press sets up the SF game

How Kyle Shanahan has kept the 49ers from falling apart

Nick Wagoner

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Make no mistake, the San Francisco 49ers are a team in crisis.

Less than 10 months after coming up just short in Super Bowl LIV, the Niners’ issues are all encompassing.

San Francisco has been battered by injuries. The offense has had little rhythm behind a line that has struggled to find cohesion and a rotating cast of skill position players. The defense has been decimated at edge rusher, misses the defensive tackle who was traded in the offseason and is digging deep into the practice squad to have enough cornerbacks on Sundays.

In their next seven games, the Niners will play the Rams twice, the Patriots, Seahawks, Packers, Saints and Bills, all of whom are legitimate playoff contenders.

If all of that wasn’t enough for the 2-3 Niners, consider that they’re coming off a 26-point loss to the Miami Dolphins, the third-largest defeat by a defending conference champion to an under .500 team in the Super Bowl era. If this season isn’t going to slip away before the calendar turns to November, the 49ers must find answers in a hurry.

As the Niners prepare for the Rams on Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), coach Kyle Shanahan must set the tone for a turnaround.

“There’s no magical thing that you can say when you play like that,” Shanahan said. “I just try to hold us all accountable. Know it starts with me. … There’s nothing to talk about. That’s called getting better. I think there’s a lot of aspects of our game that obviously we can get better at and I’ve got to make sure I put our guys through that and find a way to do it.”

As a kid, Shanahan would go to his father Mike, then the Denver Broncos coach, on Fridays and ask how certain players had done in practice that week, or if an injury was going to force someone to step in and how that player might perform in Sunday’s game.

Mike would always remind Kyle most every player was a play away from being in the game.

“Growing up a coach’s son maybe helped me understand that urgency at a young age,” Shanahan said. “You just learned that, every coach knows that going through the NFL. That’s why you put a lot of pressure on those guys every week because if they think it’s a redshirt year and they think they just get to develop and work three days a week, those guys get shocked and then when they do get their opportunity, they don’t get another one after that. So, I constantly try to tell those guys, because I’ve seen too many people get surprised when they’re up and then this league passes them by very fast.”

Those lessons have never been far from Shanahan’s mind in his three-plus seasons as a head coach. When the Niners suffered a spate of injuries or went on lengthy losing streaks in 2017 and 2018, it could simply be chalked up as growing pains for a rebuilding team. Those days are gone.

After the Niners’ turnaround last season, they became a league darling again, the roster bursting with talent led by a dynamic head coach and a creative staff. When trouble struck in 2019, the Niners got contributions from up and down the depth chart. Little-known names such as offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill, tight end Ross Dwelley and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley parlayed those cameos into larger roles.

Those players were ready for the moment because Shanahan drilled into their heads from the moment they arrived they’d one day be needed to do more than help the starters prepare.

“As a professional, it’s our expectation, our job to be able to step in at any time,” quarterback Nick Mullens said. “But, his team meetings, the way he influences, the videos that he shows us, the different things he does to motivate us, it keeps us going. He always tells us you’re either getting better or worse. So, that sits in my mind every day.”

That motivation often comes in the form of unrelenting, unvarnished truth. Sometimes that means turning on the tape and calling out players for blown assignments or poor technique.

After a Week 1 loss to Arizona, Shanahan showed the game tape to the entire team, pointing out individual mistakes along the way. On a third down early in the game, tight end George Kittle didn’t run a good route and the Niners came up short of the conversion. Shanahan didn’t spare the All-Pro.

“The best thing Kyle has done, over and over, and he’s done it since my rookie year, is just how brutally honest he is with the team,” Kittle said. “And week in and week out, he doesn’t sugar coat anything. If we lose, ‘Hey, this is why we lost.’ … So when you have guys being held accountable which is what Kyle does with the entire team, it doesn’t matter who you are, our level of play is at a high standard. We expect guys to go out there and perform at a very high level — at an elite level.”

