The San Francisco 49ers have reached four NFC Championship Games and two Super Bowls in the last five seasons, a testament to their strong offensive and defensive schemes.
Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young has long admired head coach Kyle Shanahan's offensive system. During a conversation on Bay Area radio station KNBR, Young emphasized that the 49ers' offense is the one other NFL teams relentlessly study, trying to emulate and defend.
"The 49ers are the team ... that everybody studies," Young declared. "Everybody's watching Kyle Shanahan's offense, trying to figure out how do I defend it. Every team spent April and May and June doing that. So, when you're the focus of it all, [QB] Brock Purdy, now everyone's got a book out on him after a couple of years. Everyone's got a book out on [WR] Deebo [Samuel]."
Young pointed out that this added scrutiny makes things more challenging each season, and standing still is not an option.
"So, things get tougher, and if you don't get better, if you stay static, let's say the team that was last year stays neutral, I think things get harder by definition," Young continued. "So, you have to get better, and I hope that we have."
Young also praised the relationship between Shanahan and Purdy, stating it's the coach-quarterback duo he has the most confidence in for the upcoming season. As Purdy gains more experience, Shanahan can further tailor his play-calling to the quarterback's strengths. At the same time, Purdy will deepen his understanding of the system, making the offense even tougher to stop.
"I think Kyle is the best, and I think that he and Brock really understand each other," Young shared. "They understand each other, and Brock really understands his own game. And so Kyle can lock into the plays that Brock's best at and doesn't have to get out of the norm. That's what makes him so tough to beat. And Brock's super efficient. As long as he maintains that efficiency there, [that pairing is] number one."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Young below.
