Scott Pioli won three Super Bowls with Bill Belichick as the general manager of the New England Patriots, and on Friday he compared San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan to the future Hall of Famer, offering the highest praise possible.
Speaking with Jim Rome on the “Jim Rome Show” from Miami, Piolo said, “He is as close — and this is an unfair comparison for Kyle — he is as close to Bill Belichick as anyone I’ve ever been with.”
Piolo went on to explain that Shanahan’s attention to detail is “in a good way maniacal.”
“When you watch him call plays and design plays, it takes a split-second for the defense to actually figure out what’s happening.”
Pioli also said he doesn’t know if the Kansas City Chiefs will be prepared for what Shanahan has dialed up the past two weeks for Super Bowl LIV. He then went on to say that the 49ers coach has the potential to have a better coaching career than his father, Mike Shanahan, who won three Super Bowls himself.
Shanahan’s 49ers have their work cut out on Super Bowl Sunday, to be sure. But when it comes to game planning and making in-game adjustments, they’re as good as any team in the league.
Super Bowl LIV takes place this Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on Fox.