49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan Thread

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by Joecool:
I think we should have gone McG, Edge Rusher, and Guard, then trade back into the 3rd for a RB. That would have filled up all our holes. Then next year, if we really want to dominate, add another edge rusher, MLB, and WR.

The problem with that plan is you draft players, not positions. You don't sign a position to a contract, you sign a player.

Drafting a position just because its a need is Baalke level stuff.

Or drafting an edge player with an ACL tear.

Originally posted by thl408:

Originally posted by Joecool:

From 2017 to 2018, we "reloaded" at positions we were already loaded on. We draft a RT but let go of a top pass blocking RT which the Pats are using very well as a stretch blocker. We draft a coverage LB when we already have a coverage LB in M. Smith. We draft a WR when we are loaded at that spot.

So, our first 3 2018 picks were of positions we already had starters at. THIS is why we still have so many holes. Instead of filling up 6 spots, we "reloaded" on 3 spots we didn't need to at this time while leaving the original holes.

Let's not even talk about Free Agency and our cap space.

I get it. You want the team to have more of a, 'go for it now' attitude in 2018. That's not the approach the front office is taking. They are looking longer term. Had they drafted for immediate needs, then maybe they do aggressively draft/sign an edge player. Garcon, Trent Brown, and Malcolm Smith are not long term answers at their positions. That's why the team went for Pettis, McG, and Warner.

Kyle and Lynch are using their 6 year contracts to their advantage. I'm positive they understand their needs, but they won't do anything haphazard to fill them that could hurt the team down the road when it comes to mortgaging draft capital or cap space. They are playing the long game.

Hence, the picture earlier this week of John lynch and Peters in sunglasses, checking out Texas A&M at the A& M spring training. It is easy to forget JL and KS signed SIX yr contracts, not 4 yrs. They are very definitely checking out even early in spring training the possibilities at ER. That is something i do not recall seeing anytime in the past 18 yrs. Sure we scouted college game film...but Peters and John were out there for spring practice. You gotta like that. Literally, the moment their initial jobs were done for FA and draft, those two were stealing days , even weeks on 31 other clubs. Hats off to them and Kyle for seeing to scouting as early as possible.

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by Joecool:
I think we should have gone McG, Edge Rusher, and Guard, then trade back into the 3rd for a RB. That would have filled up all our holes. Then next year, if we really want to dominate, add another edge rusher, MLB, and WR.

The problem with that plan is you draft players, not positions. You don't sign a position to a contract, you sign a player.

Drafting a position just because its a need is Baalke level stuff.

Or drafting an edge player with an ACL tear.

Or knowing you need an OL and getting an OL but trading your best pass protector. Or getting nothing but small running backs. Or getting a second MLB that can cover but is not very big. Or getting a WR who probably won't sniff more than 3 targets a game. All this with the first 3 picks.

There was a better avenue to also get very good players who could help the team right away.

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Originally posted by Joecool:

See my post 11327. Our first three 2018 picks were not needed. We could have filled a lot of holes with those picks such as RG, Edge Rusher, and a 4 down RB.

You don't give Shanahan credit for knowing what kind of OL he needs? NE gave us JG on a silver platter, perhaps Brown was a trade in kind. A guy Shanahan did not see as a long term solution in his scheme but who could have held down the spot for a year or two...just what BB tends to do in NE.

McG: RT who can move to LT when Staley retires.
Pettis: WR who can slide right into Garcon's spot should his age become an issue...or injuries. Also able to play any spot among WRs. Seems really odd to doubt Shanahan on WRs.
Warner: the niners did not need a LB? Really? Warner is a sideline to sideline type guy who may, along with Foster, become the glue of the D for years to come. They could be the Willis/Bowman of these new niners. LBs who can rush, cover and stay on the field every down.

On the other hand, they could have drafted a guy who might be able to rush the passer. They, the niners brain trust, believed they had players equal to or better than the players available to do that job. I don't presume to know better. Fine that you do, just disagree with you.

Marcus Davenport? Edmunds? Vander Esch?

These guys were better than McG, Pettis and Warner? Time will tell but I see our GM and coaches as selecting building blocks for the future, who may play this year. McG will evidently start. Pettis will play a lot. Warner will likely play quite a bit.

Now...how did Walsh find his great pass rushers? Dean? Traded because he wanted more money than his truck driving brother. Haley? 4th rounder who turned out to be a fantastic edge and a very difficult guy. Luck had something to do with both. Walsh had a relationship with SD that helped him get Dean...just as Shanahan/Lynch have a relationship with Belichick.

