49ers 2017 Season: The new passing game

Today Niner Noise will continue its analysis of the new 2017 49ers. Part two of this series will focus on the passing game and what to expect from Kyle Shanahan and the rebuilt offense. We will examine the schemes from Shanahan’s past teams and how they could relate to the new roster, the direction of the offseason and the running game that we covered in part one.

The 49ers passing game has been living in obscurity in comparison to the days that the franchise was enjoying its dynasty status. They have not had a season with 3,500 yards or more through the air since the 2000 season, the last year that San Francisco had both Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens as their top receivers.

As a matter of fact, the most passing yardage the 49ers accrued in the last 6 years was under former head coach Jim Tomsula in 2015 with 3,316 yards.

The 3,500-yard mark is relevant because in the past 30 years only 10 teams have won a Super Bowl with less. Most of the teams that fell short of the mark were only short by less than 50 yards. The others were vaulted by all-time great defenses like the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers and 2013 Seattle Seahawks.

Shanahan has served as offensive coordinator for four different teams in the last nine years and only missed the 3,500-yard passing mark twice, in both these instances it wasn’t by much. Ironically, on both occasions, the circumstances and results are some of his most impressive work.

With the 2012 Washington Redskins, he was coaching up rookie Robert Griffith III in a season that earned RG3 the Rookie of the Year honors and a playoff birth for the Redskins. Although they missed the 3,500-yard passing mark by 78 yards, the team also totaled a very impressive 2,709 yards on the ground.

In 2014, Shanahan took over the offense for a 4-12 Cleveland Browns team with little expectations. In a similar situation to what he has with this years’ 49ers, Shanahan coordinated new QB starter Brian Hoyer in a rebuilding year.

Shanahan had the Browns to a very respectful 7-6 record in a tough division by week 13 while Hoyer had racked up 3,326 yards through the air and 12 TDs. Hoyer was lost to injury after that and Shanahan was saddled with rookie Johnny Manziel and lost out the rest of the season.

He subsequently asked to be released from his contract with the Browns after the season because of a difference of opinion on who the Browns wanted him to work with at the QB position going forward. A situation that proved to make Shanahan look like a man that knew what he was talking about in the following years.

After looking at the 49ers’ new head coaches history and success, the most important questions that one would ask is how does he do it and can he do it in San Francisco.