With the scary news that San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was seriously injured in a car accident last week, it now becomes clear just how important it is the Niners hired Raheem Morris as defensive coordinator.
Obviously, the hope is that Shanahan will make a full recovery and should be back with the team in a full capacity ahead of the regular season, but there is a chance he is not physically well enough to perform the duties of head coach.
He suffered a concussion, broken ribs, and had to receive 40 stitches in his face, so this is something that is likely going to take months for him to fully recover from. There’s a chance that pain could be worse some weeks more than others and travel could potentially be difficult for him.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility there could be games early on this season where Shanahan is not able to coach.
That’s why Morris becomes so important.
Raheem Morris' value to 49ers just skyrocketed after Kyle Shanahan accident
Morris has experience as a head coach as he was just the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons for two seasons. He and Shanahan have known each other for years and trust each other, so if Shanahan was unable to coach a game himself, Morris would probably be at the top of his list to assume head coach duties.
In a hypothetical scenario in which Morris did have to assume head coach duties, that would likely mean offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak would take over play-calling duties on offense, a role that usually belongs to Shanahan.
Perhaps Morris would also call plays on defense if he had to serve as head coach, but maybe he’d delegate that responsibility to someone else on his staff like Matt Eberflus, who has been a defensive coordinator for several teams.
Bay Area sports fans may recall a decade ago when Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr dealt with chronic back issues and had to miss a good chunk of the season, while Luke Walton assumed head coach duties. The Warriors did pretty well that season, as they set a regular-season record by winning 73 games, and Kerr returned midseason, so maybe if Shanahan has to miss time, it could actually turn out well for the Niners.
Obviously, the goal and plan is to have him back on the field and coaching as soon as possible, but if that proves to take longer than anticipated, it’s nice that Morris is with San Francisco and ready to step up if necessary.
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