Will Aaron Lynch be a Strong Pass Rusher for the 49ers?
The 2015 regular season for the San Francisco 49ers will be here soon, and it’s time to stop beating the dead horse of ex-linebackers. At some point, all there is to do is move on from Aldon Smith, Patrick Willis, and Chris Borland. Patrick Willis is one of the greatest 49ers to play the game, so I have nothing but respect for his career. He truly earned his retirement to walk off into the sunset. However, Smith and Borland aren’t worth our time anymore.
Both Smith and Borland proved they don’t belong with the 49ers (or the NFL), and the departure of multiple linebackers has created great opportunities for current players. Aaron Lynch is entering his second season, and he absolutely deserves reps at the outside linebacker position.
Lynch played in all 16 regular season games last year, and he showed some good stuff as a rookie. The 49ers desperately need a strong pass rusher. Fortunately for San Francisco, Lynch recorded six sacks last year. With a new defensive coordinator in Eric Mangini and more experience, Aaron Lynch could develop into an effective pass rusher.
The Seattle Seahawks and the rest of the NFC West better not take the 49ers lightly this season. Yes, the Niners flunked last season, and expectations around the league for them are currently low. However, the young players and new coaches with the 49ers seem prepared to make this season better than last year’s.
Most of the reports fans see these days involve endless speculation on Colin Kaepernick‘s development, and some people might think he’s an overrated player. Kaepernick has shown us that he improved his mechanics, and the new offensive coordinator and QB coach will likely showcase Colin’s strengths better than Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman did. The quarterback position is obliviously a critical part of football, but that isn’t the only thing the 49ers will do to make this season a good one. Defense will be the key to San Francisco’s success.
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Eric Mangini will turn some heads this season while he turns the 49ers’ defense into a stalwart again. NaVorro Bowman will be the standout leader of the defense, but Aaron Lynch could come alive through pass rushing.
The San Francisco 49ers need him to get at opposing QBs this season. 49ers.com quoted Lynch saying:
"“Honestly, I’m just here to do exactly what I’m told to do, and that’s play football,” Lynch said. “That’s what they drafted me last year to do, and that’s what I’m here to do. Anything I can do to help out the team. If my role is to start or my role is to backup or my role is just nickel packages or whatever, that’s my role, I’m going to go 100 percent, and that’s it.”"
That’s the mindset of a player who is truly dedicate to his team. The 49ers need to reward players like that with key roles, and it’s great that the organization finally released Aldon Smith after all of his drama. If Aaron Lynch can produce sacks this season, he will quickly become a force for the 49ers’ defense.