San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch joined KNBR on Monday morning and discussed the two key injuries which have dominated headlines recently. Cornerback Richard Sherman injured his hamstring during Friday's training camp practice while guard Joshua Garnett injured his knee — the same one he had surgery on last year — on July 28.
"The eternal optimist in me, I kind of feel like this played out just perfect," Lynch said of Sherman's status during the Murph & Mac show. "I know from being a veteran player coming back from an injury, you have to get over a psychological hurdle. I think Richard did that. He came out and I think the best news for everybody out there, when he was out there, it wasn't like he was limping. It wasn't like he wasn't the same Richard Sherman. We were seeing the same Richard Sherman we've seen for years. In fact, a little more healthy than what we saw last year. That's good news to me.
"He got a hamstring tweak that we're being very cautious and judicious with. We need him for the regular season. So I think it's good in that he got back on the field, I think got over the psychological hurdle. Now he's got something he's dealing with, but he knows how to get ready for a season. He will be ready, and it gives him two more weeks, frankly, to let the injuries he's coming off kind of heal up. We need him for September 9."
Lynch also shared that, during the recruitment process in March, the 49ers made it clear that they wanted Sherman not only for his presence in the locker room but also for his play on the field.
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"We told him first and foremost, we need his play," Lynch said. "He's been a great player. He's been a championship player. He's been the standard at his position. But then, we also knew he's one of the smarter football players I've ever been around, and that would be kind of contagious and permeate throughout the team. I think we've seen that transpire whether he's been on the field or off it."
Garnett's injury was initially thought to be a minor contusion. However, the guard has now missed seven straight practices. Head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed some surprise that Garnett was not available for last Wednesday's practice and expected him to return by Thursday. That, obviously, did not happen.
"At the time, it felt like he banged his knee and that he was going to get back," Lynch said. "But sometimes there's other issues ... At that point, Kyle and I both talked with Josh, and we kind of got to the bottom of what was going on and talked with our training staff. We've got a plan we're all comfortable with that's going to give him the best opportunity to show us what he's got prior to the regular season."
You can listen to the entire interview with Lynch below.
