Kyle Shanahan 49ers Oct 3, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan walks on the field before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
NFLBy Michael Grant on

Kyle Shanahan is good at his job. When it comes to offensive football, few coaches are better. If you gave him an octogenarian at quarterback, an inebriated mime at running back, and a wide receiver wearing stilettos, he’d still find a way to score four touchdowns.

Shanahan has a well-earned reputation as a schemer but also as a choker. Fair or unfair, that’s just the way it is in sports, especially after some of the biggest meltdowns in playoff history. However, even his critics might have to give the San Francisco 49ers head coach his due soon. Shanahan is three victories away from winning a Super Bowl with his third-string quarterback.

We’ve seen backups lead their teams to the ultimate glory late in the season before. Nick Foles came off the bench to guide the Philadelphia Eagles to a championship. So did Jeff Hostetler for the New York Giants. But what Shanahan is close to doing with Brock Purdy would be unprecedented.

Save the Tom Brady or Kurt Warner comparisons. Both were in their second seasons with their respective teams when they first won it all. No coach has ever won a Super Bowl with a rookie quarterback. No coach has ever won a Super Bowl with a third-string quarterback. Shanahan can accomplish both with the same guy. To make this story even more amazing, Purdy isn’t a first-round draft pick. He was Mr. Irrelevant. We’ve never seen this before.

America keeps waiting for this fairy tale to end. Maybe it won’t. In Purdy’s postseason debut, he threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another in last weekend’s victory over the Seattle Seahawks. He became the first rookie in NFL history with four touchdowns in a playoff game and joined Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, and Warner as the only players to pass for 300-plus yards with four touchdowns in their postseason debut.

This season has been quite the quarterback rollercoaster of emotions for Shanahan. First, he was hellbent on starting Trey Lance, whom they traded up for to select third overall in the 2021 draft. But that plan was short-lived because Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury in September. So, Shanahan was forced to go back to Jimmy Garoppolo, who led the team to Super Bowl LIV but was statistically underwhelming that entire postseason.

Garoppolo kept the 49ers chugging along until he broke his foot last month. Enter Purdy, who is 6-0 as a starter with 14 touchdown passes to two interceptions.

San Francisco has a loaded roster, especially since the midseason trade for Christian McCaffrey. With Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and McCaffrey, the 49ers have more players who present match-up problems than any other team in the playoffs. Credit Shanahan for putting together a game plan that has allowed Purdy to thrive. He’s an exceptional play-caller.

As respected as Shanahan is, he also carries the burden of three infamous implosions. He was the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, who blew a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI. In his third season as San Francisco’s coach, the 49ers held a 20-10 fourth-quarter lead on the Kansas City Chiefs before falling in Super Bowl LIV. Last year, his team squandered a 17-7 fourth-quarter lead to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game.

Being labeled as a choker is a tough reputation to shake. Those losses will forever be a stain on his résumé. But there can be a new twist to the Shanahan narrative. This has been his finest work as a coach. Usually, when a team loses its starting quarterback, the season is lost. San Francisco has somehow managed to get better.

We know Shanahan is good at his job. Here’s his chance to prove that he’s historically great at it.

About Michael Grant

Born in Jamaica. Grew up in New York City. Lives in Louisville, Ky. Sports writer. Not related to Ulysses S. Grant, Anthony Grant, Amy Grant or Hugh Grant.

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