How the 49ers Have Established a Scapegoat Culture
Kyle Shanahan doesn't have any Super Bowl rings yet, but he does have lots of excuses, plus he finds a new scapegoat every year, because it's never his fault when he falls short.
Let's go through the years and analyze each of Shanahan's biggest excuses/scapegoats.
2017: No scapegoat necessary. Shanahan took over the worst roster in the NFL and was given a one-year grace period to turn it around.
2018: Taylor Swift. The 49ers surely were going to win the Super Bowl that year, but Jimmy Garoppolo slipped and tore his ACL on the Arrowhead Field grass, which was slippery because it had been resodded 15 days before the game due to a Taylor Swift concert.
2019. Jimmy Garoppolo. The 49ers surely were going to win the Super Bowl that year, but Garoppolo airmailed a wide open Emmanuel Sanders deep down the middle of the field for what should have been a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, and the 49ers lost.
2020: The Turf at MetLife Stadium. The 49ers surely were going to win the Super Bowl that year, but the 49ers had to play on the MetLife Stadium turf, which is extra spongy, and Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a high-ankle sprain on it while Nick Bosa suffered a torn ACL on it the following week, and the 49ers missed the playoffs.
2021: Jaquiski Tartt. The 49ers surely were going to win the Super Bowl that year, but Jaquiski Tartt dropped a gimme interception in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship Game and the 49ers lost to the Rams.
2022: Tyler Kroft. The 49ers surely were going to win the Super Bowl that year, but third-string tight end Tyler Kroft failed to block All Pro edge rusher Haason Reddick, who hit Brock Purdy and tore his UCL, and the 49ers lost.
2023: Spencer Burford, Steve Wilks and Taylor Swift again. The 49ers surely were going to win the Super Bowl, but backup right guard Spencer Burford blocked the wrong player one time, and Steve Wilks gave up one long touchdown drive in the Super Bowl, and the 49ers lost to the team whose star tight end is dating Taylor Swift, who clearly has a vendetta against Shanahan.
