Brandon Aiyuk didn't want to go into too much detail about a recent conversation with his head coach, Kyle Shanahan. Instead, he simply said the two sides "had some words."
Aiyuk credits the conversation for pushing him in the right direction after the second-year receiver's slow start to the season. Aiyuk has looked better in the two games since that conversation and caught four passes for a season-high 45 yards in Sunday's win over the Chicago Bears.
General manager John Lynch joined KNBR this morning and shared some details about what he believes to be the referenced conversation between Aiyuk and Shanahan.
"I was there at one particular meeting — I think the one Brandon was referencing — around the bye week, where they had a really good dialogue," Lynch said on the Murph & Mac show. "I was in there. I kind of felt like the guy, Robert Wuhl, in Bull Durham, where I'm kind of like, 'Alright.' You know, I'm standing in between them.
"But they both got some things off their chest, but it was very productive. And they had an honest conversation. And I think that led to Brandon understanding kind of what the frustrations were.
"The good news is, man, he looked like a different player, the player we expected, against Chicago. The thing in this league, you've got to do it every week, and so it's a great start. But that's what we expect from Brandon each week. I knew it was coming because he had been doing it on the practice field.
"I expected it, probably, against Indy because he had been doing it on the practice field. But he put [in] two great weeks of practice, and if he can continue to do that, the sky's the limit. You talk about guys who kind of unlock your offense; I think he does that for us."
Lynch added that an improved Aiyuk, paired with Deebo Samuel and a returning George Kittle, makes for an explosive group of offensive weapons.
"I'm incredibly proud of Brandon because there's been a lot of spotlight on him and what he hasn't been doing," Lynch said. "I think Kyle and our organization has a high standard for a guy like Brandon because he's got so much in him, and we need him. I think sometimes, you have to go backwards to go forward."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.