This time, though, the stakes are much higher. These Niners earned the expectations they haven’t met so far. All of which makes this next stretch of games a pivotal moment for the franchise. Sure, teams that lose the Super Bowl are notorious for struggling the season after losing in the big game. But the 49ers are just the 10th with a losing record after five games, and eight of the previous nine with that distinction missed the playoffs.

Everything the Niners did in the offseason was meant to extend their championship window. That included the decision to trade defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, something Lynch has called the hardest thing he’s done as a general manager. If the window closes now, who is to say when or if it will open back up?

After the Week 2 win against the New York Jets in a game that included a season-ending injury to defensive end Nick Bosa and short-term injuries to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and running back Raheem Mostert, Shanahan was able to point to more recent experiences. He stood before his team and reminded it of what happened in 2019.

Shanahan went over all the injuries they suffered that season, noting their injured players combined to miss 147 games. He told them it was time for everyone to step up even if someone like Bosa is irreplaceable. For one week, at least, it worked as the Niners dominated the lowly New York Giants.

That momentum hasn’t carried over, though, as the Niners lost to the previously winless Eagles and were embarrassed at home by the Dolphins. Knowing what’s ahead, Shanahan is aware of what must happen to prevent this season from spiraling into a missed opportunity.

It starts with him.

“I’ve just got to keep my thumb on everyone,” Shanahan said. “There was nothing to sit here and feel sorry about yourself. You’ve got to be ready for what you’re going to get and it’s well deserved, but we’ve got to close the doors, go out to the field and go to work. You either get better or worse and if we don’t get better, it’s going to be a long season.

Sean McVay not overlooking 49ers and their misleading record https://t.co/RT9Qs2qbGH

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) October 16, 2020

Game Preview: Division play begins in a big way with Rams-49ers on Sunday Night Football

J.B. Long

https://www.therams.com/news/game-preview-division-rams-49ers-sunday-night-football-week-6

The Rams are one pass interference penalty away from 5-0.

Had Samuel Sloman connected on a 29-yard field goal against Dallas and an extra point against Washington, Los Angeles would not have trailed for a single snap across four wins over the NFC East.

Los Angeles has been very good. Can they be great?

We’re about to find out. Division play is here, and this is 49ers Week.

At the risk of leading with the kicker, let’s complete the thought on Sloman.

I asked Sean McVay this week if he felt compelled to audition replacements yet.

“He’s had some issues, but when you look around the league that’s kind of been a consistent theme for a lot of these kickers that have had a lot of success,” McVay said. “I don’t think you want to overreact, but I do want to see some more consistent performances.”

He’s not wrong. Just ask Michael Badgley.

Kansas City’s Harrison Butker has missed three extra points this season. Our old friend Greg Zuerlein has shanked a couple, too.

But there comes a point where if you believe your offense and defense are capable of being special – and the Rams should have every confidence in that possibility – then as a head coach you owe it to the other members of the roster to hold the kicker as accountable as all the other positions.

On Between the Horns, I made Sloman my fantasy pick of the week, because it feels like now or never for the rookie seventh-round selection.

Golden Gauntlet

Meanwhile, the 49ers have already matched their loss total from 2019.

Now, they enter the most difficult stretch of any 2020 NFL schedule: Rams, at New England and Seattle, home to Green Bay, at New Orleans and LA, then versus Buffalo.

Each of those opponents carry a winning record. Combined, they are 26-7.

And there’s a contending roster on injured reserve right now for the 49ers: Nick Bosa, Richard Sherman, Dee Ford, just to name a few.

If the Rams can win this game, the Niners would effectively be out of the playoff picture in mid-October. Stunning, but an opportunity L.A. just cannot miss.

Desperation is Dangerous

And yet, there are two results I can’t get out of my head.

The first is last year’s loss to San Francisco at the Coliseum. The 49ers, who didn’t have their starting fullback or either first-string offensive tackle, were also playing on a short week.

But they mauled the Rams.

So no matter how depleted this Niners roster looks, I won’t believe they’re anything other than capable – especially with this Kyle Shanahan coaching staff.

