Two seasons into their joint venture to lead the 49ers to the promised land, head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have compiled some ugly numbers.
Ten wins and 22 defeats, for instance.
In their first season together, Shanahan and Lynch produced a 6-10 season, but one with promise after the acquisition of young quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Bigger things were expected in 2018.
But it was even worse. After numerous injuries – including an early, season-ending knee injury to Garoppolo – the Niners were 4-12.
Yet the team’s CEO, Jed York, hasn’t lost faith. As the team gets ready to make the No. 2 overall selection in the April draft after signing some key veteran free agents over the past month, York says he’s confident he has the right leadership team in place for long-term success.
In fact, he wants everyone to know that he’s going to be patient and trust in them. Speaking to the media at the recent NFL owners meetings in Arizona, York said the instability in the organization – the revolving door of head coaches and GMs – is a thing of the past and that Shanahan and Lynch “are going to be here for a long period of time.”
York knows there have been growing pains, but he sees the bond the two men have built and trusts in their judgments and talents. He likes what they’ve done already this offseason and is hopeful 2019 will be a much better reflection of the rebuilding process.
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“We want to make sure we have the right core group of people on our team and build this thing where we can compete for a consistent period of time,” York said, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. “And hopefully it’s a Patriot-type deal where you’ve got 10, 15, 20 years of sustained success. That’s my aspiration to have a team that can do that.”
After the 2018 season, Shanahan and Lynch acknowledged disappointment for the way things played out, but said they’re not setting any timetable for success.
“We have expectations, high standards,” said Lynch. “It is clear to say we fell well short of those this year. That was disappointing. We need to do better, and we will.”
