Super Bowl Debacle Should Give 49ers Second Thoughts About Kyle Shanahan

The past couple of seasons have been nothing short of disastrous for the San Francisco 49ers. A team that not too long ago was playing in the Super Bowl finished 2016 as the worst squad in the NFC. And the team is preparing to hire its third head coach in as many seasons.

That new head coach is coming off a disaster of his own: the biggest meltdown in the history of the Super Bowl. And while the Atlanta Falcons' second-half collapse can't be laid solely at the feet of Kyle Shanahan, it should give his new bosses pause.

Because in the biggest moment on the biggest stage in sports, Shanahan choked—in spectacular fashion.

As Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reported Monday, Shanahan is expected to be named the new head coach of the 49ers just as soon as he can sign his name to a six-year contract. The hiring has been no secret in league circles for some time now, and until recently, it was almost universally hailed.

After all, Shanahan's Atlanta offense ranked second in the NFL in 2016, averaging over 415 yards per game. The Falcons ranked inside the league's top five in both passing and rushing. And the 37-year-old Shanahan's tutelage and play-calling produced an MVP campaign by quarterback Matt Ryan.

The last week, however, hasn't been nearly as kind.

At Super Bowl media day last Monday, Shanahan temporarily lost his playbook, producing a litany of jokes about the "shady" New England Patriots pilfering it.

For the record: A reporter accidentally picked up the wrong bag.

In the second half of Super Bowl LI, Shanahan lost his mind—and no one found that especially funny.

With 8:31 left in the fourth quarter and Atlanta leading 28-12, Shanahan dialed up a pass play on 3rd-and-1 despite the success of the Falcons' run game for most of the night. Ryan was sacked by Dont'a Hightower and lost the ball, the Patriots recovered and scored, and a Super Bowl that had been a blowout was suddenly a one-possession game.

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

On the next drive, two plays after a circus catch by Julio Jones set Atlanta up well inside field-goal range, Shanahan dialed up a pass play on 2nd-and-11 from the New England 23-yard line. Once again, Ryan was sacked, losing 12 yards.

Rather than run a draw on 3rd-and-forever to give Matt Bryant at least a chance to seal the deal for the Falcons, Shanahan—wait for it—called another pass. Tackle Jake Matthews was flagged for a hold, knocking Atlanta out of field-goal range.

We all know what happened after that.

Per McClure, Shanahan defended his play selection after the game:

"

The thought is to get as many yards as you can. And we were right there on the fringe. It was by no means an easy field goal. From what I remember, we ran in on first-and-10 and lost yards. Got into second-and-11, so we try to get a pass to get us back into a manageable third down, closer to the field goal, and we took a sack. Taking a sack ... got us into a third-and-20, so we threw a quick pass trying to get back into field goal range, which we did. But there was a holding call on the play. And when you get a holding call on third-and-20, it goes back that far. We were way out of field goal range. We tried our best to get back in but couldn't get it done.

"

Zach Klein of WSB-TV in Atlanta, however, reported Shanahan offered a much more honest assessment of his performance:

Is it wholly Shanahan's fault the 2016 Falcons now have a place in NFL infamy? Hardly. Ryan should have seen the blitzing Hightower coming before he fumbled. The Atlanta defense came unglued in the second half. There's plenty of blame to go around.

But make no mistake: In the biggest moment of his professional career, Shanahan blew it. He got cute, and it cost the Falcons dearly.

It's fair to wonder if 49ers CEO Jed York watched it all unfold with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He's entrusted the fate of his floundering franchise to a first-time head coach and a new general manager (John Lynch) who has as much experience in a front office as I do.

Yes, for most of the season, Shanahan did an excellent job guiding the Atlanta offense. But the Falcons have as much talent on that side of the ball as any team in the NFL. The 49ers might have the least.

In Atlanta, Shanahan's offense was led by the league's MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in Ryan.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the 2017 49ers will be led by, well, not Ryan:

For the record, Kirk Cousins is a fantasy, and if the Patriots are serious about wanting a first-round pick for Jimmy Garoppolo, per Rapoport (via CBSSports.com), then so is he—or at least he should be.

I'm not even going to address Matt Schaub. After a two-win season, that'd be rubbing salt in the wounds of the 49ers' beleaguered fans.

If San Francisco is going to have any success in the short term, it's likely to be because it out-thought opponents, not because it outran them. And the perception of Shanahan as an offensive mastermind just got a size-51 hole blown in it.

There isn't much the 49ers can do about it at this point. Their coaching vacancy was arguably the least attractive of all the openings in 2017, and the team appeared to have settled on Shanahan some time ago.

Maybe Shanahan will get past this debacle. Maybe he'll use the Falcons' collapse as a springboard of sorts—a hard lesson learned about what not to do as he begins his tenure as an NFL head coach.

But what could have been the best week of Shanahan's life is now surrounded by questions and second-guessing. An introductory press conference that would have been half "Attaboy!" and half "What's the plan, Stan?" will now be dominated by the same question that's been ringing in Shanahan's ears since Sunday night.

"What were you thinking?"

And at this point, it's safe to ask if York is wondering that same thing himself—if he doesn't already have a tinge of buyer's remorse before the ink has even been spilled on his new coach's contract.

Gary Davenport is an NFL analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter: @IDPSharks.