Establishing a relationship with Bellichek has been mentioned before by others, incl me, but i don't think we have truly given that as much weight as it deserves. No question the Jimmy deal was made with a handshake that we would send Trenton Brown their way, just not right at the moment. The initial contact was established by Kyle right after the ATL SB loss to PATS. Shortly thereafter Kyle called on him and asked what he(Kyle) could have done differently. And Bellichek told him but at the same time noted, "Hey, this kid not only knows his stuff, but wants to learn the right way and he came to the horse's mouth to find out". Of course it didn't hurt that kyle's Dad , Mike, had been a friend and very well thot of by BB.

Then early on last yr, JL talked with BB re: acquiring JimmyG. Answer : NO. But once again, Bellichek registered , " Hey, Lynch may be a neophyte GM, but give the guy credit for turning over every rock. NOTE: JL also knew that by midseason, JG had to sign a contract extension or he was a FREE agent. That all came to pass, BB understood that JG wanted his shot, wanted to start, so when time got short, as in last possible day and at the 11th hour, BB calls John L and makes the offer. Oh, and with 20 min time limit. We all know what happened,

But the takeaway here , establishing a relationship with the League's most SB winning HC, was the real issue. Kyle and john were ready for the offer, altho like us, probably didnt expect it this late, and pulled BBs bacon out of the fire. My guess is that in addition to the 2nd rd pick (an incredible deal for us once everyone's saw JG's talent on display), i bet there was a handshake about Trenton, if he did not return to camp in good shape. You know BB kept a very watchful eye on that in that he had to have that LT who could be counted on for that blindside ...and Trenton fit that to a tee. Brady was vulnerable and HAD to be protected. And brown was a real bull on straight ahead blocking, man on man. He could be counted on for 4 + yards, full out and straight ahead. Perfect.

When BB collected his handshake deal, you KNOW he had made trading pals for life. No muss, no fuss, just get 'er done. And that plus the recent hx of the JL/KS team meant that BB could call here anytime and get a square answer. As it worked out he needed a big wide body to protect HIS FR QB...plus the man on man, power- straight ahead 4+ yd blocking was a huge bonus. BB could only have been happier if he had somehow at the final bell been able to retain JG...and he knew and understood that situation.

Bottom line is, as long as Kyle and JL remain here, BB will not hesitate to call us and that goes both ways. You know he will always field OUR calls. From a consistent winner like bB, that is saying something. So yes Trenton was part of the initial deal...a handshake deal... just a bit later and only if he didnt fit Kyle's scheme. And then , of course, it all went down. Our two guys DONE GOOD. Unhhh...make that GREAT. JG was and is probably the best trade we have ever made. Years from now i would not be surprised if that still is thecase. Formerly the harbaugh brothers connection was a good one for us. This one is WAYYY better.

Originally posted by Joecool:

Or knowing you need an OL and getting an OL but trading your best pass protector. Or getting nothing but small running backs. Or getting a second MLB that can cover but is not very big. Or getting a WR who probably won't sniff more than 3 targets a game. All this with the first 3 picks.

There was a better avenue to also get very good players who could help the team right away.

Can we stop pretending like keeping a 380lb tackle in a zone scheme was ever going to be a viable option. The 49ers didn't force Brown to stuff his face all offseason.

Originally posted by RTFirefly:
Yeah, every year in preseason Walsh would fry Bubba in the press over his weight, and every year Bubba would start at T on his way to 3 Rings.

Bubba was an avg player that was along for the ride. I liked Bubba, seemed like a nice guy and he was a decent player, but he wasn't close to the reason they won those rings. If the 49ers had kept Trent it would have been a similar story. They could win with Trent, but they can win without him too. The question is can they win more / better having replaced him?

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by Joecool:

Or knowing you need an OL and getting an OL but trading your best pass protector. Or getting nothing but small running backs. Or getting a second MLB that can cover but is not very big. Or getting a WR who probably won't sniff more than 3 targets a game. All this with the first 3 picks.

There was a better avenue to also get very good players who could help the team right away.

Can we stop pretending like keeping a 380lb tackle in a zone scheme was ever going to be a viable option. The 49ers didn't force Brown to stuff his face all offseason.

Not mentioned much but the unspoken part of this transaction was that Kyle had already decided that he did NOT want Trenton here. Didn't come close to making weight, wasnt' in shape just before TC, and was not a physical fit for kyle's ZBS. Anyone who looks at Trenton's tape from last yr will see that he just was not built for ZBS. Even tho Trenton was my favorite player ( a 7th rd pick), once i realized Kyle did not want him, it was over. It was just a matter of when and to where. Ended up being a good deal for Trenton, and it was a good deal for Kyle. He unloaded a player he did not want, and who was nowhere near as inspired as the guys Kyle kept.

