Feeling the vibes in Washington
Shanahan: No extra mojo with facing former team
It’s fair to wonder if the unbeaten 49ers will overlook Sunday’s opponent, but there’s little question about this: Kyle Shanahan will have no problem getting up for the meeting against onewin Washington.
Shanahan and his dad, Mike, were fired by owner Daniel Snyder after Washington’s 313 season in 2013 ended a fouryear tenure that unraveled in part due to reportedly comical dysfunction centered around quarterback Robert Griffin III.
Kyle Shanahan, the offensive coordinator, and Mike, the head coach, have since said Snyder told Griffin to demand dramatic changes to the offense after he was named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2012.
“You’re trying your hardest to make people successful,” Kyle Shanahan said of Griffin last year on the “Pardon My Take” podcast. “And once they (are) that’s what gets hard because people don’t always know what was helping them be successful. Especially owners and things like that.”
In 2017, the first time Kyle Shanahan faced Washington as a head coach, the 49ers arrived at FedEx Field with an 05 record and lost 2624. He’s now the head coach of a 50 team that will enter Sunday’s game against Washington (15) as a 10point road favorite.
Shanahan was asked Wednesday about playing Washington: Would he take special satisfaction in beating his former franchise? He said there wouldn’t be extra juice, but his
answer referenced the past turmoil.
“No, not at all,” Shanahan said. “That was a while ago. I’ve been (with) three different (teams) since. My dad retired and he’s good. He’s accepted what we had to deal with there and we’ve moved on. Watch other people deal with it.”
However, former wide receiver Santana Moss, who spent four seasons with Kyle Shanahan in Washington, expects Shanahan to be eager to pour it on Sunday.
“Just knowing how he exited with his dad in that style, I’m sure they’re not going to hold back,” Moss said Monday on 106.7 The Fan in Washington. “I hope these guys know — on the defensive side — what’s ahead of us and be ready for it. Because Kyle Shanahan’s coming and he’s not holding nothing back.”
Shanahan and his dad haven’t held back when describing how they felt Snyder’s involvement hurt Griffin.
In 2012, Griffin, the No. 2 pick with elite speed, flourished while running an offense heavy on zoneread plays that highlighted his running ability and simplified the passing game. He was voted to the Pro Bowl and set a rookie record for passer rating while Washington went 106 and earned its first postseason berth in five years.
However, Griffin tore two ligaments in his previously surgically repaired right knee in a wildcard playoff loss and reportedly resented being put in harm’s way on zoneread plays.
Shortly after that season, Griffin called for a meeting with the Shanahans and quarterback coach Matt LaFleur, according to a 2016 story on Griffin from The Undefeated. Griffin demanded to have 19 plays deleted from the playbook and, according to the story, said “he was a dropback quarterback — not a running quarterback.”
Mike Shanahan went to Snyder’s office after the meeting and reportedly said: “Do you realize what you’re doing to this kid?”
“When Robert is standing there going through all of that, I know it’s coming from Dan,” Mike Shanahan said. “When Robert talked about ‘unacceptable,’ that was a word Dan used all the time. He was using phrases Dan used all the time. There’s only one way a guy who’s going into his second year would do something like this: If he sat down with the owner and the owner believed that this is the way he should be used.”
Said Kyle Shanahan to CSN Mid Atlantic in 2017: “They allowed Robert to choose what he wanted to do. Do you blame a 23yearold for that, or do you blame the people that allowed him?”
In 2013, Griffin regressed before he was benched late in the season. And the Shanahans were fired after the year ended with an eightgame losing streak.
Six years later, Griffin is a backup in Baltimore who has never recaptured his rookie magic. And Shanahan has the chance to beat Washington for the second time since he left: In 2015, he was the Falcons offensive coordinator when Atlanta beat Washington, 2519, in overtime.
“One thing about Kyle Shanahan,” Moss said, “if he gets a chance to, he will embarrass you. Because that’s one of the things that we did when he was here.”
Shanahan said Sunday’s opponent provides no extra motivation, but he’s also clear he has few fond memories of those four seasons spent working for Snyder.
What was the best part about working in Washington?
“Being able to work with my dad,” Shanahan said. “And being around some other good coaches.” And the worst part? “Everything else,” he said.