The NFC West got easier this offseason with the Seattle Seahawks trading quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. According to StatMuse, Wilson is 16-4 against the San Francisco 49ers over his career, including beating his once-division-rival in the last four meetings. He has thrown 36 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions against the Niners.
Kyle Shanahan is 2-8 as a head coach against a Russell Wilson-led Seahawks squad. So it's no surprise that he's glad to see the quarterback leave the division. San Francisco's coach hasn't escaped Wilson completely, though. The 49ers will travel to Denver in 2022.
Shanahan spoke with reporters in Florida this week and was asked to share his thoughts on Wilson leaving the NFC West.
"I was happy. I had no problem with it," Shanahan responded with a grin. "Russell has been an unbelievable player. Everyone knows how great he's been in Seattle, and his legacy there will be what it is for a long time, but I'm very happy we don't have to see him twice a year. Unfortunately, we still play the AFC West (in 2022), but at least [we'll see Wilson] only once."
Shanahan wasn't initially happy with all of this offseason's changes, though. His coaching staff saw a mass exodus. While some turnover is typical for teams like the 49ers coming off a successful season, San Francisco had an unexpectedly high number of departures.
Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel left to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Wide receiver coach Wes Welker and tight end coach and assistant head coach Jon Embree joined McDaniel in Miami. Quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello left to become the offensive coordinator at the University of Kentucky. Running backs coach Bobby Turner is taking a year off as he recovers from knee surgery. That's not even the full list.
"It was tough," Shanahan admitted. "I mean, we really lost every offensive position coach except our O-line coach. And we got like 10 guys, which almost feels as much as anyone in the league. So it threw me off a little bit. When the season ends, you want to get away and just completely check out, but it's tough when you lose some coaches. You've got to kind of work at that.
"It was a little stressful at first because you lose so many guys that you're used to working with, guys that are your friends, and also guys that you've depended on for a while. And you've got to go through a process that's not always that fun. But after we went through it for a month, and when it's said and done, it does give you the chance to get better, not by losing guys but just adding guys.
"It's something that you don't always like to go through, but once you go through the process and you end up with the final staff, which we have now, I'm really excited about it. And you bring in some new guys, who I think will pick up stuff fast. We also have some guys that we've been training for a while that have gotten promotions and are ready to take on this role too."
Shanahan also admits that the coach hiring process is among his most challenging tasks. It isn't easy to turn away experienced talent because they may not be a perfect fit for the 49ers.
"It's not just who's the best guy," Shanahan said. "It's who fits with your staff the best, who fits in that role. There's lots of different avenues to go through, but I feel good about where we're at."
San Francisco officially announced each of its coaching hires and coaching title changes on March 7.
Comments