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10 Reasons to be Excited, Worried about the San Francisco 49ers in 2017

By Peter Panacy

Feb 9, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan speaks to the media between general manager John Lynch and chief executive officer Jed York during a press conference at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan speaks to the media between general manager John Lynch and chief executive officer Jed York during a press conference at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan talks with safety Ricardo Allen (37) before Super Bowl LI against the New England Patriots at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan talks with safety Ricardo Allen (37) before Super Bowl LI against the New England Patriots at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Excitement: Head Coach Kyle Shanahan Has Worked Well with Bad Offenses Before

The Niners spent the majority of free agency focusing on the offense. San Francisco’s moves made sense. A good chunk of players signed had previous experience working under head coach Kyle Shanahan.

This will help. Shanahan’s offense is complex but highly effective.

Yet despite these moves, the Niners shouldn’t be expected to wind up in the same category as, let’s say, the Atlanta Falcons last season. San Francisco will still be no better than average on offense this season.

To gauge what to expect, let’s look at Shanahan’s coordinator history:

Kyle Shanahan Team’s Ranks Table
Over Over Over Over Offe Offe Offe Rush Rush Rush Rush Rush Pass Pass Pass Pass
Year Tm Role Tms WL% T/G Pts± Yds± Yds Pts GvA Att Yds TD Y/A FL Att Yds TD Int
2008 HOU OC 32 17 29 21 8 3 17 30 16 13 11 13 20 7 4 13 29
2009 HOU OC 32 11 19 11 7 4 10 16 20 30 18 31 17 4 1 5 17
2010 WAS OC 32 20 19 27 26 18 25 21 31 30 24 16 21 4 8 22 20
2011 WAS OC 32 26 30 24 16 16 26 30 25 25 26 22 22 5 14 23 29
2012 WAS OC 32 9 3 12 13 5 4 1 3 1 2 2 5 30 20 13 1
2013 WAS OC 32 31 25 30 11 9 23 30 13 5 13 3 29 9 16 24 20
2014 CLE OC 32 20 9 25 26 23 27 13 6 17 4 28 6 26 20 32 19
2015 ATL OC 32 14 27 15 10 7 21 26 16 19 12 25 28 8 6 23 24
2016 ATL OC 32 5 4 2 4 2 1 1 12 5 3 5 2 26 3 2 4
9 yrs 50 46 45 61 73 50 45 54 53 64 53 51 62 71 49 47
4 yrs WAS OC 36 43 30 52 66 42 39 47 55 52 70 43 66 58 39 48
2 yrs ATL OC 73 55 77 81 89 69 61 59 66 80 56 56 50 89 64 59
2 yrs HOU OC 59 28 53 80 92 61 31 47 36 58 34 45 86 95 75 31
1 yr CLE OC 41 75 25 22 31 19 63 84 50 91 16 84 22 41 3 44

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/4/2017.

In 2009, Shanahan helped engineer a Pro Bowl campaign for then-Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub. The following year, Shanahan helped an aging veteran quarterback, Donovan McNabb, pass for over 3,300 yards with zero running game and an aging wide receiver, Santana Moss, as his primary target.

Oh, and the 2012 and 2013 Redskins offenses were pretty good too.

Yet the closest comparison to what the Niners will field this year is probably the 2014 Cleveland Browns.

And one could make the argument San Francisco has more talent now than the Browns did then.