Shanahan stresses the importance of NFL coaches being able to adapt

Shanahan stresses the importance of NFL coaches being able to adapt originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Those who mean it 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan must continue to develop and adjust his offense has found someone who agrees.

His name is Kyle Shanahan.

Shanahan said Friday that the essence of coaching is finding a way to constantly adapt and get the most out of his personnel.

Some adjustments are noticeable. Others are more subtle. But rarely do things stay the same from game to game, Shanahan said.

“That’s what you try to do every single week,” Shanahan said before the 49ers left for their Week 16 game to face the Miami Dolphins. “That’s what you always try to do.

“You don’t just say, ‘Hey, today I’m going to try to run the offense with the wishbone and stuff.’ What players do you have? What do you believe in? And what gives those guys the best chance to be successful?”

The 49ers have been forced to do things differently on offense this season. They played the majority of the season without running back Christian McCaffreyNFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2023, and their top receiver, Brandon Aiyuk.

The 49ers rank eighth in the NFL with 365.1 total offensive yards per game. game, while they are 16th with 22.4 points per game. match.

Shanahan pointed out that changes were made to the offensive philosophy to open the 2022 season when Trey Lance opened the regular season as the starter. The 49ers switched to an offense that emphasized the quarterback-driven running game.

“You saw a different offense when he got out there,” Shanahan said. “You see different things. You have to adjust your players.”

Shanahan said he was unable to take the offense he ran with the Houston Texans to Washington more than a decade ago with Robert Griffin III as his quarterback.

“I had to do things that I had never done before,” he said. “Not because you’re just reinventing yourself or trying to change the league, but because you’re trying to figure out what can help the guys you have to be successful.

“And it can change all the time depending on the skill of the player. But I would say as a coach, if you want to make it in this league and you want to have some success in this league, you better be able to adapt for anything, otherwise you will only succeed when you have the perfect situations.”

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