© Steve Mitchell | 2020 Jan 29
MIAMI — When John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan were hired during the 2018 offseason, everyone knew the success of their tenure would largely be tied to if and when they were able to acquire a franchise quarterback.
The initial plan was to wait out the Kirk Cousins situation in Washington, and reunite Shanahan with a quarterback he’s always connected with. But then the unexpected happened, and the Patriots offered Jimmy Garoppolo for the surprisingly low price of a second-round pick.
Lynch reflected on how the trade changed the course of the franchise in his first media availability of Super Bowl week on Wednesday, and pointed to a comment from Bill Belichick that proved to be true.
“We felt it was a reasonable cost, albeit a high one, a second round pick, to have an opportunity to find your franchise quarterback,” Lynch said. “It is one thing in our conversations with Bill Belichick, when I talked to him, when Kyle talked to him: ‘You’re gonna love this kid, his teammates love him.’ And Bill is not prone to hyperbole. He doesn’t say things just to say them. So if he says something he means it, so that’s stuck with me.
“Then just to watch him. He’s just as liable today to be sitting with a practice squad player. I think his midwest roots, he has a great family and he was probably humbled by older brothers who put him in his place a few times. He’s just a joy to be around.”
Despite not being Shanahan’s first choice, Garoppolo also proved to be a good fit personality-wise with Shanahan. Garoppolo’s thick skin makes him uniquely equipped to handle the intense and sometimes harsh nature of Shanahan’s demanding coaching style.
“We’ve got a coach who’s extremely demanding, and expects a high standard of play out of him, and Jimmy’s awesome at that and I think that’s where the linebacker in him helps. He started out as a linebacker, so he’s not sensitive. He understands that Kyle’s sole purpose is to get the most out of him. Kyle can be very demanding in doing so and some guys don’t have the personalities for that. I think it’s the perfect mix because Jimmy almost gets better when Kyle’s chewing him out.”
“I say, keep chewing.”