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49ers Go Outside The Box By Naming Former NFLer, Fox Analyst John Lynch GM

The 49ers last night "stunned the NFL" by hiring John Lynch to replace Trent Baalke as GM, as Lynch has not "worked in a front office and was not publicly connected to the 49ers’ opening" before the announcement, according to Eric Branch of the S.F. CHRONICLE. A source said that the team could also make "additional changes to their personnel department." Former Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik, who has ties to "both Lynch and presumptive head coach Kyle Shanahan, could be considered for a front-office role." A source said that the 49ers had "conducted interviews with nine other candidates before Lynch flew from his home in San Diego to the Bay Area on Thursday afternoon." Branch reports Lynch met with 49ers CEO Jed York and Chief Strategy Officer & Exec VP/Football Operations Paraag Marathe at York’s house, and the three then "flew to Atlanta on Friday to meet with Shanahan." The 49ers and Shanahan also "discussed the opening" with Vikings Assistant GM George Paton and Cardinals VP/ Player Personnel Terry McDonough in Atlanta "before Lynch was hired." It is likely Shanahan, currently the Falcons' offensive coordinator, will have "control of the 53-man roster, given Lynch’s inexperience." A source said that the 49ers "considered Dominik for their GM opening but did not schedule an interview with him" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 1/30). ESPN.com's Adam Schefter cites sources as saying that the 49ers are "signing Lynch to a six-year contract," and the "plan is to offer" Shanahan a six-year deal as well. The 49ers' idea was to have the coach and GM jobs "tied together in terms of length of contract." The idea to hire Lynch "was his own," as he "personally called Shanahan and volunteered for the job about a week ago" (ESPN.com, 1/30).

WHY LYNCH? York said that Lynch "won over the 49ers brass with his leadership and communication skills, as well as his link to former 49ers coach Bill Walsh, who coached Lynch at Stanford 25 years ago" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 1/30). NFL Network's Peter Schrager noted York and the 49ers "felt the most comfortable with the guy Kyle felt the most comfortable with.” NFL Network’s Kay Adams: “The fact that it’s a six-year deal, they’re going to invest because they don’t want to repeat what’s been going on there” ("Good Morning Football,” NFL Network, 1/30). ESPN's Schefter noted the 49ers "were interested" in talking to Chris Ballard, who was hired yesterday as Colts GM. Ballard "declined the chance to interview," as his family "was not thrilled with the idea of moving out west” (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 1/30).

ULTIMATE ROLL OF THE DICE: USA TODAY's Tom Pelissero writes under the header, "Hiring John Lynch As General Manager Is 49ers' Ultimate Gamble." The team "better hope their big bet" pays off. If it "doesn't, good luck getting any respected personnel man to take on the next overhaul." Pelissero: "People in the league talk, and a lot of them are going to have a bad taste from the 49ers' nearly month-long, coast-hopping search to replace" Baalke. It is "impossible to judge" what Lynch will be as a GM when he has "literally no track record." Still, there were "signs this would go another direction" until yesterday (USATODAY.com, 1/30). CSNBAYAREA.com's Ray Ratto wrote under the header, "York Takes What-The-Hell Gamble On Tandem Of Lynch, Shanahan." York went "so far out of the box that he didn’t even bother to send away for any boxes at all" (CSNBAYAREA.com, 1/29). THE MMQB's Peter King writes he is "still mind-boggled at the 49ers taking the risk of the year and hiring" Lynch. York "wanted to buy a lottery ticket and shoot for the moon." King: "He’s done that" (MMQB.SI.com, 1/30). ESPN’s Mike Greenberg called the Lynch hire an "outside-the-box move," and said, "When you’re the 49ers and you have history of things going badly and bad decisions, people will shake their heads and say, ‘Why are you trying to reinvent the wheel?’" ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 1/30).

SHOCK & AWE: In San Jose, Tim Kawakami writes all the "normal candidates either wanted no part of this search or didn’t fit with Shanahan or somehow didn’t meet York and Marathe’s standards, whatever they might be." So the 49ers "shocked the NFL world and pulled off one of their most surprising hires in years." Lynch is "just the guy who popped his name into the discussion at exactly the right time ... and he has the charisma and smarts to give the 49ers a shot at this" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 1/30). ESPN's Field Yates: "How we got here and the point that we are at now is nothing short of stunning.” Yates: "This was never the name that anybody had on their radar” ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 1/30).

IMMEDIATE COMPARISON
: THE MMQB's King writes, "Lots of people will recall the last Fox analyst to ascend to the throne of an NFL team without personnel training" -- Matt Millen with the Lions in '01 -- and how "miserably he failed." King: "This may be the same thing. If Lynch doesn’t surround himself with strong personnel people, it will be the same thing" (MMQB.SI.com, 1/30). YAHOO SPORTS' Ben Rohrbach wrote Lynch's hiring "brings back shades" of Millen, as his seven-year stretch at the Lions' helm "marked one of the least successful in NFL history" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/29). PFT's Mike Florio asked, "It's either John Elway or Matt Millen, right?" ("PFT," NBCSN, 1/30).

A LITTLE FORESHADOWING? CSNBAYAREA.com's Matt Maiocco noted Lynch called the Falcons-Seahawks NFC Divisional game two weeks ago for Fox, and he said on air of Shanahan, "Kyle, I think he goes in these production, er, excuse me, interviews and maybe comes off a little confident, a little arrogant. I don’t care. I want an arrogant coach. I want a confident coach. I’d be hiring that guy in a second" (CSNBAYAREA.com, 1/29).

PROBLEMS WITH THE PROCESS: ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said he has an issue "about the process" of the 49ers hiring Lynch. He asked, "How did you get the job? Because you’ve got a relationship with Kyle Shanahan, because you used to played for his father.” Smith: “When you are in a league that has a Rooney Rule, that’s associated with the Fritz Pollard Alliance, that prides itself on being associated with a fair and equitable process, and then something like this happens, it debunks all of that.” ESPN’s Jeff Saturday said, "Football is a relationship business. You know it, I know it. There are a lot of guys who hire their friends when they get jobs” (“First Take,” ESPN, 1/30).

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