Secondly, I’m old enough to remember when San Francisco dismantled the New York Giants 36-9. That was three weeks ago. With Nick Mullens at quarterback. The same opponent the Rams struggled to put away until deep in the fourth quarter at SoFi Stadium.

So whether Jimmy Garoppolo is 100 percent or not – whether he even plays – there’s no sense in expecting anything other than the 49ers very best on Sunday Night Football.

Just @ Me Next Time

Jared Goff’s 5.9 Intended Air Yards per throw is the lowest of any quarterback since 2016, and yet the Rams are one of the most productive and efficient offenses in the NFL so far.

Analyst Josh Norris pointed out this and more before posing the question, “What is your conclusion?”

Throwing a bit of shade on the birthday boy? Probably.

But I’d like to take a crack at answering.

My conclusion is that the Rams have played from in front for the majority of the season. That despite the records of their NFC East opponents, the defensive fronts they’ve faced have been lethal. That McVay has therefore taken a lot of the risk out of the offense to protect his offensive line and quarterback while leveraging the offense’s strengths (scheme, route separation, quarterback accuracy, and yards after catch).

Nothing wrong with that, as far as I’m concerned.

The rival up 101 knows a bit about West Coast offense and how system quarterbacks can become champions and Hall of Famers, too.

Mouths to Feed

The Rams are top 10 in the NFL in offensive plays this season, and there still aren’t enough footballs to go around.

Look at this list of studs who still don’t have a touchdown in 2020:

Cam Akers

Josh Reynolds

Van Jefferson

Gerald Everett (receiving)

The Defense (four last season)

Reynolds, who has seven in his career, is the one who stands out most, considering the opportunities he’s been getting – playing more than half the snaps in every game this season. Everett has at least two scoring receptions in each of his Rams seasons. And with Akers, it’s only a matter of time and red zone touches.

We’ll keep an eye on this ever-dwindling list.

Why Bother?

An interesting back-and-forth with Rams superfan and PFF Fantasy Analyst Sosa Kremenjas produced this Jalen Ramsey tidbit:

Week 1 vs Dallas: 81 yards allowed in coverage

Since: 27 yards allowed in coverage

Teams aren’t testing the highest-paid corner in the game. Will that change in Week 6, and where will Ramsey align?

Earlier this week, defensive coordinator Brandon Staley compared his star defender – Star is literally the name of a role in this defense – to LeBron James and the position-less brand of basketball in the NBA.

That’s a Rapp

Ramsey’s only interception as a Ram came in Santa Clara last December. But the more lasting memories from that loss were the 3rd & 16 busts on Garoppolo’s game-winning drive, the latter of which did not end well between Ramsey and Taylor Rapp.

It’s unfortunate Jordan Fuller misses this showdown with a stinger that will sideline him until after the bye week. However, that injury allows for a Tosh.O-level redemption opportunity for the former second-round selection Rapp.

No Room for Underwear

It’s a short trip up to Silicon Valley; for sure John Johnson isn’t packing underwear, because he has to pack his defense.

The 49ers have featured prominently in Johnson’s career narrative. The shoulder injury he sustained against them last October at the Coliseum cost him the rest of 2019, including the rematch where his presence – see directly above regarding coverage busts – would have been invaluable.

Going back another year, Johnson’s highest-graded career game came in 2018 at San Francisco, where he had this remarkable interception.

Might he be a difference-maker against George Kittle and a struggling 49ers offense?

Confirmed.

99 Problems

I’m no fan of “on pace for” statistics.

For instance, when a major leaguer homers twice on Opening Day, my favorite tweets are the ones that read, “He’s on pace for 324 bombs this year.”

So we’re not here to tell you that Aaron Donald is on pace for an NFL record 24 sacks.

But it is tantalizing to consider that for all his greatness, the All-Pro has never been known for fast starts. In fact, his previous high-water mark through five weeks had been 3.5 in 2015.

After his four-bagger in Washington, now No. 99 returns to Levi’s, site of his other four-sack masterpiece, to play his 100th career game.

Here’s to 100 more.