A clinical season: that's exactly what you can call it. San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has put on an absolute coaching clinic this season.
And, during the Niners ' Wild Card matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, a former NFL game-wrecker chimed in on the job Shanahan has done with this team over the past few months. Courtesy of BBC Sport, Ndamukong Suh offered up some high -- and obvious -- praise for the Niners' leader:
“The 49ers have had to deal with a lot of injuries this season yet they're still in this position. That's one of the reasons why Kyle Shanahan is in a lot of Coach of the Year conversations.”
This might sound like the most obvious take of all-time and something every 49ers fan already knew, but it cannot be said enough. In a season with so many deserving candidates, Shanahan should still be sitting atop the list of nominees.
Ndamukong Suh said what every 49ers fan has been screaming for months
He isn't wrong. Shanahan isn't just in the conversation, the man should win.
Let's look at a few other excellent coaches who should be up for the award as well, just real quick.
You've got Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots who benefited from a mostly-poor AFC East and a Buffalo Bills team that looked lost at times, this year. Vrabel has done a fine job, but the Patriots' schedule was much more of a cake walk than the likes of San Francisco.
We could talk about fellow NFC West teams like the L.A. Rams and Sean McVay along with Mike Macdonald and the Seattle Seahawks. Both have done a phenomenal job, but unlike the 49ers, they've had most of their star players healthy for the majority of the year (i.e. Matthew Stafford, Sam Darnold, Kyren Williams, Jaxson Smith-Njigba).
You could make a case for first-year coaches like Liam Coen or Ben Johnson, too. Coen benefited from a division that wasn't nearly as good as it once seemed, this season. Johnson, meanwhile, came into a dream situation with plenty of offensive firepower and a no. 1 overall pick under center.
None of these teams have had to deal with the amount of injuries San Francisco has. Brock Purdy missing a chunk of the season was one thing. But, you add in Fred Warner, Mykel Williams, Ricky Pearsall, Tatum Bethune and so many more... it has been rough sledding.
Yet, Shanahan continues to not blink. He refuses to. These 49ers have still won games and fought through every bit of adversity, and to Suh's point, that proves just how valuable his coaching has been.