Andy Reid offers advice to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan

Andy Reid needed 21 seasons to finally win a Super Bowl. He offered some advice to #49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan:

Kyle Shanahan has run into the proverbial wall that stands between NFL head coaches and a Lombardi Trophy four times now in seven seasons as a head coach. Twice he’s fallen short in the Super Bowl. Twice he’s come up short in the NFC championship game. That kind of success without the ultimate prize is a familiar space for Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.

Reid, thanks to his run with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, is now synonymous with greatness among NFL head coaches. There’s a real chance he tracks down former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick as the most decorated head coach of all-time. That wasn’t always the case though.

Prior to Kansas City’s Super Bowl LIV win (over the 49ers, oddly enough), Reid was 20 years deep into his career as a head coach in the NFL. He’d been to just one Super Bowl and lost five NFC championship games between his tenures with the Eagles and Chiefs. Then he got his quarterback and the winning came fast and furious. Since 2019 Reid and the Chiefs have pulled in three Lombardi Trophies and the head coach has established himself as one of the league’s all-time greats.

Reid on Monday at the NFL owners meetings was asked about Shanahan after defeating him in a Super Bowl for the second time in February.

“Just keep doing what you’re doing and somewhere you pop over the hill there,” Reid said via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. “I know he’s got a great young quarterback, and him with a great young quarterback is deadly.”

Shanahan has had one of the best rosters in the league since his first Super Bowl run as a head coach in the 2019 season, but the QB has always been a little bit of a question mark. Reid is the second Chiefs coach to prop up 49ers QB Brock Purdy as a great player following his performance in Super Bowl LVIII. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo also did it.

If Reid and Spagnuolo are correct and Shanahan does have his franchise QB in Purdy, then it may not be long until he gets over that hill Reid mentioned. Even if it is Reid and Mahomes standing on top of it.

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Vikings QB Kirk Cousins is open to a return to Washington

Times have indeed changed.

The Washington NFL organization is in a completely different place than it was six years ago when quarterback Kirk Cousins departed in free agency.

The team has had two nickname changes since Cousins last played in Washington. Cousins’ nemesis, former team president Bruce Allen, has been gone for five years. But no change is more significant than Dan Snyder selling the team.

Guess who is a free agent in less than two weeks?

And guess who needs a quarterback?

We’ve seen the different scenarios of people hypothesizing about Cousins returning to Washington. However, it never appeared to be based in reality.

Not so fast. According to Ben Standig of The Athletic, Cousins is open to returning to Washington.

Why would Cousins return to Washington? Yes, things have changed, but the Commanders also have plenty of money to pay Cousins. Also, Cousins is close to 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who has strong relationships with new Washington GM Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn. If the Commanders were indeed an option for Cousins, he’d likely hear good things from Shanahan.

Cousins wants to play for a winner, and he will have options. Washington’s window doesn’t seem to mirror Cousins’ next few seasons. But if the Commanders signed Cousins, then business is open for the No. 2 overall pick. Washington already has six of the top 103 picks in the 2024 NFL draft and, if it traded back, could land a massive haul of picks to rebuild the roster while contending as soon as next season.

The odds are still that the Commanders will select a quarterback at No. 2 overall. You are not often in the position to begin a new regime with the No. 2 overall pick in a draft with multiple top quarterback prospects. But what if Washington felt uncomfortable with this group of quarterbacks?

For the first time in seemingly forever, Washington has options — good options.

Steve Kerr and Kyle Shanahan recommended Dan Quinn to Commanders

Dan Quinn received some high-profile recommendations before landing the Commanders’ job.

“It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.”

We’ve all heard this numerous times in life. Sometimes it is meant as a negative complaint that some people receive jobs when they actually aren’t qualified, but know someone who helped them obtain the job.

Other times, it is referenced because two or more candidates for a job might seem to be so evenly matched, but when a certain person vouches for one of the candidates, that is a good thing, and you feel confident in choosing them for the job.

John Keim, ESPN Washington Commanders insider, reported Saturday that during the Commanders’ recent coaching search, NBA Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr recommended Dan Quinn for the Commanders’ job.

