It could be that some teams are struggling with having their staffs forced to work and interact with players remotely. You wouldn't have been able to tell that by looking at the San Francisco 49ers. In fact, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan felt as though they were getting more work done leading to the draft than they would have at the team's facility because of the lack of interruptions.
Lynch told Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network on Tuesday that he might advocate for incorporating work-from-home time leading to future drafts.
"Kyle (Shanahan) and I have already talked about that," Lynch said. "I think, in a lot of ways, as we evaluate this — and this isn't just we don't want to go to work — I think we were more prepared than ever before. I really believe that. We're certainly going to institute something where coaches, in their preparation, that time when they're watching film ... that they're home for two weeks."
Of course, these epiphanies are due to the stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus concerns. At some point, NFL teams will be allowed to gather together and conduct on-field practices in preparation for the 2020 season.
Lynch believes, when that happens, his 49ers might hold an advantage over other clubs.
"I think that's why you always have to bring in quality people, as well as quality players," Lynch told Mike Tirico on Lunch Talk Live. "Because in situations like this, where you face some hurdles and some challenges, who's going to be the collection of players that find a way, in the midst of what's going on in our world, to keep themselves in the best shape? So that when it finally is safe, and we're all allowed to go back to work, who's going to be most ready?
"I think we have an advantage in terms of we have a lot of continuity on our team. We kept our team together, for the most part ... So continuity is going to be huge, the fact that we played in the same system. But physically and mentally, who's going to be in the best place? That's what we challenged our players with, is find a way to get it done. That's why we brought you in here, and I'm sure that's what everyone's doing."
Shanahan said something similar while speaking this week with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, saying, like Lynch, that the team's lack of excessive turnover from last season's Super Bowl roster could be an advantage heading into the upcoming season.
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