49ers' Kyle Shanahan has chance to flex greatness at Houston Texans

This would be a meaningful win for Shanahan.

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Ever since Kyle Shanahan took over as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, there has been a certain section of fans who have waited for the other shoe to drop.

While Shanahan is a great coach, the thought has often been that his coaching staff and tree have had a lot to do with it. You have seen many coaches hired off of the ‘Shanahan tree’ in hopes of capturing the same magic, or the real brains behind the operation. As more Shanahan tree coaches leave, the allure of how good Shanahan really is grows. 

San Francisco 49ers' matchup with the Houston Texans reminds fans to trust Kyle Shanahan

Shanahan lost Robert Saleh, and the thought was that Shanahan would not be nearly as strong without the defense that Saleh brought. Saleh is now back with Shanahan after failing to lead the New York Jets. 

When Shanahan lost Demeco Ryans, the thought was that he could not continue to win and lose elite coordinators every year. Now, Shanahan faces Ryans and has a chance to push him onto the hot seat, as Ryans has failed to assemble anything close to a functional offense during his tenure as head coach. 

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One of the big reasons Ryans has failed so far is that he brought Bobby Slowik with him from the 49ers. Shanahan would lose a key name in his offensive meeting rooms. The 49ers offense is hitting at the same rate, while Slowik was fired for failing to replicate anything close to San Francisco.

Of course, the one who brought the most questions was Mike McDaniel. McDaniel has always been his right-hand man, and many thought he was the true brains of the operation. McDaniel can draw up plays, but he is failing as a head coach and may be following the Saleh path soon. 

To be fair, Klint Kubiak has caught fire with the Seattle Seahawks, even if it was after getting fired by the New Orleans Saints. These are not incompetent coaches being propped up by Shanahan. 

However, one thing is clear when watching his coaching tree across the NFL: there is one of them who can be a true leader and an all-around head coach, and he is the one producing the coaching tree for a reason. 

The 49ers matchup with the Texans should be a reminder of how fortunate the 49ers are to find Shanahan. When Ryans was with Shanahan, he seemed like a sure-fire next big thing at head coach. It is not easy to win in the NFL, which is why Shanahan is one of the best at what he does.