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BY IRA KAUFMAN

Whether he’s making major football decisions or making his way down to the football field, John Lynch moves decisively.

The GM of the 49ers generated lots of intrigue on social media last week as viewers wondered how he transported himself from his suite to the San Francisco sidelines so quickly in the late stages of the divisional-round victory against Dallas.

A few days later, a re-enactment tracing Lynch’s steps showed how a dash to an executive-level elevator helped him accomplish the feat in approximately two minutes.

Bucs icon John Lynch hunted another Executive of the Year honor, explains Ira Kaufman.

Lynch was part of the post-game celebration as the 49ers advanced to Sunday’s NFC title game at Philadelphia.

You could say Lynch is familiar with the challenge.

As so many Tampa Bay fans can recall with glee, the 2002 Bucs shut down the Vet with a 27-10 triumph in the conference championship game.

Like that Buc team, Lynch’s 49ers are slight underdogs heading into Philadelphia with a Super Bowl berth on the line.

Rondé Barber was the best player on the field that day 20 years ago, hounding Donovan McNabb while leading the NFL’s No. 1 defense. The 49ers boast the league’s top-ranked defense this season and a 12-game win streak is on the line against the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

You can bet Lynch has been busy this week evoking memories of Tampa Bay’s 2002 journey to the City of Brotherly Love, where patrons once booed and threw snowballs at Santa Claus during a halftime ceremony.

Those Bucs had their fill of the Eagles, who had knocked them out of the playoffs the two previous seasons. Philadelphia also beat Tampa Bay at the Vet during the 2002 regular season, so the odds seemed stacked in the home team’s favor on the afternoon of Jan. 19, when the wind-chill was 16 degrees.

We all know what happened.

The Eagles grabbed a quick 7-0 lead following a long kickoff return, then spent the next 59 minutes in a futile attempt to maneuver past one of the best defenses of the modern era.

In San Francisco, Lynch has systematically added elite pieces to a defense that flummoxed Dak Prescott last week. Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw key the front 7 for the NFC’s premier rush defense.

What about the other side of the ball? Same thing. Lynch’s fingerprints are all over the roster.

Start with the decision to select Brock Purdy with the last pick in the draft. Instead of Mr. Irrelevant, the rookie out of Iowa State has emerged as Mr. Indispensable, following injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.

Once Purdy was selected, he faced the challenge of making the final roster. On Aug. 30, Lynch and Kyle Shanahan agreed that placing Purdy on the practice squad was a risk they weren’t willing to take. Five months later, he’s under center for a team one game away from the Super Bowl.

The 49ers are 8-0 since Purdy took over, but Lynch had more magic to come.

The Big Catch

On Oct. 20, just days after the 49ers fell to 3-3 with a dreary 28-14 setback at Atlanta, Lynch engineered a trade with Carolina for Christian McCaffrey.

All McCaffrey did in 11 games with San Francisco was average 110 yards from scrimmage, running for six scores and adding four TD receptions.

A face familiar to Bucs fans on championship Sunday.

In the playoff opener against Seattle, McCaffrey ran for 119 yards and caught a TD pass from Purdy. Against the Cowboys, he rushed for San Francisco’s only TD.

“He’s been a godsend,” Lynch says. “You think you know a player and then you have a different reality when you see them up close, when they’re on your team. He’s just as good as we thought he’d be on the field — or better.”

Lynch, who was named Executive of the Year for the 2019 season, had a compelling case to make once again. He came up short against Howie Roseman of the Eagles and those savvy decision-makers will renew acquaintances Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

Lynch looks like he’s still in pretty good shape.

I’ve got him as a solid 3-5 favorite to beat Roseman down to the field.

Yes, that warranty includes USED vehicles!
Ira drives a 2020 Ford Escape (cherry red).