What 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan did to improve as a head coach this offseason

The San Francisco 49ers offense has been rolling through two weeks of the 2023 NFL season, scoring 30 points in each of their first two games, with opportunities for even more had some plays been executed in Week 2.

At the forefront of the action is head coach Kyle Shanahan, who seems as deep in his bag as ever, and his playcalling has been a significant reason for the 49ers' sustained success early on.

In Week 1, Shanahan conducted the offense to four scoring drives on their first four opportunities, while scoring three times on four drives in the first half against the Los Angeles Rams, with the lone missed chance coming on a series where quarterback Brock Purdy overthrew an open Brandon Aiyuk for a potential touchdown.

Now, Shanahan carries two hats in his duties with the 49ers: the offensive coordinator hat calling the plays and the head coaching hat, making the important decisions on fourth downs, while managing the clock and other various duties.

Thus far, it's clear that Shanahan has been thriving in his offensive coordinator hat with how the 49ers offense has been rolling early, but what improvements has the offensive guru made as a head coach?

Speaking to reporters following San Francisco's win over the Rams, Shanahan was asked about improvements he looked to make over the offseason, specifically as a head coach.

The head coach pointed to talent evaluation across the league in order to make the best personnel decisions for free agency and the draft, which are the biggest ways for a team to improve in the offseason.

"I don't know. Usually, in the offseason, we always try to review our tape," Shanahan said. "We review things from around the league to see what to add, see what fits in, spend a lot of the offseason trying to study personnel to add in the Draft or personnel to add in free agency. Those are the biggest parts as a coach that you try to do to make your team better is to try to help out and see who you can add to it to make it better. Sometimes those are real tough decisions that we all spend a lot of time working on."

But Shanahan also pointed to the need for relaxation in the offseason, while looking to get mentally stronger, which involved reading books and going into some self-care techniques.

"Then my biggest thing is trying to relax a little bit more in the offseason because I've learned how long of a grind the season is and how long it goes and how much you've got to get up for each week," Shanahan said. "I really try to get mentally stronger with books and some self-help type things so when you go into the season, you're ready to go."

With so much talk fixated on Shanahan and his responsibilities in football, it's cool to hear the head coach point out the value of self-care and relaxation to mentally prepare for the grueling season ahead.

• Rohan Chakravarthi
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  Rohan Chakravarthi
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