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49ers HC Kyle Shanahan Snubbed From Coach of the Year Award

Kyle Shanahan took a 4-12 49ers team who was picking No. 2 in last April's draft to improve to 13-3 with a Super Bowl appearance. There was no better winner for coach of the year than him.
Jose Luis Sanchez III|
49ers HC Kyle Shanahan Snubbed From Coach of the Year Award
49ers HC Kyle Shanahan Snubbed From Coach of the Year Award

And the 2019 NFL Coach of the Year award goes to..... John Harbaugh. 

That's right. Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has been named as the coach of the year for the 2019 season. By honoring Harbaugh with this award, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan becomes the biggest snub of the night for the NFL Honors ceremony.

Harbaugh himself would even acknowledge that as he was adamant that Shanahan is the true coach of the year this season. "Kyle should get it. He deserves it. He’s in the Super Bowl. He’s done an amazing job there. He’s a great coach." 

Don't get me wrong, Harbaugh is a fantastic head coach and it's no secret why he has had so much success in his career. However, 2019 was by far the year of Kyle Shanahan. 

Just by comparing the last two seasons side-by-side, Harbaugh took a 10-6 team who was in the playoffs last season and improved to 14-2 to return to the playoffs. Kyle Shanahan took a 4-12 team who was picking No. 2 in last April's draft to improve to 13-3 with a Super Bowl appearance.

Shanahan took this team from being bottom feeders to sitting at the table with the elites. 

Another overlooked aspect about Kyle Shanahan this year is that he was able to win a division title with the most stacked teams in football. The 49ers had to dethrone the Los Angeles Rams who were coming fresh off a Super Bowl appearance. Not to mention that the Seattle Seahawks are always a force to be reckoned with.

No one foresaw this team arriving like this in this fashion, which was clearly forgotten and overlooked. The voters undoubtedly got this award wrong.

Being snubbed as the coach of the year will be a moot point tomorrow for Kyle Shanahan if he can hoist the Lombardi trophy. The 49ers have a tough task ahead of them when they take the field at Hard Rock Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV.

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Jose Luis Sanchez III
JOSE LUIS SANCHEZ III

Jose Luis Sanchez III has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily for FanNation since 2019. He started off as the lead publisher for FanNation's All49ers, then switched positions to become the Deputy Editor in 2020. Sanchez writes, edits, and produces videos daily for All49ers. He also co-hosts a show on YouTube with All49ers lead publisher Grant Cohn weekly. Prior to FanNation, Sanchez started his writing career back in 2016 for the school newspaper at Skyline college where he covered all sports team in the Bay Area. Following that from 2017 to 2019, he found a role as a contributor for FanSided's news desk along with their site's Just Blog Baby covering the Las Vegas Raiders and Golden Gate Sports every professional Bay Area sports team. Atop all of that, he was able to graduate with a Bachelors degree in Communication Studies at San Francisco State University in 2020. Sanchez is committed to ensuring he delivers transparent analysis and straightforward opinions that resonates with readers to get them thinking.

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