Keim wrote that Kerr, a four-time NBA champion head coach for the Warriors, had begun a friendship with Quinn. Apparently, their agents work for the same company. As Kerr and Quinn interacted and became better friends over the years, Kerr began to believe in Quinn.

Thus, knowing Bob Myers was on the Commanders advisory committee, Kerr texted Myers: “He’s your guy; you’ve got to hire him.”

Richard Sherman, who played for Quinn in Seattle, texted newly hired Commanders GM Adam Peters and Kyle Shanahan, Quinn’s offensive coordinator in Atlanta, highly praised Quinn to Peters as well.

Keim reported, “Perhaps the biggest endorsement came from Falcons owner Arthur Blank. Blank, who fired Quinn in 2020 after six seasons with the Falcons, reached out to Harris unsolicited on Quinn’s behalf. ‘To have Atlanta endorse Dan was powerful,’ one person involved said.”

Championship coaches like Kerr can recognize certain qualities or beliefs another coach may or may not possess. And working under a coach, as Shanahan did, provided an opportunity to hear how one may have expertise in their field. The recommendations from Sherman and Shanahan might, more importantly, reveal how one exercises their power rightly or wrongly.

Apparently, Kerr, Shanahan, Sherman, and Blank confidently affirmed their belief in Dan Quinn as a leader, coach, and human being.

New Commanders’ D-Line coach Darryl Tapp ready to work with Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen

Tapp is ready to help Payne and Allen return to form in 2024.

Darryl Tapp played 12 seasons in the NFL after an All-American career at Virginia Tech. Now, Tapp is coming home.

Tapp, a Chesapeake, Virginia native, was hired last week as the Washington Commanders’ new defensive line coach under Dan Quinn. Tapp, who grew up rooting for the then-Redskins, played for Washington in 2013 under Mike Shanahan.

Tapp began his coaching career in 2018, one year after his playing career ended, at Central Michigan. He quickly moved up the ranks, going to Vanderbilt in 2019, before returning to his alma mater in 2020 as Virginia Tech’s co-defensive line coach.

However, in 2021, Tapp received the opportunity of a lifetime to head to the 49ers as Kyle Shanahan’s assistant defensive line coach.

As a part of Quinn’s much heralded coaching staff that perfectly blends youth and experience, Tapp is charged with leading Washington’s defensive line room. In doing so, he has the opportunity to coach arguably the NFL’s top defensive tackle duo, Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen.

That opportunity is not lost on Tapp.

“It’s exciting to be around them. I’ve always been an admirer of the game that those guys put on film, like true animals out there,” Tapp said this week on “Grant and Danny” of 106.7 The Fan, courtesy of Lou DiPietro of Audacy.

“We’re going to do our best — me, Dan (Quinn), (defensive coordinator) Joe Whitt, and my assistant (assistant DL coach) Sharrif Floyd — to put those guys in the best position to make plays. Whatever vision of a player that they want to be that’s in their head, we’ll do our very best to help them meet that vision. That’s where our mindset is, and that’s what we’re trying to get accomplished.”

This is not only an opportunity for Tapp but also for Payne, Allen and some of Washington’s young defensive linemen. The 2023 season was a down one for Payne and Allen, but they remain a centerpiece for Washington’s defense, something Quinn has mentioned in more than one of his interviews since landing the job.

 

New Commanders assistant Anthony Lynn loves the team’s leadership

Lynn praises Dan Quinn and Adam Peters’ leadership and explains why he left the 49ers for Washington.

Two weeks ago, San Francisco’s assistant head coach and running backs coach, Anthony Lynn, was coaching his team to a tie in the Super Bowl, which they eventually lost in overtime.

He was not fired, and yet he decided to come to Washington, where he will not be an assistant head coach.

Nor will Lynn be the offensive coordinator. That job had already been filled by former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury. So why did Lynn decide to leave a better organization with much better offensive personnel?

“I love the leadership here; that’s what brought me here, Dan Quinn and Adam Peters and even the president Jason Wright.”

