Coach Kyle Shanahan’s play-calling talents have never been in doubt. But his people skills are now drawing raves as well.
Leading man: Shanahan’s people skills, once in doubt, now seen as exemplary
On the eve of the NFC Championship Game, at the team hotel in Santa Clara, head coach Kyle Shanahan delivered a memorable speech.
The 49ers were preparing to play Green Bay, an opponent they had steamrolled 378 in November. Shanahan, known among his players as a smooth and confident public speaker with anecdotes at the ready, did not disappoint.
He told the story of a UFC fighter who, faced with a rematch against a foe he previously had beaten, decisively won again. Shanahan also explained how he had talked to a Navy Seal about not letting the enemy reach the water’s surface.
Shanahan’s essential message, through these colorful yarns: Don’t take the Packers lightly and don’t let them come up for air. The next day, the 49ers jumped ahead early and won 3720.
“They were some crazy analogies, but he made the point,” wide receiver Kendrick Bourne said.
The larger point: Shanahan, a onetime 49ers ball boy who returned as an XsandOs wizard with unproven leadership ability, quickly figured out how to connect with his players. And this, maybe even more than his muchlauded playcalling acumen, helps explain why San Francisco will play Kansas City in Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Shanahan’s people skills were an open question when the 49ers hired him in February 2017. Even general manager John Lynch has since acknowledged that he wondered how Shanahan would turn out as a leader and communicator.
Fine, actually.
But nobody really knew three years ago, when Shanahan and Lynch took over the team. Shanahan, after nine seasons as offensive coordinator for four teams (Houston, Washington, Cleveland and Atlanta), had a reputation as a creative, borderlinebrilliant play caller … with a smug, knowitall personality.
One notexactlyobjective person disputed this reputation. Mike Shanahan, a twotime Super Bowlwinning head coach and Kyle’s father, insisted he knew his son could handle the human demands of being a head coach.
“I could see as a kid that he connected right away with everybody,” Mike Shanahan said in a phone interview this week. “So I was surprised he had that reputation. Those opinions that he didn’t relate well (to players), I kind of laughed. I thought he was just the opposite. That’s the way he’s been his whole life.
“But when you’re in a situation and you’re young, sometimes those are the perceptions. … He’s a lot better than I was at relating to almost everybody in the room. He always had a natural ability to relate to everybody, whether they were white or black, anyone.”
Kyle Shanahan’s career arc, in a way, began in Santa Clara. Twentyfive years ago, as the 49ers of Steve Young and Jerry Rice rolled to the franchise’s fifth Super Bowl championship, he was an eager, curious 14yearold ball boy prone to wearing a Deion Sanders Tshirt all day and night.
Shanahan roamed the practice field, did laundry, ran errands. Sometimes, he hung out with Sanders or tackle Harris Barton. During training camp, Shanahan shared a room with his dad, then the team’s offensive coordinator, and offensive line coach Bobb McKittrick.
A quartercentury later, Shanahan roams the field in a decidedly different role. If the 49ers win Sunday, this would be their first Super Bowl title since that 1994 season, when Mike Shanahan called the plays and Kyle fetched footballs.
The younger Shanahan’s duties now stretch a bit deeper. And they include a forthright and direct manner with his players, many of whom pointed out how this distinguishes Shanahan from some peers in a cold, cutthroat business.
“He’s the most honest coach I’ve been around,” said wide receiver Jordan Matthews, who also has played for the Eagles, Bills and Patriots. “That’s one of the things I appreciate about Kyle. It’s not like my situation here has been roses and rainbows.”
The 49ers signed Matthews on Oct. 4, cut him Oct. 26 and signed him again Dec. 11.
“But, every single time,” Matthews said, “he never hesitated to tell me, ‘Here’s the deal, here’s what’s going on. Here’s why we’re having to let you go. Here’s why we’re bringing you back.’ And I appreciate that about someone.”
Matthews made another salient point on Shanahan’s uncommon candor with the media about player injuries. That resonates loudly in the locker room, where players often feel pressure to return even if they’re not physically ready.
“If a coach comes out (publicly) and says, ‘Hey, it’s going to take some time,’ then it’s like, ‘OK, now I have the space to breathe and get healthy,’ ” Matthews said. “So if this injury takes longer to come back from than we expect, it’s not like I’ve got the fans and media down my throat about getting back out there.”
Shanahan’s honesty is a thread running through his three years with the 49ers. In his initial interview with chief executive officer Jed York, he bluntly told York the roster needed an overhaul. Shanahan then did exactly that — and guided his team to the Super Bowl in his third season.
York, in an interview last week with Bay Area reporters, described Shanahan as being “very, very direct.” And, yes, York meant it as a compliment.
This all traces to Shanahan’s teenage years, in many ways, when he routinely joined his dad at work. That meant playing catch with Young or Rice, and learning from some of the best players ever. Shanahan later was a wide receiver at Duke and Texas before pursuing coaching.
His simmering intensity as a player, and earlier in his coaching career, has since morphed into a more balanced approach.
“I truly believe the locker room reflects the personality of your head coach,” said guard Mike Person, who also played for Shanahan in Atlanta. “When we’re on football, Kyle is always focused on talking ball. But he’s such a laidback personality, I think it rubs off on us in a good way. Everyone enjoys being around each other. We’re not constantly looking over our shoulder.”
Matthews suggested Shanahan’s coaching style has persuaded some players to consider coaching as a career option after their playing days. That’s unusual, because most NFL players see the long hours of coaching and want no part of it.
Shanahan, contrary to his pre49ers reputation, is changing perceptions.
“I think he’s the coolest coach ever,” guard Laken Tomlinson said.
Now that’s high praise.