3. Can Kyle Shanahan coach the 49ers out of the NFC West basement?
The last three seasons for the 49ers have been a nightmare for fans. San Francisco finished the NFC West third in 2014 during John Harbaugh’s final year. Then the team dwelt in the basement the past two seasons under Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly.
A total of only 15 games won and 33 lost were managed in this stretch. Inconsistency and ineptitude at the quarterback position the last two seasons has not helped. Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert scraped up only seven wins in 2015-16.
The team opens 2017 with Kyle Shanahan, who says fans need to practice patience.
“Give us some time, be patient with us. I promise you guys we’re going to work as hard as anyone and do things the right way with good people, high character guys. It’s going to be a lot of work, tough work, but I promise you guys it’ll be worth it. And we’ll do this right way and make you guys proud and will not let you guys down. (I) look forward to talking to you all.”
Shanahan and new general manager John Lynch will need to make the best of the resources at hand to rebuild from the bottom. Fortunately, the 49ers have the second pick in the draft and potentially $100 million in cap space. These are huge pluses. But a team with so many needs is no quick fix.
On the defensive side, San Francisco ranked last giving up 406.8 yards and 30 points on average each game. The offense ranked 31st and scored only 19.3 average points per matchup.
The nice news is, Shanahan will also serve as the team’s offensive coordinator. This is major considering he just worked with the Atlanta Falcons’ top-scoring offense.
While the new brass is diligently working away, the team’s quarterback situation will one to follow in the upcoming months.