“Dan and I came up the same way; we had the same agent. He connected us together and said you guys are so much alike; I want you to meet each other. We’ve been friends ever since.”

An opportunity appeared, and so Quinn offered Lynn to come be his running game coordinator. Lynn jumped at the chance.

“We’ve talked about doing it together one day. He went to the Falcons, and I went to the Chargers as head coaches, so it didn’t work out for us, but now we are here.”

Why would Lynn leave an offense that included Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams, Brock Purdy and George Kittle? In addition, why would he leave the NFC Champions and come to the last-place Commanders?

“I just know what type of man he is. I know what type of leadership the organization has now. You bring Adam Peters here, I’ve worked with Adam the last two years in San Francisco. He is awesome.”

When asked by Scott Abraham what he thought the coaching staff may have in common, Lynn responded succinctly, “Good people; Dan brought the right people into the building.”

You can listen to Lynn here, courtesy of 106.7 The Fan.

Analytics show where 49ers should have kicked off in Super Bowl overtime

The analytics on kicking or receiving the overtime kick in the playoffs (Kyle Shanahan wasn’t wrong to receive… but he also wasn’t right?):

The 49ers’ decision to receive the opening kickoff of overtime in the Super Bowl became a major discussion point after San Francisco’s crushing defeat at the hands of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game the team’s goal with receiving was to control the third possession. In the event the teams were tied after one possession each, the 49ers would then be able to win the game with a field goal.

Of course, it never got to that point because San Francisco kicked a field goal and the Chiefs scored a touchdown to win the game. Perhaps things would’ve gone different had the 49ers done what they usually do when they win the coin toss and took the ball second.

However, Walker Harrison, a quantitative analyst for the New York Yankees, crunched the data on the playoff overtime rules and it turns out there’s no surefire right choice.

Harrison’s numbers show no real advantage either way:

He posted another version with a legend that explains the methodology:

Alas, there are a ton of elements that factor into a coach’s decision. Surely the 49ers’ defense being nearly out of gas by the end of regulation also factored into Shanahan’s decision.

In a results-based business though the decision that led to a loss was the wrong one regardless of what the numbers say. That’s how Shanahan will be judged.

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Dissecting 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan’s flawed overtime decision

Dissecting 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan’s flawed OT decision

The Seattle Seahawks’ primary rival, the San Francisco 49ers, made quite the shocking move when they fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. In Super Bowl LVIII, Wilks’ unit held the Kansas City Chiefs to only 19 points and one touchdown in regulation, looking far superior when compared to San Francisco’s offense. The decision to fire Wilks has only brought further critique to embattled 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, who is still under fire for his near-inexplicable decision in overtime of Super Bowl LVIII.

With both teams tied at 19-19, and San Francisco as the designated “away” team, the 49ers won the toss and chose to receive the ball first. Under the old rules, San Francisco could have won the game with a touchdown. However, the new overtime rules for the playoffs ensures both teams get a chance at possessing the ball, regardless if the first team scores a touchdown on their opening drive. Shanahan defended his position by saying they wanted the ball third, assuming the 49ers and Chiefs would both score, thus creating a “sudden death” scenario for San Francisco to win the game on said possession.

Here’s the thing, though: let’s say San Francisco scored a touchdown on their opening drive, forcing Kansas City to need a touchdown to extend the game. The Chiefs could have scored a touchdown… and attempt a two-point conversion to win the game! Sure, it’s a 50/50 proposition, one play to determine the fate of both team but does anyone seriously doubt Patrick Mahomes and Co. would have been successful? Especially since all Mahomes does is overcome seemingly insurmountable deficits in the playoffs.

If they were successful in this hypothetical scenario, then the whole “we want the ball third” philosophy goes right out the window into the trash heap of history. Essentially, these new postseason overtime rules are a full-field version of college football’s overtime where you’d want to have the ball second to have all the knowledge of what your team needs to accomplish to continue or win the game.

Additionally, Shanahan deserves further flak on account of his team seemingly not knowing the updated postseason overtime rules. Former Seahawks and 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman put the blame on San Francisco’s veteran players, but ultimately, the responsibility for making sure players are coached up accordingly should lie with… *checks notes*… the head coach!

