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Sophomore 2015 season
Going into the 2015 season, Vic Fangio left for Chicago and Eric Mangini became the new 49ers defensive coordinator. But this had no negative effects on Aaron Lynch, who came in motivated as ever.
Pass Rush
Again, Lynch looked like a force against the pass...
LONG ARM
Defenses began to try and account for him with chip blocks and double teams...
CHIP BLOCK
CHIP BLOCK 2
He showed quick twitch explosion when getting off of blocks...
QUICK TWITCH
His hand use only improved...
HANDS
The rip move got even deadlier...
RIP
He was incredibly hard to handle on stunts against guards...
STUNT
He showed off his deceptive power...
BULL RUSH
BULL RUSH 2
He setup OT’s with his slow start off the line when they were expecting a power move...
SLOW START
SLOW START 2
Lynch even added some dip and bend to his arsenal...
DIP BEND
Complete Player
Rush defense
While Lynch showed that he was an absolute pass rushing nightmare in several different ways, his greatest growth was the fact that he became an every down player. It’s easy to get lost in the hurries and sacks, but Lynch became a force in space and against the run.
Here, Lynch takes down the ball carrier with one hand...
ONE HANDED
Great lateral side step to get to the ball carrier...
SIDE STEP
Holds his ground at the point of contact...
POINT OF CONTACT
POINT OF CONTACT 2
Maneuvering through blockers to get into the back field...
MANEUVER
MANEUVER 2
Making blockers completely miss on his way to the RB...
MISS
In space
Equally impressive was Lynch’s play in space. His fluid movement and catch up speed was startling for a man his size.
In coverage, Lynch was tasked with running step for step with running backs...
RUNNING BACK
While Vic Fangio only sends his OLB’s out in zone coverage, Mangini had Lynch cover receivers up field. This is a ridiculous athletic display by Lynch...
UP FIELD
Not only did Mangini have Lynch go out on routes, he even lined him up in the slot pre snap, it really showed how much Mangini thought Lynch was capable of...
SLOT
Lynch had a knack for destroying screens and dump off passes using his quick play recognition and acceleration...
DUMP OFF
DUMP OFF 2
Motor
And much like 2014, that motivation, that drive, that motor was always apparent.
You could almost feel Lynch’s determination in this play...
DETERMINATION
Playing until the whistle...
WHISTLE
Lynch is literally 15 yards away from this play! Yet he doesn’t give up on it and gets a shot on the QB...
15 YARDS
This upcoming particular play shows just how hungry a player is. It’s 2nd and 6 in the red zone. Aaron Lynch is lined up in the slot...
Right before the snap of the ball, Lynch creeps to the edge of the line and shows blitz...
As the ball is snapped, the Vikings give Lynch a free release to try to suck him in. Lynch instead waits to diagnose the play before he makes his move...
Once Lynch reads the pass, his first instinct is to cut off the outlet pass to Adrian Peterson instead of attacking the QB immediately. He knows the safety is responsible for Peterson, but he decides to try and cut off the one area the CB cannot cover...
Once the RB has been successfully passed off, Lynch makes a break for the QB. He has an insatiable appetite, and it doesn’t matter that Bridgewater is almost 10 yards away from him...
Lynch comes bursting in on Bridgewater at full speed, taking such an angle that Bridgewater is unable to bounce outside. Lynch comes in such a hurry, that it leaves Bridgewater flat footed and unable to maneuver out of his grasp. Bridgewater has to throw it away wildly...
FULL CLIP
Lynch held his gap despite the play action, caught off the immediate pass, and he hurried the QB all in the same play. It’s the type of play you see from guys who do anything and everything they can on the field to help their team, not from a lazy unmotivated player.
Final thoughts
And this ends the BOSS (before obligatory suspension) phase of Lynch’s career. 2014-2015 Aaron Lynch was Joey Bosa before there was a Joey Bosa. With the defense crumbling around him, Lynch was still progressing well. He was headed on an all pro Trajectory.
NEXT UP: PART 3 - THE SUSPENSION
PREVIOUSLY: PART 1 - ROOKIE
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