Rodney Harrison and John Lynch are two of the hardest hitters the NFL has ever seen when both played safety in the league. But on Sunday, October 24, following the Sunday Night Football contest, Harrison delivered a different kind of boom: Calling out the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers Lynch.
The two-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots turned NBC SNF analyst became vocal about Lynch’s criticism of 49ers’ second-year wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Lynch two weeks ago during a radio interview with KNBR 680 said “he has not made the strides we expect him to” which can be heard here.
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That was during the 49ers’ bye week. But now, in their first game back and on Harrison’s network, the 49ers fell 30-18 in a rain soaked evening against the Indianapolis Colts…and Harrison brought up his safety peer in the postgame:
“Look, I love John Lynch, but that’s the wrong thing to do,” Harrison told Jac Collinsworth regarding the Lynch/Aiyuk episode. “You draft a guy that high, you don’t criticize him in the media.”
Harrison then offered this suggestion on live TV for the 49ers GM.
“If anything, what you do is you bring him in and you say ‘Look, we’re going to get you the ball. We believe in you. We’re going to get you the ball quick and early,'” Harrison said.
Aiyuk on the Evening Versus the Colts
Here was the former first round pick Aiyuk’s final numbers on the night: One catch, 6 yards, only one target.
He also had a 3-yard carry on a designed running play.
Nine total yards…on a night the 49ers mustered 280 in a drenched Levi’s Stadium grass. Oh, there was this from Aiyuk:
Brandon Aiyuk definitely meant to do this 😂
What a dumb rule t.co/JP2HsjnJyq
The ex-Arizona State Sun Devil additionally got spun on this hit during the game, which came on that designed sweep run:
The national reactions for Aiyuk came out via social media, starting with The Athletic’s 49ers beat writer David Lombardi.
Give Brandon Aiyuk more touches, they said 🤷♂️
NFL Network fantasy football analyst Marcas Grant made this observation.
Brandon Aiyuk trying to work himself back into Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse.
ESPN’s Stephania Bell, though, delivered one question in the middle of her 49ers’ posting.
And, fellow ESPN colleague Mike Clay pointed out that Michael Pittman II, who torched the 49ers in the rain with 4 catches, 105 yards and the soul-snatching touchdown to put the game away, fell to the second round in Aiyuk’s draft class.
Michael Pittman Jr. was drafted 9 picks after Brandon Aiyuk in the 2020 draft.
Aiyuk had the better rookie season, but Pittman is enjoying an impressive Year 2 breakout.
Critics Come Out in Full Force Following Loss
The 49ers now sit at 2-4 overall — but are on their first four-game slide since 2018 when they lost six in a row.
Along with the Aiyuk critics, fans of the 49ers and followers of the team went straight to Twitter to come after Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan. One of them? Filmmaker Randy Wilkins:
Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch have been terrible at building a sustainable roster. Their draft decisions are routinely biting them in the ass. They re-sign oft-injured players. They’re scared of the cap while the Rams laugh at it. And they have no first round picks. Cool.
Colin Cowherd, host of “The Herd” on Fox Sports 1, proposed this theory regarding Shanahan’s handling of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Scale of 1-10, Kyle Shanahan’s confidence in Jimmy G is about a 3. In bad weather, it drops dramatically.
Then asked this question:
Understand that it’s sacrilegious to criticize Kyle Shanahan but do the 49ers look well coached ?
One fan didn’t mention Aiyuk on this post, but posted this about Lynch’s draft decisions:
John Lynch has killed SF with some horrendous draft picks.
Aaron Banks
Ambry Thomas
Dante Pettis
Jalen Hurd
Solomon Thomas
Reuben Foster
CJ Beathard
So. Many. Early. Round. Misses. And B-A-D misses.
Another 49er fan hopes to see this out of team owner Jed York:
Meanwhile, SB Nation’s Niners Nation Twitter account posted this one-word reaction about the 12-point loss:
Embarrassing
Sacramento Bee 49ers beat writer Chris Biderman became another who questioned the current state of the ‘Niners.
“Jimmy Garoppolo gives us the best chance to win” is not a message that works when you sell the farm to replace him.
Finally, Grant Cohn of Sports Illustrated’s “All 49ers” tweeted this suggestion in York’s mentions:
.@JedYork blow it up.
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Rodney Harrison Criticizes 49ers GM John Lynch About Brandon Aiyuk