Shanahan has shown not only a mastery of any game situation but an ability to adapt his calls and strategy as the game progresses.
When a game called for a ground attack, he grabbed running plays from a distant sandlot and put up 275 yards on the turf.
When Garoppolo was heating up, and the 49ers' defense struggled, Shanahan leaned on the pass and let Garoppolo destroy teams through the air.
Against the New Orleans Saints, Shanahan got to flex and use his explosive plays to fight for points and valuable in-game momentum. That allowed his offense to keep throwing punches and maintain drives.
Here are a few plays I found interesting from last Sunday.
1st Quarter – 1st and 10 at the SF 25 (11:34)
A diehard, and slightly aging, 49er faithful may remember the NFL Films recap of Super Bowl XVI, and the breakdown of 'Sweep Pass Right Z Comeback.'
2nd Quarter – 1st and 10 at the SF 25 (14:57)
First, he continued to stomp his heavy leaden foot on the gas pedal, opening the quarter with a route that exposed the weaknesses in the Saints' secondary. It also helped the play went for six points.
Second, he fed Garoppolo's confidence with a high-octane additive, calling a movement play to the right.
Quarterbacks probably have a favorite set of plays that give them immediate confidence, but nothing beats a movement play. It allows a quarterback to have a clear view of the field, or even cut the field in half, to read a live coverage.
Sanders sealed the play with a nasty move back to the post. He sold the corner route so well, that once he broke to post, the defensive back hit the artificial surface with an embarrassing thud.
2nd Quarter – 1st and 10 at the SF 25 (7:29)
The Saints' offense set the tone immediately last week, scoring on its first four possessions of the game. It was midway through the second quarter, and the 49ers were down by two scores.
Rather than open the 49ers' fourth offense with a run, Shanahan called 'P14 Weak X Dagger', an effective play he's had in his playbook for years.
Drawn up, 'Dagger' looks like a simple play, But, again, they are the little things the 49ers' offense do well this year that made it successful.
First, the speed of both receivers coming off the ball forced the defensive back to flip his hips downfield. Once this occurs, a receiver can easily separate himself from the defender when he decides to break inside, outside, or back to the quarterback.
Second, 'Dagger' is an excellent Cover 2 beating play. Cover 2 is vulnerable to in-breaking routes, as the middle of the field is often left open. With 'Dagger,' both in-breaking routes force one safety to make a choice – the deeper route or, the shorter route.
Either choice is wrong.
As you can see from this shot, the safety keyed on Sanders' route, which left Samuel open in the middle of the field.
2nd Quarter – 1st and Goal at the NO 10 (:45)
In the middle of the air attack was a bread-and-butter power run that gave the 49ers the lead at the end of the first half.
What if we move the tight end into the backfield? Have at it.
Can I run power from a single-back set and pull the guard as the lead block? We can build that. We have the technology.
The 49ers' offensive line shoved everyone aside and left a clear path for left guard Laken Tomlinson to remove the defensive end from the play.
Running back Raheem Mostert had a clear gap to run right, with help from Saints linebacker Craig Robertson overshooting the hole.
One note on the play: Tomlinson made it clear he was going to pull right from the start. He was a foot or so back from the line of scrimmage, which Saints' defensive tackle Shy Tuttle noted before the snap.
3rd Quarter – 1st and 10 at the SF 21 (14:55)
The 49ers got the ball back to start the second half, and Shanahan wasted no time in picking up where he left off.
4th Quarter – 3rd and 5 at the NO 32 (11:01)
The 49ers started their 10th offense at their 45-yard late in the third quarter. Slowly, Garoppolo and the ten men with him pieced together a 14-play, 55-yard drive to score and take a nine-point lead.
Shanahan's aggressive strategy may carry over against the Atlanta Falcons, considering the injuries to cornerback Richard Sherman, defensive end Dee Ford and Garland starting at center. I would not play it safe against a frustrated four-win team with nothing to lose.
All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference.
All images courtesy of NFL.com.
- Bret Rumbeck
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Written by:Bret Rumbeck has been writing about the 49ers since 2017 for 49ers Webzone and 49ers Hub. He is a Turlock, CA native, and has worked for two members of the US House of Representatives and one US Senator. When not breaking down game film, Bret spends his time seeking out various forms of heavy metal. Feel free to follow him or direct inquiries to @brumbeck.