The San Francisco 49ers hired John Lynch as their new general manager Sunday.
Lynch, a former safety with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos, has no front office experience and is coming from the Fox broadcast booth.
He's not the first broadcaster to enter an NFL front office without any experience.
Matt Millen made the transition from player to broadcaster to Detroit Lions general manager and president. The Lions went 31-84 during Millen's tenure in 2001-2008. He was fired after the 2008 season, in which the Lions went 0-16.
Millen told the Detroit Free Press what advice he would give Lynch going into his first personnel job.
"It's not about understanding the game and knowing the game. It's none of that. It's not X's and O's. It's about managing people," Millen said.
"The biggest thing that helps in those jobs is experience and having been exposed to it. When you haven't been and when you don't have it, you're forced to rely on other people. For little things. And so that's why you have to know the people. That's why you got to know them. You got to know their eyes, you got to know, philosophically, how they are, you got to know what they're like politically, you got to know who's trying to work you. There's tons of stuff.
"And then you've got to know -- when I say know the whole building, you've got to know all the people in the decision-making process, up to and including ownership."
Second chance
Paul Newberry of The Associated Press believes former Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith deserves another head coaching position.
Smith coached the Falcons in 2008-2014 before being fired after missing the playoffs two consecutive seasons. Atlanta is in its first Super Bowl since the 1998 season, with second-year Coach Dan Quinn at the helm.
"Mike Smith never made it to the Super Bowl with the Atlanta Falcons.
"Came up 10 yards short.
"But let's not underestimate the impact he had on the Falcons, who are one win away from their first NFL championship.
"The white-haired coach known as Smitty helped turn this franchise into something it had never been before.
"A consistent winner.
"For that alone, he deserves another chance at having a team of his own.
"Coach Smith was the best coach in the history of our franchise," Falcons owner Arthur Blank said. "We'd never had back-to-back winning seasons. With Coach Smith, we had five in a row. A great credit to him."
"Quinn has done a magnificent job," Newberry continued.
"But that doesn't take away what Smith accomplished in Atlanta.
"He deserves a few props.
"He deserves another head coaching job."
He said it
From Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald:
• "A 7'7" high school freshman made his varsity basketball debut for Spire Institute in Ohio. When he walked on court the first day of tryouts, the freshman team coach immediately realized he'd lost his "we lack height inside the paint" excuse."
• "The movie White Men Can't Jump is being remade. Spoiler: Now due to PEDs, they can jump."
• "An Orlando defensive end decommitted from Nebraska because it's too far for his family to see him play. I blame the Husker games airing on ESPNews."
SPORTS QUIZ
Where did John Lynch play college football?
ANSWER
Stanford.
Sports on 01/31/2017