Former Los Angeles Chargers head coach and current San Francisco 49ers assistant coach Anthony Lynn Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

49ers coach bashes tenure with Chargers: ‘This is what winning is supposed to be like’

Originally posted on Sportsnaut | By Jason Burgos | Last updated 1/18/23

San Francisco 49ers assistant head coach Anthony Lynn believes there are some big differences between what his current team and his former employer the Los Angeles Chargers operate. And it is a desire to do everything necessary to win, something he feels wasn’t the case when he was the head coach for the Chargers.

Despite a 12-win year and only one truly bad season (5-11 in 2019), before the 2021 season, Anthony Lynn was handed his pink slip and dismissed from his role as Los Angeles Chargers head coach after four seasons.

The move was a surprise considering his overall record at that time (33-31), the team seemed to be rich and potential, and he was one of the few minority head coaches in the industry. Nevertheless, the dog-eat-dog nature of the sport won out and Lynn took his services to Detroit the following year and served as their offensive coordinator.

Before this season, he moved again and became the assistant HC and running backs coach for the San Francisco 49ers. A franchise that won the division and went to the NFC championship game twice in the previous three seasons. And it seems the organization has a winning culture that was easy to see for Lynn in just one season. Something he didn’t find in LA.

San Francisco 49ers unsurprisingly have a far better culture than Los Angeles Chargers

Following the 49ers’ impressive victory over the Seattle Seahawks during Wild Card Weekend, Lynn spoke to the Los Angeles Times about his time as a coach in San Francisco. And he couldn’t help but shower the franchise with praise.

“This organization will do whatever it takes to win. Resources out the [ears]. That was different for me compared to what I was going through in L.A. So it’s just like, man, this is what it’s supposed to be like. I forgot how that felt.”
– Anthony Lynn

The comments are even more impactful considering how the Chargers performed in 2022-2023. While they did win 10 games and earn a spot in the playoffs, there were questions about the decision of the man that replaced Lynn, Brandon Staley. Then the team blew a 27-0 lead and lost in their playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Wild Card Weekend.

The San Francisco 49ers will look to punch a ticket to a second straight NFC Championship game with they face the Dallas Cowboys at 6:30 PM this Sunday on Fox.

This article first appeared on Sportsnaut and was syndicated with permission.

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