Kyle Shanahan details how wind affected his decisions in 49ers’ win vs. Browns

A strong wind off Lake Erie prompted 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan to change his philosophy to open Sunday’s game.But the blustery conditions in Cleveland did not prevent him from taking an aggressive approach with quarterback Brock Purdy at the end of the first half.Shanahan explained both of his decisions on Monday, one day after the 49ers’ 26-8 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 13 of the NFL calendar.The 49ers always choose to defer when winning the opening coin toss, so they have a chance to possess the ball on back-to-back possessions at the end of the second quarter and beginning of the third.But on Sunday, Shanahan opted to receive the opening kickoff after winning the coin toss. That way, the 49ers could determine which direction they would be heading in the fourth quarter to take advantage of the wind.“I wanted a chance to choose to have the wind at our back in the fourth quarter,” Shanahan said, “and that was the only way to get that done.”Shanahan said he made that decision only because of the unique weather conditions, which consisted of 20 mph winds with gusts of 35 mph or greater.“The way that wind is, it’s hard to...