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Don’t Blame the Falcons Super Bowl Loss on Kyle Shanahan

By Rich Madrid

Aug 11, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan before a game against the Washington Redskins at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 11, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan before a game against the Washington Redskins at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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In this post, we look why you shouldn’t worry about new 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and his play-calling in the second half of the Super Bowl.

The New England Patriots came roaring back to win Super Bowl LI by defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in the first ever overtime Super Bowl.

They did it largely with an offensive effort in the second half versus a Falcons offense led by new 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan that struggled to move the ball on just 28 second-half plays (18 pass, 10 run).

The Falcons second-half performance left many fans questioning whether Shanahan is really worth the wait to be the next head coach of the 49ers.

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

Viewers were expecting an offensive performance like they have been seeing all season from an explosive offense that scored 540 (33.8 points per game) points this season and 80 points through two playoff games prior to the Super Bowl.

But fans should proceed with caution for three reasons in their criticisms.

First, this was the biggest game of Kyle Shanahan’s coaching career thus far. His relative lack of experience is nothing to scoff at or be worried about. 49ers fans should instead look at his entire body work from his time with the Redskins until now. He is a coach who has gotten the most out of his talent on whatever team he has been the primary signal-caller for.

The second reason is they were playing the Patriots, who are no stranger to close playoff games. Tom Brady will go down as arguably the best in the league ahead of our very own Joe Montana. For the second Super Bowl in a row, the Patriots came back on their opponents to eventually win the game.

In fact, Brady rallied his team on three separate occasions to win the Super Bowl before this past weekend. 49ers fans need to understand the Falcons just went up against the best team of the current era.

Lastly, the loss cannot all be pinned on Shanahan. The Falcons defense allowed the Patriots to convert five of six third downs, and one of one fourth downs, in the second half. The Falcons were the victim of their own mistakes on offense, with tight end Austin Hooper dropping a pass that would have put them in field-goal range.

Two other penalties stalled key drives in the fourth quarter, as well as two sacks. In one instance, the Patriots all but gave the game away were it not for Edelman coming down with a miraculous catch to keep the final drive alive in the fourth quarter.

Third-Quarter Gaffes

:59/3rd quarter/2nd and 11. After a holding penalty on the offensive line that pushed the Falcons back 10 yards, Matt Ryan took a pass in shotgun and scrambled to his right and fired a pass to Hooper on a crossing route out of the backfield.

As he turned to go up field, he eventually dropped the pass:

The clock stopped. On the very next play, the Patriots sacked Ryan for a nine-yard loss and forcing a punt.

8:31/3rd quarter/3rd and 1. This is perhaps the only questionable play call I see in the second half that you can unequivocally point to Shanahan and say they should have done something different.

The Falcons line up in shotgun, two-back backfield that motions to a single back. The Patriots come with a blitz on a five-man rush and get edge pressure on Ryan, eventually sacking him and forcing a fumble:

Ryan lined up five yards deep in shotgun and dropped back on a seven-step drop for five more yards (a full 10 behind the LOS) all to pick up a needed yard. One yard!

Of course, the play was doomed from the start. And blaming the offensive coordinator does not absolve running back Devonta Freeman of not at least getting a chip on Dont’a Hightower before going out into his route.

3:56/4th quarter/2nd and 11. The next sequence of events here is more troubling from a player execution standpoint than anything.

After Julio Jones made what was quite possibly one of the all-time great catches, the Falcons faced 1st and 10 from the New England 22. After a one-yard loss by Freeman, they faced 2nd and 11 and elected to pass to make the down series more manageable.

Unfortunately Ryan was sacked for a 12 yard loss:

On the next play in the series, 3rd and 23, the Falcons took another bad holding penalty pushing them back to 3rd and 33 before punting on fourth down.

These offensive mistakes were in addition to the numerous defensive lapses experienced, yet again, by a Dan Quinn-led defense (first time was in the Seahawks/Patriots Super Bowl).

Epitomizing the defensive struggles was a dropped interception by Falcons defensive back Robert Alford.

2:28/4th quarter/1st and 10. The Falcons were playing a cover-two “man under” defense on the Patriots receivers. The Patriots, in the 3×2 empty-set formation with Brady in shotgun, were looking to exploit a small void in front of the safety with receiver Julian Edelman.

Bottom line, this pass should never have occurred but was nonetheless completed after it hit off the defender’s hands and was scooped up by Edelman about one inch from the ground:

In the pic above near the top left corner of the NFL logo, you can see Alford leap to try for the interception. Edelman eventually caught the ball. The play was ruled a catch on the field and challenged by the Falcons.

It was ultimately upheld as a legal catch:

This should have been a game-sealing interception. But instead, Edelman made magic happen and scooped it up, saving the drive.

Nonetheless, had it been intercepted, there is no doubt we wouldn’t be engaged in any criticism of Shanahan.

It’s easy to lay blame at the feet of the most notable coaching hire the 49ers have had since Jim Harbaugh because of the spotlight Kyle Shanahan has received around the NFL since the playoffs began, especially since the 49ers fired Chip Kelly.

But it’s important to look at the overall body work and not get too caught up in the drama of the sporting world’s biggest championship game.

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It’s also important to understand that, on the field, the coach has no control over what happens, and players have to execute their assignments. Or as Bill Belichick says, “Do your job.”

There is nothing wrong with holding players accountable for their lack of playmaking or their inability to execute their basic assignments. Scapegoating Kyle Shanahan for the entire second performance is foolish.

Shanahan told Colorado’s NBC 9 News:

"That’s every game. You look at everything. Look at what happened, look at what you could have done different. Wish we could have ran more plays, but … you give the ball back to Tom Brady too much, that’s usually what happens."

Next: Where will Colin Kaepernick end up next season?

From the above quote, fans should know Kyle Shanahan will most certainly learn from his mistakes here and hopefully grow and lead the 49ers to great things in the future.

All images courtesy of NFL.com and NFL GamePass.