The 49ers are a long, long way from the glory days of Bill Walsh, Joe Montana and Steve Young. Even the far more recent revival under Jim Harbaugh is a fading memory now.
Their plan for attempting to recapture that glory is to pair a first-time NFL head coach with a novice NFL general manager.
Will it work?
It will be fascinating to find out. But the Niners' follies in recent years don't afford them the luxury of receiving the benefit of the doubt.
The 49ers are hiring John Lynch, the former nine-time Pro Bowl safety for the Bucs and Broncos, as their GM, the team said Sunday night.