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Even before he was a candidate for the 49ers General Manager job, John Lynch wasn’t afraid to praise Kyle Shanahan, saying he was the kind of coach he’d like to hire.

Setting aside the fact that Shanahan effectively hired Lynch, it’s still worth going back through those words for some context to their relationship.

Via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, Lynch was effusive about Shanahan’s play-calling and attitude after a touchdown pass to Tevin Coleman in the second quarter of their Divisional Round win over the Seahawks. While calling the game for Fox, Lynch referred to the production meetings the broadcasters have with coaches the day before the game to gather background.

“You know, Kyle, I think he goes in these production, er, excuse me, interviews and maybe comes off a little confident, a little arrogant,” Lynch said. “I don’t care. I want an arrogant coach. I want a confident coach. I’d be hiring that guy in a second.”

Of course, it’s the other way around, but the team’s new pairing got six-year contracts to try to turn things around. The link between Lynch playing for Shanahan’s father in Denver appeared to be the key, with Lynch reaching out to Shanahan recently, and insisting his involvement in the process be kept secret.