The real kicker was that Bellichek truly wanted and needed Trenton. So good ending to a player kyle wasn't going to keep, and we got a significant trading pal for as long as we want. That is a WIN/WIN all around...no matter how you slice it. EOS....end of story.

Originally posted by Joecool:
Or knowing you need an OL and getting an OL but trading your best pass protector. Or getting nothing but small running backs. Or getting a second MLB that can cover but is not very big. Or getting a WR who probably won't sniff more than 3 targets a game. All this with the first 3 picks.

There was a better avenue to also get very good players who could help the team right away.

You keep saying this but give no proof or rational alternative. Pettis may start at some point this year, either due to talent or injury to another WR...or both. McG is slated to start. Warner is perfect for the modern game--speed versus smash-mouth.

They now have a good group of LBs with good or decent backups. They now have a complete set of WRs, with enough talent to be a really good passing team. The niners now have a young OT who will not be a liability due to lack of mobility.

Do I wish they could have drafted Von Miller? Sure. But there was no Miller in this past draft. There were some guys who might be slightly better than current niners. Do I wish they had drafted Whitehair instead of Garnett? Sure. Do I wish they had finally hired a GM and HC who know what they are doing? Oh wait...they did! Go niners!

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Originally posted by Joecool:
Or knowing you need an OL and getting an OL but trading your best pass protector. Or getting nothing but small running backs. Or getting a second MLB that can cover but is not very big. Or getting a WR who probably won't sniff more than 3 targets a game. All this with the first 3 picks.

There was a better avenue to also get very good players who could help the team right away.

You keep saying this but give no proof or rational alternative. Pettis may start at some point this year, either due to talent or injury to another WR...or both. McG is slated to start. Warner is perfect for the modern game--speed versus smash-mouth.

They now have a good group of LBs with good or decent backups. They now have a complete set of WRs, with enough talent to be a really good passing team. The niners now have a young OT who will not be a liability due to lack of mobility.

Do I wish they could have drafted Von Miller? Sure. But there was no Miller in this past draft. There were some guys who might be slightly better than current niners. Do I wish they had drafted Whitehair instead of Garnett? Sure. Do I wish they had finally hired a GM and HC who know what they are doing? Oh wait...they did! Go niners!

He needs to let go of the Baalke mentality. It's hard we know.

I love me some K. Shanahan. I LOVE the culture he is trying to build. A players capability on the field is only part of the equation under Shanahan. It is super important to him that we have players who are good on the field and are good people off the field. He wants guys who do on their own because they want to be the best they can be, not because coaches have expectations. He wants players who's teammates enjoy being around and respect one another. Players like T. Brown are not good enough. Ability alone is no longer the measuring stick. Kyle wants to be elite. You better have drive and motivation to get on board, or you will be shipped out. T. Brown shows up fat and out of shape? Cya buddy, not what we are trying to build here. Don't care what ability you have you have proven that you do not hold yourself accountable to the coaches/players/team, so we have no place for you here. Bowman, will go down in 49ers lore, want's to create a scene and put the focus on him because he isn't playing as often as he'd like? Cya, no room for you either.

It's only been a little more than a year, but Kyle is my favorite HC since Walsh. The only 1 criticism I have is his penchant for throwing draft value out the window for his guys. Hopefully, some of his guys really struggling in year two will curb that tendency.

Originally posted by WINiner:
I love me some K. Shanahan. I LOVE the culture he is trying to build. A players capability on the field is only part of the equation under Shanahan. It is super important to him that we have players who are good on the field and are good people off the field. He wants guys who do on their own because they want to be the best they can be, not because coaches have expectations. He wants players who's teammates enjoy being around and respect one another. Players like T. Brown are not good enough. Ability alone is no longer the measuring stick. Kyle wants to be elite. You better have drive and motivation to get on board, or you will be shipped out. T. Brown shows up fat and out of shape? Cya buddy, not what we are trying to build here. Don't care what ability you have you have proven that you do not hold yourself accountable to the coaches/players/team, so we have no place for you here. Bowman, will go down in 49ers lore, want's to create a scene and put the focus on him because he isn't playing as often as he'd like? Cya, no room for you either.

It's only been a little more than a year, but Kyle is my favorite HC since Walsh. The only 1 criticism I have is his penchant for throwing draft value out the window for his guys. Hopefully, some of his guys really struggling in year two will curb that tendency.

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Imagine Chris McCafferry in Kyles system. I think if it were up to Kyle, he would have a player like that at every skill position on offense.

Absolutely love Shanahan as our head coach

Originally posted by tohara3:
Absolutely love Shanahan as our head coach