49ers’ Shanahan fighting his instinct to take risks
Last year, in the first 29 minutes of his first regularseason game as an NFL head coach, the 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan twice decided to go for it in fourth-down situations, and both times it backfired.
He is not a patient man. Just ask him.
Shanahan recently discussed harnessing his ultraaggressive tendencies when queried about his team’s patient rebuilding process.
“I think it’s hard to fight against your natural personality,” Shanahan said, smiling. “And I’m not patient. If I’m a gambler, I’m either going to win or lose very fast when I’m in Vegas. It’s going to be one or the other: I’m not going home even. That’s my personality, but that’s why I wanted to come here.”
Shanahan came to the 49ers because he and general manag-
er John Lynch were given sixyear contracts and a pledge from CEO Jed York upon inheriting a 2-14 team 19 months ago: You will be given the necessary time to fix this mess.
Time, of course, is a luxury rarely afforded in the NFL. Consider: More than half the league’s head coaches (17 of 32) have been in their position less than three full seasons.
And Shanahan thinks the lack of job security on the sideline and in front offices often leads to errors. That is, decisions are made that can keep coaches and GMs employed another year, but can damage their franchises in the years to come.
“I didn’t want to come somewhere where we had to gamble a ton just so we could try to prove to (ownership): ‘Hey, look at what we’re doing, trust us, we’re good and keep us around,’ ” Shanahan said. “I think that’s a lot of the NFL. And I think that’s why people are scared to go to a place that doesn’t have a quarterback just sitting there ready to go. That does have a loaded roster.
“Those are hard things because perception can take over. I think that leads people to make a lot of bad decisions. And I felt if got an opportunity to make those (calls) I just really wanted to work with people to try to make the best decision possible. Not the one that will buy us more time.”
The latest evidence of the new regime’s patient approach was provided last week. The 49ers, a trendy playoff pick who have a gaping hole at edge rusher, one of the NFL’s most important positions, pursued Raiders’ All-Pro edge rusher Khalil Mack … to a point.
On Saturday, Lynch said the 49ers “aggressively” looked into adding Mack, whose 10.5 sacks last year are more than any player on the 49ers has collected in his career. But the 49ers also established “some parameters.” The Bears acquired Mack, 27, in a trade in which they surrendered two first-round picks and then signed him to a six-year, $141 million contract, making him the highest-paid defensive player in league history.
It was too much for the 49ers, who plan to keep strengthening their work-inprogress roster through the draft and by using what is currently the NFL’s secondmost salary-cap space ($41.9 million), according to the NFL Players Association.
“We’re trying to build this thing such that when we get there, we want it to be sustainable,” Lynch said Aug. 23. “We don’t want to make it a one-year thing and (it’s over). I think with the cap money we had available (this offseason), you could have gone and potentially built this as much as you could. But is that lasting? Is that sustainable? We wanted to build this such that we could get there and stay there.”
The 49ers’ recent draft highlighted their long-term approach.
They used the No. 9 pick on rookie right tackle Mike McGlinchey, despite already having a capable right tackle in Trent Brown. However, Brown was in the final year of his contract, and questions about his passion made the 49ers leery of giving him a big-money extension.
During the draft, the 49ers traded Brown and a fifth-round pick to the Patriots for a thirdround pick. The deal allowed them to trade their other thirdround pick to move up 15 spots in the second round and select Dante Pettis, the wide receiver Shanahan coveted. Pettis won’t start this season, but he’s the heir apparent to Pierre Garcon, 32, and McGlinchey is in line to eventually replace left tackle Joe Staley, 34.
The picks, which might negligibly improve the 49ers in 2018, reflect how Shanahan and Lynch can make decisions with time on their side.
“We have both things in mind: Who’s going to help us now, and who is going to be here long term?” Lynch said. “You draft a kid like McGlinchey because you know you’re going to have a player on the line that’s a cornerstone for years to come. I think we’re mindful of both those things in how we’re operating.”
Shanahan and Lynch aren’t without urgency. Their 53-man roster includes only 11 players they inherited last year, including just four on offense. This offseason, they handed out big-money contracts to three players, all of whom are 27 or younger: running back Jerick McKinnon, who tore his ACL on Saturday, center Weston Richburg and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
The unexpected addition of Garoppolo, a potential franchise quarterback they acquired last year for a secondround pick, is the major reason Shanahan says he feels “we’re further along than I anticipated when we got here.”
However, the 49ers probably aren’t there yet. The offensive weapons around Garoppolo aren’t overwhelming, the team has depth issues, most notably in the secondary, and the 49ers have no proven edge rushers.
Those shortcomings probably can’t be addressed until 2019, meaning Shanahan must keep harnessing his aggressive tendencies.
And he sounds prepared to do just that. He doesn’t have much patience, but he knows he has the time to do this right.
“We can be aggressive if it’s the right decision, but we don’t have to do it for the wrong reasons,” Shanahan said. “And that’s what made me so excited to come here.”
Briefly: The 49ers did not claim any players off waivers Sunday, but they will tweak their initial 53-man roster before the regular-season opener at Minnesota next Sunday. They will have to fill the roster spot of McKinnon, who will be placed on injured reserve, and rookie safety Marcell Harris (hamstring) is a candidate to be placed on short-term IR . ... The 49ers signed nine players to their 10-man practice squad: wide reeiver Steven Dunbar, tight end Ross Dwelley, cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, quarterback Nick Mullens, defensive back Tyvis Powell, defensive lineman Niles Scott, linebacker Pita Taumoepenu, guard Najee Toran and and running back Jeff Wilson.