust as well. We understand that we have to put in the work. That's the only way you do it. You go about your business every day and try to get a little bit better. So that's important to me. That's important to us. Yeah, that's what I would tell a free agent player.
"I'd also tell them, 'You got a head coach that's going to put you in the right position to be successful.' I think that's one of Kyle's great skills. He takes players and plays to their strengths and I think that's what great coaches do. They play to the strengths. From the way he worked with Robert Griffin in Washington to the way he adjusted to Matt Ryan and really pulled every ounce. He lets players max out by putting them in optimal position and I think that's the mark of a great head coach."
