Why Shanahan asked Lynch to address 49ers before Bears game

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Coach Kyle Shanahan on Saturday night called on the man he trusted enough to bring with him to the 49ers as general manager 4 1/2 years ago.

The 49ers entered Week 8 on a four-game losing streak. The club needed something that had been missing.

Shanahan expected some words from general manager John Lynch on the eve of the game would provide a spark.

“I asked him to do it, hoping it would be good, and it was even better than expected,” Shanahan said on Monday, one day after the 49ers’ 33-22 victory over the Chicago Bears.

Shanahan said he has asked Lynch from time to time to speak to the team. He trusted Lynch to deliver a message that needed to be heard.

“He addressed every player, every position, and what he thought about guys,” Shanahan said. “And he kept it real with a bunch of people, the good and the bad. 

“Hearing him talk, I think he fired us up, and gave guys a lot of perspective.”

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In addition to being responsible for acquiring a large percentage of the players in the meeting room Saturday night at the JW Marriott in Chicago, Lynch also has the credibility of being a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a Super Bowl-winning player.

“John does a great job when he talks to the guys, and any time you can have a guy who’s a general manager talk that also is a Hall of Famer and played the way he did, I think it goes a long way,” Shanahan said.

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Following Sunday’s game, 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa told Keiana Martin of 49ers.com about Lynch’s speech.

“John Lynch gave us a speech yesterday and we came out and delivered,” Bosa said. “We needed this one bad, and we got it.

“There were definitely a lot of messages, and it all comes down to coming out here and playing.”

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