Tough questions the 49ers have to ask going into the 2019 season

Is Kyle Shanahan as good as people say?

A new wave of young, offensive-minded head coaches has taken the NFL by storm. There are two names always mentioned as the beginning of this wave: the Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay and 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan.

There is no doubt McVay is one of the best coaches in the NFL. He took the Rams from the butt end of jokes to NFC champions in his first two years as a head coach.

There are many links between McVay and Shanahan. They come from the same offensive system, the Shanahan system, created by Kyle’s father, Mike Shanahan. They also both worked for Mike Shanahan with the Washington Redskins.

Because of these links, the coaches are often mentioned together. While McVay has had more success than Kyle Shanahan in his first two seasons, most Niners fans say it’s simply because Shanahan has been hobbled by injuries, and now that he’s built his team, he will perform at the same level as McVay.

But is Shanahan actually that good of a coach?

There is no doubt his offensive system works. Last season, he produced high-level rushers no matter who was in at running back. But the Niners still lost most of their close games. So, while Shanahan’s ability to put together an offense is obvious, his situational play calling seems like it may not be up to scruff.

The biggest example of Shanahan’s play calling not working out is from his days as the Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator in Super Bowl LI. You probably remember this as the game when the Falcons blew a 25-point lead.

Shanahan’s play calling was almost certainly a big factor in the Falcons blowing that lead. He himself regrets passing rather than running the ball with four minutes left in the game, which led to the Falcons getting forced out of field-goal range.

Had Shanahan been able to better run out the clock and hold onto the Falcons lead, the most impressive Super Bowl comeback ever would likely have never happened.

Now, hopefully, Shanahan has learned from this humiliation. Hopefully he is as good as his rival in Los Angeles. But, the question still has to be asked, and will need to be answered, if the 49ers are going to take the leap to become a contending team: Is Shanahan as good as people think?

These are tough questions to asked, but they have to be considered as people look to the 49ers to become a force in the NFL. While they certainly do cause fear and doubts, if answered positively, the Niners should be in a position to contend for years to come.