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Richard Sherman to 49ers: ‘That’s on you’ for not knowing overtime rules

However, Seahawks legend and former Niners cornerback Richard Sherman says it’s on the players.

The San Francisco 49ers imploded in their Super Bowl loss on Sunday night, blowing another 10-point lead against the Kansas City Chiefs, this time going down in overtime. While Patrick Mahomes is admittedly a notoriously tough out, one of the most enjoyable elements of the Niners’ collapse was how strange and self-inflicted the loss was.

They couldn’t do anything about Dre Greenlaw’s freak Achilles injury as he came off the sideline, but the 49ers beat themseles in several ways down the stretch. The worst of it may be that players were simply not aware of the new overtime rules. Most of the blame has been going towards head coach Kyle Shanahan for not making sure they know the score. However, Seahawks legend and former Niners cornerback Richard Sherman says it’s on the players.

Even better, San Francisco is now going through an assistant coach exodus, including another significant unforced error when Shanahan fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.

The 49ers have dominated the NFC the last five seasons like no other team, but this week’s events have inspired hope their Super Bowl window may finally be starting to close.

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Kurt Warner talks about taking the ball vs. kicking to start overtime

The NFL’s overtime rules have changed (no, really) so that both teams are guaranteed a possession but debates about overtime strategy die hard.

The NFL’s overtime rules have changed (no, really) so that both teams are guaranteed a possession but debates about overtime strategy die hard. After the 49ers scored a field goal to open the extra period in Sunday’s Super Bowl, the Chiefs responded with a game-winning touchdown drive enginnered by Patrick Mahomes. Now, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan is getting a lot of flak for not kicking to Kansas City to start overtime.

For some reason, let’s look to Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner. Here’s his take on kicking vs. taking the ball to start overtime from earlier this week when he was a guest on the Rich Eisen Show.

Shanahan has followed up the Super Bowl collapse by inexplicably firing defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, who’s definitely worth a look if there’s room on Mike Macdonald’s staff.

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Bill Belichick could be the perfect fit for 49ers’ defensive coordinator opening

With an opening at the defensive coordinator spot, could the 49ers target one of the greatest coaches of all time?

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It was a little surprising that the San Francisco moved on from well-respected and consistently good defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. It’s easy to point the finger at Wilks for the frustrations of the Super Bowl and make him a scapegoat when really there was so much more that went into the loss, but that’s another discussion. The 49ers now find themselves with a pretty big hole in their defensive coaching staff, one that is latent with potential to field the best defensive unit in 2024. Could the greatest coach of all time perhaps fill the role and set himself up for one heck of a rebound?

Former New England Patriots head coach and future hall of famer Bill Belichick might just be the coach that can help put this Super Bowl-losing team on the other side of the aisle, the one that comes with rings and a fancy trophy. Given the enormous amount of talent that San Francisco boasts on the defensive side of the ball with stars littered across every position, and Bill Belichicks history as a defensive mastermind, this might be a match made in heaven.

One position Belichick has always been enamored with is versatile linebackers. From the likes of Jerod Mayo (his replacement in New England ironically enough), Dont’a Hightower, Tedy Bruschi, Jamie Collins, etc etc. it’s clear that he gets the most out of versatile linebackers. The 49ers boast the best linebacking duo in the league behind the force that is Fred Warner and Drew Greenlaw, who could be the rock of a Belichick lead defense. On the defensive line it’s easy to see Belichick getting the most of the likes of Nick Bosa, Chase Young, and Arik Armstead. It’s almost scary to think of the amount of weapons you would be handing to the best defensive coach of a generation should he land in San Francisco.

The big question might be could Belichick slow down the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and the other super elite quarterbacks in the league. Though realistically there aren’t many defensive coaches who have been able to accomplish that outside of the defensive coordinator on the same team as Patrick Mahomes.

Nothing is certain when it comes to hirings but this seems like such a slam dunk hire and one that has to have crossed the minds of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. The only remaining question mark would be if Belichick himself would want to take the demotion and return to his roots as a defensive coordinator.