NFC West Notes: 49ers, Rams, Seahawks

49ers

When asked about the team’s 4-12 finish to the 2018 season, 49ers GM John Lynch said he and HC Kyle Shanahan had confidence in their players to take a step forward, despite last year’s struggles. 

“This team had a great feel to it, even at 4-12,” said Lynch, via Ann Killion of the San Francisco Chronicle. “Sometimes Kyle and I were almost feeling bad because we were so encouraged. Like, ‘We’re 4-12 but we love these guys.’ We felt like we were making progress.”

Lynch said he “realized right away” that he did not need to help Shanahan be a leader. 

“I realized right away I didn’t need to help him,” Lynch said. “He’s an excellent leader. These guys respond to him because he speaks the truth to them, he’s vulnerable, he’s demanding. He’s all those things. I really do feel like this group has a resilience. A closeness. A grit.”

• According to Alex Marvez, 49ers run-game coordinator Mike McDaniel is gaining interest as a head coaching candidate next offseason. 

Rams

Rams HC Sean McVay said they’re surprised to be sitting at 8-6 overall and he doesn’t think anyone is satisfied with where the team is right now. 

“If you said, ‘This is where we would be at,’ I don’t think anybody would be satisfied or think that’s how it would go,” McVay said, via Gary Klein of the LA Times. “But this is where we are at.”

McVay added that this season “certainly” hasn’t gone as their team expected. 

“I’m not going to shy away from the fact that, up to this point, things certainly haven’t gone the way that we expected,” McVay said. “But, we’re going to keep battling, we’re going to keep swinging.

Seahawks

Seahawks QB Russell Wilson said he got “pretty close” to WR Josh Gordon prior to his suspension for violating the league’s PED and substance-abuse policy. 

“I got pretty close with Josh,” Wilson said, via ProFootballTalk. “You’re going to miss him obviously as a player, but more importantly as a friend and as a guy you bonded with pretty quickly. We’ve been staying in touch and all that. I just pray for him. I really believe that prayer works. I really believe that relationships and friendships work in supporting no matter what we go through. We all have stuff. We all have things that we go through. I’m just praying for him and rooting for him. He’ll overcome. He’s going to overcome, and I really believe that. Hopefully, he’ll get another chance to play with us because he was fun to play with.”

Wilson is confident that Gordon will “overcome” his issues and be able to return from his latest suspension. 

“I just believe,” Wilson said. “For me, I have no other choice to just believe that he’s going to overcome it. Why would you think the other way? I think for me and just my faith and all that, I just fundamentally believe that prayer works. Just praying for him and rooting that he can overcome.”

Wilson feels that the Seahawks have a good environment for Gordon and he “really fit in” with their organization. 

“I think this environment has been great for him, to be honest with you,” Wilson said. “He really fit in, in terms of just the everyday part of the process. Since day one he got here, he was studying and working and highlighting. Doing all the extra work. He had the biggest smile on his face. I talked to him a little bit about that, too. He was just like, ‘Man, this is the place I want to be. This is the place that helped changed my life a little bit and I’m getting better.’ I think that all those things, you hope that he can come back to us and play with us. More importantly, it’s about him. It’s about his soul. It’s about life. It’s about all the things that we all have to go through and overcome.”

• The Seahawks officially downgraded OT Duane Brown (biceps) to out for Week 16.