Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
49ers hope hiring of Shanahan ends revolving door at coach
general manager and coach to get hired this offseason. The first task for Shanahan is to hire a staff and Lynch already is working doubledays, holding draft meetings with his scouts during the day and then watching film of the existing roster at night.
Shanahan couldn’t get the job until after Atlanta played in the Super Bowl and then needed a day or two off to recover after the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead to lose 34-28 to New England in overtime.
Shanahan came under criticism for his play-calling in the fourth quarter, especially for calling passes instead of using the run to bleed the clock.
“I was definitely grieving it and I probably will for a while,” Shanahan said. “But to be able to go up to the building in Atlanta the next day and get to talk to all the players, all of us spent some time together and go through it again, really gave us some closure on it.”
While the hiring of Shanahan and Lunch weren’t new, there was some clarity that came out of the introductory news conference.
The two were clear on the structure of control in the franchise with both men answering directly to York and Lynch having control of the 90-man roster, the draft and free agency, while Shanahan has final say on the 53-man roster. But they both downplayed those responsibilities, saying it will be a partnership with input going both directions.
Lynch also said he had hired former Detroit general manager Martin Mayhew as a senior personnel executive. Mayhew drafted players like Matthew Stafford and Ndamukong Suh during his tenure with the Lions after a playing career that included a Super Bowl title in Washington and four seasons as a teammate of Lynch’s in Tampa Bay.