What do the 49ers Faithful and Super Bowl LI have in common?
The 49ers Head Coach-in-waiting Kyle Shanahan!
ATLANTA, GA – JANUARY 22: Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan celebrates with Matt Ryan #2 after defeating the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome on January 22, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Falcons defeated the Packers 44-21. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
2017.01.22 – Santa Clara, CA. The 49ers Faithful have something to look forward to in Super Bowl LI – the Atlanta Falcons vs. the New England Patriots. Upon the conclusion of the game, we could have the 49ers head coach-in-waiting Kyle Shanahan. It appears all but a done deal that the Falcons offensive coordinator Shanahan will become the 20th head coach in the history of the San Francisco 49ers.
Kyle Shanahan was 15 years old when his father, Mike Shanahan, served as the 49ers’ offensive coordinator on the franchise’s last Super Bowl winning team. Kyle told reporters he’s enjoyed “huge advantages” from shadowing his father, such as: “Just having the opportunity to be around football my entire life, just growing up as a ball boy for the 49ers and being close to guys like John Taylor and Harris Barton and Jerry Rice and Steve Young, and hanging out with those guys all summer back when training camp was a lot longer.” After winning Super Bowl XXIX in his third season with the 49ers, Mike Shanahan embarked on a 13-year tenure as the Denver Broncos’ coach, winning Super Bowls in the 1998 and ’99 seasons.
For now, Kyle Shanahan must strategize the game of his life to beat the Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. The Patriots’ McDaniels, also interviewed with the 49ers for the Head Coach position but decided to stay with New England.
Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels
Right after the OC Shanahan vs. OC McDaniels Super Bowl LI, Shanahan should be finishing up his responsibilities with the Falcons. The upside to the 49ers waiting this long to fill their head coaching spot is that it resulted in them getting a guy who is a highly-regarded coach, especially given how masterfully he guided the Falcons offense this past season and how he blasted the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Playoffs. Other teams basically bowed out of the competition for Shanahan, because they didn’t want to wait for him to complete his duties with Atlanta.
Now, the downside to waiting for Shanahan is that, compared to the 31 other teams in the NFL, the 49ers are behind about two weeks in getting both their front office and remaining coaching staff positions set. The San Francisco team still doesn’t have a General Manager, as they’re interviewing candidates whom they feel would work well with Shanahan.
The 49ers also don’t have either coordinator position set, as Shanahan hasn’t been able to devote the time needed to filling out his staff. There’s been virtually no discussion as to who is going to work alongside Shanahan in guiding the 49ers offense. On defense, many people presume that incumbent defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil will retain his title, but that’s far from certain. And it wouldn’t be a surprise if Shanahan brings in a coordinator whom he’s familiar with.
Regardless, as other teams begin their preparations for the NFL Scouting Combine and free agency, the 49ers have not even put together the infrastructure that will be responsible for the team’s rebuild.
Then, there’s also the very small, but very distinct possibility that Shanahan the 49ers head coach-in-waiting, ends up changing his mind, and everything falls apart for Jed York’s team. Again, Shanahan is not yet officially the head coach. What if the Falcons lose the Super Bowl? Might Shanahan want another opportunity to guide Atlanta’s prolific offense for one more title shot? He’s under no obligation to take the 49ers job.
And even more interestingly, what if the Indianapolis Colts, suddenly emerge as another suitors for Shanahan? The Colts owner Jim Irsay surprisingly fired former General Manager Ryan Grigson this past week, and if you believe the rumors that have emerged over the past few weeks, he’s not exactly beholden to head coach Chuck Pagano either. Irsay could very well try to coax Shanahan to come to Indianapolis, pitching him the opportunity to work with the mega-talented Andrew Luck. Shanahan could walk into that new job with a Pro Bowl quarterback in place; or maybe, he feels the same, taking the 49ers head coach job with quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
If the 49ers want to walk out of this situation not looking like the laughingstock of the league, they have to do everything in their power to ensure that Kyle Shanahan does end up becoming their next head coach. So what do the 49ers Faithful and Super Bowl LI have in common? The 49ers Head Coach-in-waiting Kyle Shanahan! The 49ers CEO Jed York hasn’t done much to stay in the good graces of the 49ers Faithful, but doing whatever it takes to make sure Shanahan comes to the Bay area would be a great start.
Read more at: San Francisco 49ers Media Services / More AP NFL: www.apnews.com/tag/NFL
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