GM John Lynch loses his temper with Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers as coach announces 11 injuries, including Brock Purdy

Do you remember how John Lynch came to San Francisco? During the 2016 season, when Kyle Shanahan was the Falcons’ offensive coordinator, rumors swirled that he would become the 49ers’ next head coach. After the Falcons won a Divisional Round playoff game en route to a spot in Super Bowl LI, the former safety called Shanahan to congratulate him… and to apply for a job.

Shortly after the call in which Shanahan mentioned he was looking for a general manager to work with in the Bay Area and Lynch suggested himself, he became general manager. As for Kyle Shanahan? He was named head coach one day after the Falcons’ loss to the Patriots in the Super Bowl. The thing is, the 49ers didn’t function as a team back then, much like what’s currently happening in San Francisco. They had their worst season since 2004 – with a record of 2:14 (1:7 at home; the worst home record in franchise history).

This form seemed to have continued into the 2017 season considering they started with nine consecutive defeats. But toward the end they turned things around and capped the season (6-10) with a five-game winning streak. Moving on to the 2019 season, Shanahan led them to their first Super Bowl appearance since 2012 and repeated that feat last season. But remember how Shanahan said after his loss (again) to the Chiefs that he just wanted to “Win a damn Super Bowl?“All those dreams appear to be shattered now that the Niners are at the bottom of the NFC West with a record of 5-6. Well, that’s the main reason why both fans and franchise board members, including John Lynch, aren’t too happy with the current situation.

Heading into their Week 12 game against the Packers, Shanahan & Co. knew it would be tough to get a win. Ultimately, they had to do without stars like Brock Purdy, Nick Bosa and Trent Williams, all of whom were sidelined due to injuries. But no one expected it to be as bad as it turned out: a whopping 38-10 defeat. As it was the second loss in a row, John Lynch called out the team and expressed his frustration with the situation. It turns out he thinks the Niners won’t do that “disciplined” enough, as he revealed in his conversation with NBC Sports reporter Matt Maiocco.

John Lynch said: “I don’t think we’re playing cleanly. When I watch training, we play very hard. And there is anyone who questions the work ethic of this team, our work habits, we are well trained. For some reason we weren’t a very disciplined football team and that depends until the end in terms of finishing.“According to NBC Sports, the 49ers averaged a 12th-worst 52 penalty yards per game and received an eighth-worst 87 flags in 11 games.

Aside from her discipline, the managing director added: “Everyone knows what has plagued us so far: three division games where we were ahead in the fourth quarter. If you’re a good team, you have to send people away. Everyone in this league has good players. Everyone in this league is very proud. And honestly, when you’re in the Super Bowl last year, everyone’s on you, and we’ve experienced that, and so far we haven’t handled it well.”

In Week 3, San Francisco had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, but the Rams erased that lead and won 27-24. Then, in Week 5 against the Cardinals, Kyle SHanahan’s team had a 13-point lead until the final quarter. What happened? Arizona won 24-23. Now imagine you have a 4 point lead with less than 2 minutes on the clock. Imagine you’re leading 17-13 with less than 20 seconds to play. Well, that was the case in Week 11 against the Seahawks. But Seattle scored a game-winning touchdown after gaining 80 yards on its final drive.

It’s not hard to see that these were the missed changes John Lynch was talking about. If the 49ers had held on to their lead, they would have been 8-3 now… and first in the NFC West. But despite these mishaps, they are still just one game away from first place in the division. But going back to the team’s late-game performance, it wasn’t that good against the Packers either.

Green Bay gave San Francisco plenty of chances to get back into the game, but Kyle Shanahan & Co. couldn’t take advantage. And that was primarily due to the three turnovers they allowed in the fourth quarter – one by Purdy’s replacement, Brandon Allen, another by a pass to Christian McCaffrey and the last by a pass to Deebo Samuel. At the post-game press conference, the head coach addressed this and said: “The offense had a chance to get going. They gave us the opportunity to get back into the game. And then those three turnovers, all three of which led to 21-point touchdowns.

“You add to that with punishments and so on, and that causes you so much embarrassment.” Going forward, the 49ers hope to avoid fumbles like this late in the game, especially considering how important the next few games are to their season. John Lynch added: “Right now we are focused on one team and that is the Buffalo Bills and they present a lot of challenges.” Heading into Sunday’s game, the Bills will have a 9-2 record and a six-game winning streak. So the question is: Are the 49ers ready?

John Lynch’s frustration could only grow after Kyle Shanahan’s injury report!

After John Lynch expressed his fear of the Bills, head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed a few names being placed on injured reserve during a recent press conference. He mentioned that Aaron Banks, Jordan Elliott, Deommodore Lenoir, Nick Bosa and Trent Williams are out. The head coach also addressed Dre Greenlaw’s return, saying he had a strong week after a hamstring injury. However, he fears a short turnaround between games could limit his return to action. He is therefore currently considered unavailable for the next duel.

Additionally, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Chris Conley, Kevin Givens and Renardo Green are currently questionable. But the story of the Niners’ injury list doesn’t end there. One big name is in the spotlight and it’s quarterback Brock Purdy. Of the 24-year-old, Shanahan said: “The last two training sessions were good. It was great to have him back out there. He was able to reach his full potential today, so it was a good day.” However, the head coach added to speculation by saying: “A lot can happen between now and today (Sunday). But at the moment he is playing.”

Purdy missed the last game against the Packers due to his shoulder injury. Therefore, he was only able to train to a limited extent on Wednesday and Thursday. But on Friday he became a full participant. This means that while he is considered a good fit for the Bills game, of course, as Shanahan mentioned, anything can happen. Still, John Lynch will certainly need an answer in the next match.