49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has no doubts about his goals for the 49ers in 2020.
“I know we were good enough to win that Super Bowl and we didn’t, and that’s something we have to live with,” Shanahan said during the State of the 49ers franchise virtual event on Wednesday. “And that’s why the state of the franchise right now is that we have to go back to that time. We have to go back to the fourth quarter and have an advantage and finish the job. ”
ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio rejected Shanahan’s ambitions for the upcoming season.
“The worst thing you can do in a season is to set unrealistic expectations,” Florio said in “Pro Football Talk.” “And the worst message you can send to your locker room is that we want to fast-forward to the point where you derailed last year. When you start thinking about that moment and going back to that moment, I guarantee, you’re never going back to that moment. .
“When I saw those quotes, I was impressed because I would expect it from Freddie Kitchens. I would expect it from a junior coach.”
Florio’s co-host was NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms, who, in case you haven’t heard him so far, is a close friend of Shanahan’s who goes back to his days as teammates in college, and watched the 40 years. old’s comments in a different light.
“He has confidence and sets goals like that for himself,” said Simms. “Even with him saying broad statements like that, first of all, he’s a different coach than most. He is. He’s a little more honest. He’s connected in a different way. He’s extremely honest with his players, his team and everything. what way.”
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It is more than fair for Shanahan to say that the 49ers were good enough to win Super Bowl LIV. With 10 points in the fourth quarter, not many teams end up on the losing end in that scenario, especially a team with a defense like the 49ers. But Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the best NFL quarterback for a reason, and Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t make the plays he needed to make it to the end.
Florio went on to say that he believes Shanahan is one of the best coaches in the league and has a chance to rise to be one of the NFL’s best coaches of all time. And he’s right, there are only two NFL teams that have lost a Super Bowl and come back to win it the following year (Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VII and New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII).
But the 49ers didn’t lose much talent in the offseason either, as many teams that made it to the Super Bowl in the past have. Defensive lineman DeForest Buckner is the best player to start, but was replaced by No. 14 overall pick, which San Francisco used to select Javon Kinlaw of South Carolina. Kinlaw is expected to gain significant playing time inside the D line, where Buckner excelled in 2019.
Coaches must have the highest expectations for their teams, especially when that team was 10 minutes from a Super Bowl title. If you were to ask any player on the roster what their goal for 2020 was, almost all of the answers would likely mimic what Shanahan explained.
He knows the championship window is open for the 49ers, but it won’t be long if there is some kind of complacency.
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