Why the 49ers Need to Hire an Offensive Coordinator
The 49ers don't have a head coach. They have an offensive coordinator who runs the team.
Of course, I'm talking about Kyle Shanahan. Technically, he's both the head coach and the offensive coordinator, but he seems to take one job much more seriously than the other. He always has his face in his playsheet. When his defense is on the field, he's looking at his plays trying to script his next drive, like an offensive coordinator. A head coach would watch the game.
Watching the game has its advantages. Doing so allows the head coach to respond to the flow of the game, which Shanahan struggles to do, as evidenced by the three double-digit leads he has blown in his three Super Bowl appearances (all losses).
Shanahan is hyperfocused on his scheme. It's his pride and joy. But his scheme hasn't delivered the 49ers a Lombardi Trophy, even when he's had the best roster in the NFL as he has this past season. And that's because Shanahan the head coach finds ways to lose.
Shanahan the head coach didn't know the playoff overtime rules, which is why he wanted the ball first, not second, a big no-no. That's because Shanahan the offensive coordinator was focused on the next play call, as usual.
Shanahan needs to delegate play calling. He needs to hire an offensive coordinator -- the Chiefs have one, and they're the gold standard, not the 49ers. If Andy Reid needs an offensive coordinator, then so does Shanahan.
Get over yourself, Kyle. Stop trying to control everything.
