San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan won just 10 games during his first two seasons with the team. Despite the respect he garnered as a play-caller, there were still some who questioned the coach's ability to take a team to the next level.
Shanahan dispelled that doubt last season, leading his squad to a division title and a trip to the Super Bowl.
While the 49ers didn't emerge as champions, team CEO Jed York was impressed enough to reward Shanahan with a contract extension, keeping him in the Bay Area through 2025.
NBC Sports' Chris Simms, while speaking with Mike Florio on Pro Football Talk Live, discussed the new contract earned by the 49ers coach, and his close friend, joking that he'll never have to pay for dinner again when joining Shanahan.
Simms also noted that Shanahan's added money is well-deserved.
"This is a guy that, as you know, Mike, and you've been around Kyle a little bit, he's very passionate about his job," Simms told Florio. "He lives it. He's been invested in it for a long, long time. He's brought a new energy to the 49ers organization.
"Even when they went 6-10 and 4-12 the first two years, it was a quarterback issue. I think everybody still saw that this offense is good. How many close games did they lose, and things like that, because of the lack of that quarterback?
"But they got Jimmy Garoppolo, and a full season of being healthy and everything like that, and I think it truly showed you the potential of Shanahan as the head coach, what his offense could be all about. We don't even think Jimmy Garoppolo is hitting on all cylinders yet."
Garoppolo completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 3,978 yards with 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions during his first full NFL season as a starter. Only two 49ers quarterbacks have passed for more yards in franchise history. Steve Young did it twice, and the record belongs to Jeff Garcia, who threw for 4,278 yards in 2000.
Simms admits that his friendship with Shanahan creates some level of bias, but notes that the coach is one of the smartest individuals he's been around when it comes to football knowledge.
"I think this is the start of an era in San Francisco," Simms added. "I think you found a coach to be a guy that can be the face of your franchise for the next 10, 20 years. That's the kind of talent and mind I think Kyle Shanahan has."
Added Simms: "Kyle is cutting edge in all aspects, bringing new ways to train to the football team, and new ways to study. He's cutting edge that way. He's like a Belichick, and he's never afraid to learn more football."
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan on Garoppolo: 'I expect Jimmy to be our starter next year'
By David Bonilla
Nov 17, 2020
There has been a lot of speculation surrounding San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's NFL future. Will he remain in the Bay Area next season? Will the 49ers look to the draft or free agency to move in a different direction?
On Tuesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters via Zoom from his home and was asked about Garoppolo's future.
"I expect Jimmy to be our starter next year," Shanahan said. "I mean, I expect him to come play with us this year (after he recovers from his ankle injury). We have six games left. We are not out of the playoffs yet. I've been on a team that was 3-6 going into a bye week that ended up winning their division.
"I think we have guys on this team capable of finishing this the right way. We've got to do
Kyle Shanahan discusses Jimmy Garoppolo's and Trent Williams' future, Javon Kinlaw, COVID-19 as 49ers enter bye week
By Site Staff
Nov 17, 2020
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters on Tuesday, two days after the team's 27-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Here is everything he had to say.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Opening comments:
"Alright guys, injuries from the game. We had [S Johnathan] Cyprien who had a hamstring, he'll be out a few weeks. [RB JaMycal] Hasty, broken collarbone. He'll have to have surgery, be done for the year. [S Jared] Mayden had a quad strain, likely done for the year. Guys who didn't play because injury, [RB] Tevin Coleman, hopeful to have him back next week versus the Ram's. [LB Demetrius] Flannigan-Fowles, hopeful to have him back also. [WR] Deebo's [Samuel] in that
49ers' Kyle Shanahan is Shrinking in the Spotlight
By Gilbert Brink
Nov 16, 2020
Enough Excuses. On Sunday, the 49ers suffered their 3rd straight blowout loss, dropping them to 4-6 and continuing their free-fall to irrelevancy. It was a game they could have won, the opportunities were there, but the 49ers just couldn't muster up more than 13 points of offense. Now, more than ever, the 49ers' 2020 season seems to be completely lost. While many look for a direction to point the finger, and there are a few obvious areas, start with the head coach.
Sure, there have been a plethora of injuries, but one side of the ball has been handling those injuries much better than the other. Robert Saleh's defensive unit has been depleted by the injury bug, losing Dee Ford, Nick Bosa, Richard Sherman, Solomon Thomas, K'waun Williams, Jaquiski Tartt and other significant
