Getty John Lynch looks on before the 49ers' road game on January 1, 2023 in Las Vegas.
The more Christian McCaffrey breaks loose on a long run or makes an impactful play for the San Francisco 49ers, the more the franchise looks like geniuses for orchestrating the gutsy trade before the 2022 deadline.
And the more “Run CMC” impresses his new general manager in John Lynch, the more the NFL Hall of Famer believes he was heaven sent for the 49ers Faithful. As it is, Lynch gave this description of McCaffrey on 95.7 The Game’s “The Morning Roast” on Tuesday, January 18.
“He’s been a godsend,” Lynch described to the show. “I’ll tell you, everything you see on the field, you think you know a player, and then it’s always you have a little bit of a different reality when you see him up close, when they’re on your team.”
Lynch adds, “He’s just as good as we ever thought he was on the field or better. I think the intelligence that he plays with is really just elite; his skill, his versatility, all that. But I just think the commitment to being that player is probably what you don’t know from afar.”
Lynch Gives Unique Description of Hours McCaffrey Puts in
The way McCaffrey approaches the field is almost the equivalent of someone who wears the headset and has a sheet of plays to call, as Lynch described.
“This guy, I tell people all the time, he works coaches hours,” Lynch continued. “He’s here in the morning when you get here. He’s still here when you’re leaving. He’s just so impressive.”
McCaffrey approaches the 49ers’ facility like he’s a closet member of Kyle Shanahan‘s coaching staff. Even when the 49ers completed the trade to land the versatile running back, he immediately established himself as a leader who set the standard for the rest of the locker room.
“It was like he was an instant leader,” Lynch explained. “He just fit really well. And we always felt like this was a guy who we admired as we started thinking and started hearing that he might be available. You start thinking, Wow, this is a guy — we really like where our offense is at. Do we need to do something? No. But if there’s a guy to go get, this is a guy who could unlock what we do and make us even more tough to deal with. I think the results have been tremendous, and I can’t say enough about the way he prepares. So it’s been a great example — the productivity has been great. It’s really been a nice deal for this organization.”
McCaffrey Witnessed Personal First Against Seattle
As decorated McCaffrey has been in the league since his arrival from Stanford in the 2017 NFL Draft, the aftermath of the 49ers’ 41-23 romp of the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, January 14 gave him this career-first: A playoff win.
His last postseason appearance was with the Carolina Panthers on January 7, 2018 which was a 31-26 loss to the New Orleans Saints. McCaffrey accounted for 117 total yards (101 receiving) on 12 touches and one touchdown catch in the road defeat.
Against Seattle, he delivered a new personal-best of 119 rushing yards on 15 carries and added two receptions for 17 yards with a receiving touchdown. McCaffrey, though, didn’t show any signs of relief in finally relishing a playoff win. He had the look of there’s more to accomplish in talking with reporters after the win.
“I mean there’s more on the line — it’s win or go home in the tournament,” McCaffrey said. “But the way this team prepares and practices, you know, is very similar to every week since I’ve been here.”
Now, McCaffrey will soon have his second-ever meeting against the Dallas Cowboys. He combined for 95 yards on 16 touches in the 16-8 victory on September 9, 2018 in Charlotte. He was inactive for the October 3, 2021 meeting won by the Cowboys 36-28.