Unbelievable: Anthony Lynn, the former head coach of the Chargers, announced his return to the team.
Your life will occasionally follow a crossing pattern. Every line converges.
Anthony Lynn is currently experiencing it. In addition to coaching the child of a close friend, he works for his former ball boy.
Coach Kyle Shanahan, whose San Francisco 49ers are two victories away from the Super Bowl, is that ball boy. And the son of the friend? That’s Christian McCaffrey, a running back, whose father Ed was one of Lynn’s teammates with the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants.
For Lynn, the 49ers’ running backs coach and former Chargers coach, every day is like an episode of “This is Your Life.” The 49ers host Dallas on Sunday in a divisional playoff game.
The familiarity and connection that I have with this place make me look forward to coming here every day, said 54-year-old Lynn, a standout special teams player and reserve running back for the Broncos, who won two Super Bowl rings. Mike Shanahan, whose son Kyle was a high school student with significant duties at training camp, was the team’s coach.
“Kyle used to boss my son around like he was the leader of the ball boys,” Lynn recalled, grinning.
Denver’s experience was familial, and that Mile High vibe has permeated the 49ers, where former Broncos quarterback Brian Griese now coaches the position for San Francisco. Klay Kubiak, whose father, Gary, was John Elway’s backup for the Broncos, serves as Griese’s assistant. The general manager of the 49ers is Hall of Fame safety John Lynch, who was also a Denver player.
Long before his beard turned gray, Lynn, who played on Denver’s championship teams in 1997 and 1998, remarked, “Those Broncos remind me of these 49ers.” “The culture is the same here, but back then we had a more seasoned, blue-collar team. I said to Kyle when I first arrived here in May, “Man, you have established quite a culture here.” We are now witnessing the outcomes.
“With coaches and with each other, players feel comfortable being vulnerable, and that’s not the norm in the National Football League for this generation of players.” Kyle has made a really good effort to connect. It all begins there, in my opinion. What you know doesn’t matter to them until they realize you care.
After a playoff collapse, the Chargers firedd offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi January 17, 2023
After the 2020 season, Lynn was let go by the Chargers, and he worked as Detroit’s offensive coordinator the previous year. Having played for the 49ers from 1995 to 1996, coaching for San Francisco is akin to a homecoming for him.
He declared, “This organization will stop at nothing to win.” “Out of the [ears] resources. For me, that was not the same as what I was experiencing in L.A. Thus, it seems as though this is how things should be. I had forgotten the sensation of that.
He said that collaborating with McCaffrey has been extremely fulfilling. As a young player with the Giants and then the Broncos, Lynn forged a friendship with Stanford’s rangy receiver Ed McCaffrey. According to what Lynn told reporters after he retired, McCaffrey was the player who had the most influence on his career.
Lynn remarked, “I watched Ed and saw how he committed and developed himself into the player that he became over his career.” “When Ed initially joined the league, he wasn’t that good.
“In one-on-ones with DBs at the Giants, they would line up to go against Ed because they believed that was their best opportunity to make the team.”
Running back Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers is positioned next to assistant coach Anthony Lynn on the left.
Christian McCaffrey (23), a running back for the San Francisco 49ers, is pictured here with assistant coach Anthony Lynn (left) during the second half of a game on October 23, 2022, in Santa Clara. (Associated Press / Jed Jacobsohn)
Both players were eventually cut, and though in different seasons, their individual paths passed through San Francisco. In Denver, they got together again. McCaffrey was a completely different and better player by that point.
“I observed his work ethic, self-care, nutrition, training, and ability to know precisely where to be at the appropriate time and place,” Lynn remarked. “He developed into the NFL’s top route runner. “My goodness, Ed, you’re not the same person,” I exclaimed. I was just incredibly inspired by it.
Christian McCaffrey, whom the Lions acquired in a trade during the season, possesses those same qualities, in Lynn’s opinion.
Lynn exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, Ed passed that gene directly down to his son.” How similar Christian is to his father. I keep saying to him, “That makes me think of Ed.”
D’Anton, Lynn’s own son, was a player in the NFL and is currently the defensive backs coach for the Baltimore Ravens, who were eliminated in the wild card round by Cincinnati. When Kyle Shanahan was running that show, he was a Broncos ball boy and in grade school.
Anthony Jr. is his true name; D’Anton is just a nickname. Anthony Lynn III is the name of their first child, born on Monday to him and his wife.
Anthony Lynn, the assistant head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, gestures to his players from the sidelines.
On September 11, 2022, in Chicago, during a game against the Bears, San Francisco 49ers assistant head coach Anthony Lynn gives his players instructions from the sidelines.
“We’re rooting for San Francisco and Philadelphia and crossing our fingers,” D’Anton remarked. “Because we’re going to bring the baby up to meet my dad if the game is in Philadelphia.”
Lynn’s Denver teammate and Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis said Lynn had the perfect personality to get the most out of players.
As a coach, “he brings a degree of honesty and authenticity,” according to Davis. “He is aware of Christian’s fame. However, A-Lynn will confront him daily. There is never a full bucket.
After an NFL football game, head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers Brandon Staley leaves the field.
Though the Chargers still have a lot of questions, Brandon Staley’s job may be secure.
January 17, 2023
Lynn was a player who battled for every square inch of ground even though he didn’t have many opportunities to touch the ball.
At one Broncos practice, Lynn pressed the matter. He was in the backfield with Davis, who was supposed to get a screen pass, while he played fullback. However, Lynn took Davis’ path; Davis corrected and moved to the opposite side, where he caught the pass.
There was constant teasing. “Go out there and make a play” is a saying that those Broncos coined. even though the play isn’t yours.
