,Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has named the next head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. He is the son of former NFL head coach Mike Shanahan.
Kyle Shanahan Named San Francisco 49ers Head Coach
The Falcons (lost in the NFC Championship game to the Green Bay Packers, lost the Super Bowl against the (New England Patriots/Pittsburgh Steelers, won Super Bowl LI). They had one of the best offenses in Shanahan in 2016. The offense was led by (NFL MVP) quarterback Matt Ryan, star running back Devonta Freeman and Julio Jones.
Shanahan is the son of former NFL coach Mike Shanahan. He was the head coach of the Denver Broncos from 1995-2008. Shanahan coached Denver to two consecutive Super Bowl titles in 1997 and 1998. They even went 43-10 over a three year span under him.
Things won’t be so simple for Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco as they were in Atlanta, however. He will be going from Ryan, Freeman and Jones to Colin Kaepernick, Carlos Hyde and Torrey Smith.
Kaepernick does play well, but he doesn’t play well enough to win the game. Hyde is always banged up. Smith is not the same receiver he was with the Baltimore Ravens.
The 49ers should learn from their mistakes, as well. After firing Jim Harbaugh, their last two coaches have coached just one year each.
Jim Tomsula coached the 49ers to a 5-11 record in 2015. In 2016, Chip Kelly came to town after two successful seasons as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Surprisingly, the 49ers finished 2-14 in his lone season as their coach.
They need to give Shanahan a few years to rebuild this team that went to the Super Bowl in 2013. If given the right players, the offensive-minded coach could make them contenders again. It may not happen in one year, but that’s okay.
The 49ers need to be patient with Shanahan. They can’t fire another coach after one year, or they’ll continue to fail.
