Kurtenbach: The 49ers are a mess. But they’re Kyle Shanahan’s mess to fix
After Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, league commissioner Adam Silver went to the Warriors locker room to commend the losing team on a great season and a brilliant five-year run.
Injured and defeated, Golden State Steve Kerr made a suggestion.
Could the Dubs take 2020 off and go to Italy to “ride bikes and sip wine” for a year?
The toll of five-straight NBA Finals took on the Warriors was incalculable. The pressure broke the team physically and spiritually. They knew that Game 6 — which culminated with Klay Thompson tearing his ACL — was the end of the line.
The Niners’ “go to Italy” moment came in February in Las Vegas. Hindsight makes it clear, but the picture wasn’t terribly blurry back then—the team’s second Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs in five years marked the end of an era. The team’s stars—many of whom had played in the prior Super Bowl matchup—were gassed. Four NFC title game appearances in five years—two Super Bowls that came down to the fourth quarter or overtime—left the Niners on empty.
The Niners tried desperately to run that battle-tested core back one more time. They gave out big-money contracts, spent serious money in free agency, and drafted players that could have an immediate impact in 2024.
A lot of good that’s done them.
Oh well, they’ll be heading to Italy soon enough.
The Niners’ loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday was a new low in a season from hell for San Francisco. Sunday’s game with the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park might find a new level yet.
Amid a wicked Super Bowl hangover and heading towards what is likely a losing season, it’s natural that head coach Kyle Shanahan’s position as the man in charge of the program is challenged. He’s not doing a good job this season.
So if it’s not fans calling for him to be outright fired, then the constant refrain that he needs to relinquish offensive-playing calling should suffice.
Both are ludicrous and wholly premature suggestions.
Shanahan is merely a victim of his success.
Does he not deserve a down year?
Yes, the Niners head coach needs to make some adjustments — perhaps even some serious ones — in the offseason. You bet. A third defensive coordinator in three years seems inevitable. Changes to the team’s stale offensive and defensive schemes (it’s not a Cover-3 league anymore, Kyle) are necessary. And, boy, do the Niners ever need to nail this upcoming offseason in both free agency and the draft, as a complete rebuild of the offensive and defensive lines is necessary.
But let’s not forget that Shanahan and general manager John Lynch built up this operation to the point that this season could prove so disappointing.
The idea that they don’t deserve the opportunity to fix the problems is so short-sided that it borders on insulting.
Yes, there are folks out there who would gladly burn it all down over a season of mediocrity. That feels like a red flag beyond football.
Less than a year ago, 30 other NFL operations would have gladly switched places with the 49ers — the class of the NFC.
Things change fast in this league, but not fast enough for the Niners to be heading into some sort of abyss.
One great offseason, and the Niners can be right back in the mix in the NFC.
Remember, the Niners are still in contention to win their division this season, and they’ve had one feel-good win all season — in Week 1. The margins are tight, and the Niners can be on the right side of them again in 2025.
The pressure will be on Shanahan and his hand-picked general manager to deliver.
They built it up once. They earned the right to build it back up again.