John Lynch will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame today. He took time out of his busy schedule this week to speak with Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area and shared his thoughts on the road to football immortality.
While Lynch is being recognized for his 15 combined seasons as an NFL safety, he currently serves as the San Francisco 49ers general manager. He has high expectations for the current roster he has helped build. Unfortunately, the team has failed to find consistent success. While it reached the Super Bowl during the 2019 season, three of the past four seasons have resulted in six-or-fewer wins.
While Lynch is in Canton for this weekend's festivities, he has managed to sneak some glances at the practice footage on his iPad and enjoyed seeing the videos online from Saturday's practice inside Levi's Stadium.
"I like our roster. I like it a lot," Lynch said, "and there's great competition. I think that's the one thing that I really enjoy. I think we're deeper than we've ever been. I think the D-line is a great representation of that. We've really added to that with guys like (Samson) Ebukam, the Raider guys, [Maurice] Hurst and Arden Key. Zach Kerr came in.
"All our top-flight guys, (Arik) Armstead and D.J. Jones, they're all looking really, really good. And Bosa looks great [on] the side. Probably won't see him much through the preseason, but he's tracking well for Week 1.
"So, we couldn't be happier with the way our roster is shaping up. You just try to maintain that."
The general manager shared what the team is doing differently this season to ensure 2021 turns out healthier than 2020.
"[Training camp has been] relatively healthy," Lynch said. "Some nicks are starting to spring up. And I think these days, you're just so careful and probably a little proactive. If someone's tightening up, you give them a couple of days [off] because we've had experiences where you try to push through, and it becomes something bigger."
Of course, no conversation would be complete without discussing the 49ers' quarterback situation. Lynch admitted that everyone is interested in that topic. He was even asked about it over the weekend by his fellow inductees, like Jimmy Johnson, Peyton Manning, and Calvin Johnson. They all want to hear about the 49ers' exciting rookie, Trey Lance.
"I think there's been a lot of buzz about his well Trey's been playing, and that travels," Lynch said. "So a lot of people have asked. ... It's been fun to share that with people."
Lynch commented that the rookie quarterback had a jump in performance from organized team activities to training camp, a testament to his work ethic and study habits.
"He's a pro. He's a pro already," Lynch said. "We thought that. Everyone told us that. You meet his family. That kind of confirms that. And then when you mix a guy, who it's important to and works, and you mix that with the talent, and the skill set that he has, you have a chance for something.
"Now, we all say that he's doing really well. We've had like four padded practices, so we've got a ways to go, but we sure like where he's at."
Lynch didn't ignore his other quarterback—the one slated to start Week 1.
"I'll tell you, we're talking about Trey so much, [Jimmy Garoppolo] has been really good, and he's really responded to the challenge," Lynch shared. "And he's been great to the kid, but he's also a competitor. It's important for him to be the guy lining up there this year for us. His teammates love him. That hasn't changed. And he's playing at a really good level right now."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.