The San Francisco 49ers are on the prowl for a new head coach in 2017 to replace Chip Kelly. Let’s take a look at why Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is the best fit for the Niners’ needs.
Far and wide, the San Francisco 49ers have been actively searching for the team’s fourth head coach in as many seasons.
This is, of course, in the wake of former head coach Chip Kelly’s dismissal, as well as former Niners general manager Trent Baalke. And while the clean slate in Santa Clara should be seen as an attractive aspect, who knows what direction CEO Jed York will go in making the final call.
He should go with Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
Shanahan’s Falcons finished with the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense this season. While it helps to have weapons like quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones, Shanahan has also proven he’s done more with less offensive playmakers.
More on that in a moment, but let’s draw a comparison between Shanahan and another 49ers head coaching candidate, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
The Kyle Shanahan vs. Josh McDaniels Argument
Like Shanahan, McDaniels is another sought-after candidate with a big name and reputation.
And, according to reports, the 49ers appear to be the preferred team for the New England OC in 2017.
Sure, McDaniels would be an attractive hire. His work with the Patriots in recent years has easily made him one of the bigger names on the market. It wouldn’t be surprising — or even bad — if York and Co. brought him aboard.
But remove McDaniels from the New England tandem of quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski. Remove McDaniels from the auspices of head coach Bill Belichick.
A quarterback-less Niners team is essentially what McDaniels would be walking into. And we can draw some comparisons between McDaniels without the Patriots too. Just take a look at this chart, courtesy of Pro Football Reference:
| Overall | Offense | Rushing Off | Passing Off | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Tm | Tms | WL% | T/G | Pts± | Yds± | Yds | Pts | GvA | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | FL | Att | Yds | TD | Int | NY/A |
| 2006 | NWE | 32 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 16 | 6 | 12 | 4 | 18 | 25 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 12 |
| 2007 | NWE | 32 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2008 | NWE | 32 | 6 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 5 | 13 |
| 2009 | DEN | 32 | 16 | 7 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 20 | 7 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 17 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 7 | 15 |
| 2010 | DEN | 32 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 25 | 13 | 19 | 16 | 27 | 26 | 12 | 24 | 27 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 7 | 9 |
| 2011 | STL | 32 | 31 | 23 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 11 | 23 | 23 | 29 | 20 | 26 | 16 | 30 | 32 | 4 | 31 |
| 2012 | NWE | 32 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 17 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| 2013 | NWE | 32 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 15 |
| 2014 | NWE | 32 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 18 | 12 | 22 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 17 |
| 2015 | NWE | 32 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 25 | 30 | 11 | 29 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 2016 | NWE | 32 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 25 | 13 | 23 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 yrs | %tile | 33 | 50 | 30 | 44 | 59 | 42 | 67 | 39 | 34 | 50 | 39 | 44 | 78 | 72 | 55 | 81 | 66 |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/9/2017.
Outside of New England, McDaniels’ numbers haven’t exactly been awe inspiring. Perhaps we can cross off his years as head coach with the Denver Broncos in 2009 and 2010 as simply being “too much, too soon” for the then-34-year-old McDaniels.
But the 49ers’ situation in 2017 will be a lot like the situation he was in with the St. Louis Rams in 2011 — lacking playmakers and, essentially, starting from scratch.
The Case for Kyle Shanahan
This isn’t to say McDaniels would be a bad fit, per se. He might be excellent and could have learned from previous mistakes.
But it’s safe to say Shanahan has done more, as Niner Noise pointed out in our recent head coaching candidate rankings.
Related Story: Ranking 49ers Head Coaching Candidates by Preference
Sure, Shanahan would be walking into a situation in San Francisco without an established quarterback or standout receiver. But he’s done that before with less-than-stellar offenses.
But the numbers, per Pro Football Reference, are vastly better than those of McDaniels:
| Overall | Offense | Rushing Off | Passing Off | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Tm | Tms | WL% | T/G | Pts± | Yds± | Yds | Pts | GvA | Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | FL | Att | Yds | TD | Int | NY/A |
| 2008 | HOU | 32 | 17 | 29 | 21 | 8 | 3 | 17 | 30 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 20 | 7 | 4 | 13 | 29 | 5 |
| 2009 | HOU | 32 | 11 | 19 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 20 | 30 | 18 | 31 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 3 |
| 2010 | WAS | 32 | 20 | 19 | 27 | 26 | 18 | 25 | 21 | 31 | 30 | 24 | 16 | 21 | 4 | 8 | 22 | 20 | 18 |
| 2011 | WAS | 32 | 26 | 30 | 24 | 16 | 16 | 26 | 30 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 22 | 22 | 5 | 14 | 23 | 29 | 16 |
| 2012 | WAS | 32 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 30 | 20 | 13 | 1 | 2 |
| 2013 | WAS | 32 | 31 | 25 | 30 | 11 | 9 | 23 | 30 | 13 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 29 | 9 | 16 | 24 | 20 | 23 |
| 2014 | CLE | 32 | 20 | 9 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 27 | 13 | 6 | 17 | 4 | 28 | 6 | 26 | 20 | 32 | 19 | 16 |
| 2015 | ATL | 32 | 14 | 27 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 26 | 16 | 19 | 12 | 25 | 28 | 8 | 6 | 23 | 24 | 10 |
| 2016 | ATL | 32 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 26 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 0 yr | %tile |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/9/2017.
Even on some bad Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns and Redskins teams, Shanahan’s offenses have finished no lower than 16th overall, in terms of total yards, just twice — 2010 and 2014. And one can easily make the argument those were due to a lackluster roster than poor play-calling.
There is a question though whether or not Shanahan would actually wind up with the 49ers.
According to Chris Biderman of Niners Wire, the Denver Broncos — looking for a replacement for the now-retired Gary Kubiak — might be the most likely of landing spots.
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It would make more sense to go there. Denver already has a stout defense. And it has a solid receiving corps and a quarterback to groom, Paxton Lynch.
San Francisco has none of that.
Still, York and the Niners would be wise to do whatever it takes to land Shanahan in an all-out attempt to get the best head coaching candidate available on the market.
If this means more money, fine. York owes the fan base that much.
Next: Why the 49ers Are a Top Destination for GM Candidates
And we should hope Shanahan bites.