Not that this is a tremendous shock, but word is coming out now that new San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan will call plays for the team’s offense. Essentially, he’s going to be the offensive coordinator.
The plan for #49ers coach Kyle Shanahan is to have QB coach Rich Scangarello, run-game guru Mike McDaniel…and coordinate the offense himself
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 8, 2017
Shanahan has been coordinating NFL offenses going back to 2008 with the Houston Texans. Since then, he’s held the same position with the Washington Redskins, Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons, improving his chops to the point where his Falcons in 2016 featured the highest-scoring offense in the NFL.
His task in San Francisco — whipping up an offense that ranked No. 31 in total offense and No. 27 in scoring — is not without some pitfalls. The 49ers don’t have a quarterback (and might not have one until 2018, per John Lynch), lack talent at the receiver position and feature a bell-cow running back in Carlos Hyde who can’t seem to stay healthy.
But if we’ve learned anything from the history of the NFL, it’s that top-notch coaches make a tremendous difference in bringing out the talent in players.
Time will tell if Shanahan has what it takes to get the 49ers back to prominence after three years of devolution. One thing we know for sure is that the 49ers are giving him the power to mold this team to his vision and will, and we can’t wait to see what he does with this opportunity.