Breaking down the questions Kyle Shanahan needs to answer following his latest Super Bowl collapse.
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00:00 Kyle Shanahan who has been the most
00:03 Defended man in sports the last week. He lost the Super Bowl
00:08 again and
00:11 Miraculously everyone rushed in the media to defend him. What do you make of this?
00:16 Phenomenon and what would you like to see the media coverage actually be with Kyle?
00:21 Okay, what I think we're gonna do is we're gonna in a moment list questions that the media
00:28 Could ask him and questions. He should answer about that Super Bowl
00:32 I don't believe they've been asked but I want to emphasize what Iggy just said. I've covered a lot of Super Bowls
00:39 I've covered a lot a lot a lot of 49er teams. I
00:43 would say
00:45 Instantaneously after they lost the Super Bowl
00:47 Fans defended Shanahan and that's great. They're fans. They're supposed to do that. So I'm not talking about fans
00:55 I'm talking about people like Iggy and me journalists
00:58 What I noticed and if I'm wrong, please correct me most of the local people
01:04 gave reasons
01:07 Why we should think Shanahan did not screw up ie he lost the game
01:12 But people immediately defended him why he why would you defend the guy who loses?
01:19 Isn't it more pertinent to ask?
01:22 What why did he lose?
01:24 Why do you lose and what could he have done better as opposed to this flock of Lemmings?
01:30 That came and said well, it wasn't his fault because of this it was why is that your main? He lost the game
01:36 You don't get credit for losing the game. Maybe you know, you don't get on
01:41 solitary confinement, but you don't get credit and certainly Ira Miller Glenn Dickey or I
01:49 Would have written and asked a lot. What could he have done better?
01:53 Not unfair and it's not personal
01:57 This is business and it's serious business because the fans take it seriously
02:02 The players and coaches do and the media is supposed to so let's say some things
02:08 He needs to to be asked and before we do that
02:12 I just want to say when when media people are engaged in the in defending Kyle
02:17 It's like it's one step removed from the conversation. It's not really analyzing Kyle
02:23 It's analyzing the conversation about Kyle people are being too hard on him
02:26 Don't blame him for this like wait a second. You're a journalist covering this team not the conversation about the team
02:33 Just want to point that out. I
02:35 Love it. Yeah, so let's get into some things and you know what?
02:39 We're not gonna talk about the coin toss thing before over time. Yeah, it's been talked to death
02:44 I think people know how Grant and I feel about it. Let's leave that aside
02:47 Let's talk about other things that Kyle has to answer for like the third quarter
02:52 He is everybody talks about boy. This guy's a great play designer and a great play caller
03:00 There's all this motion and you never know where it's coming from and there's a zone blocking scheme like his dad
03:08 So how come he scored no points in the third quarter?
03:11 I mean you could point to a lot of things and say they lost the game because of this because of that
03:18 Well among them is the third quarter when you're playing a really good team
03:23 It might be a good idea to score in the third quarter Iggy
03:27 What does he have to answer for what did he do wrong in the third quarter?
03:31 well, I mean the third quarter and it was incredible they the Chiefs get the ball first and
03:37 My home so as a pick on their third play from scrimmage the Niners get the ball at the Chiefs 44 and punt
03:44 That's incredible. They had the ball at the Chiefs 44 up 7
03:50 first play from the shotgun
03:53 Incomplete pass next play false start next play incomplete pass next play incomplete pass next play punt
03:59 Sorry, third and 15 was a scramble. Excuse me next play punt
04:04 So they had an opportunity to once again get a double-digit lead. They had the ball in Kansas City territory
04:10 They went backward and punted. That was the beginning of it and
04:14 I would like to point out it was the beginning of it and it was the beginning of a tendency to just pass the ball
04:22 Yeah, he has the best running back in the league
04:25 They they can run they can get closer at least to a field goal running and
04:31 McCaffrey didn't touch the ball
04:34 No
04:35 Okay, and like every time he's folded in a Super Bowl in the second half. He's gotten away from his running game every single time and
04:41 His offense falls apart in the second half of these Super Bowls much better in the first half
04:46 So next drive he gets the ball and they go
04:51 Pass for -8 pass him McCaffrey for seven passing complete on third down
05:01 Point
05:02 Okay, three and out and again never uses his running game
05:07 This is when Ira Miller calls me up on the phone and says lo what's he doing? He never learns
05:12 What's in next?
05:14 Their next drive they finally give the ball to McCaffrey, but they run him up the middle
05:17 Which hasn't had success all game as opposed to running him to the perimeter. He goes
05:21 Nowhere second and ten pass third and ten pass point. So that's your third
05:28 That's another three and out. So at this point his offense is totally dead
05:32 dead
05:34 Dead and you know, you could argue whether or not he should have fired
05:39 Wilkes I think it's okay Iggy actually feels Wilkes got a raw deal
05:43 we're not gonna get into that but the point is Kyle that's a whole 15 minutes that he didn't do anything and
05:50 Maybe three points would have helped at that or a touchdown
05:55 So the point is he needs and when he asked him right after the game, he just gave a snotty answer. Um
06:02 somebody
06:04 Needs to ask him or he needs to come forward and explain his play calling in the third quarter
06:10 Which is among the causes of their loss
06:13 We're not talking about the coin toss. We're talking about bad play calling Iggy. What else does he have to answer for in this game?
06:22 How about the fact that they couldn't pick up a blitz all game
06:25 Well, it's like that work. He had no answers for it
06:29 the Chiefs wanted to bring extra pressure a fifth rusher a sixth rusher and
06:34 the
06:36 49ers had no answer for that what he kept doing was going
06:39 empty backfield five offensive linemen everyone out split out as a wide receiver and
06:45 Try to throw quick passes that were not available because the Chiefs were playing really good press man coverage press man-to-man coverage
06:52 bump and run so
06:54 10 times at least in the game the Chiefs got
06:57 someone completely unblocked in purdy's face
07:01 That's on Kyle. That's not a birdie. You mad at Lee by Steve Spagnuolo
07:07 That's all yeah, so Spagnuolo figured figured him out
07:12 And Kyle never figured out the counter move
07:16 He just relentlessly let the blitzer come in and throw to Debo Samuel which didn't work
07:23 Well on the final and the two most important plays of the game. They had a third and four near
07:29 Midfield in regulation about two minutes left
07:32 unblocked blitzer
07:35 Passed to Juwan Jennings is broken up
07:37 I was open and then on the final play of overtime unblocked blitzer passed to Jennings overthrown thrown away
07:44 I was open but in both cases
07:46 Party had no freaking time to look around. He had a predetermined throw and
07:51 So basically this issue ruined the two most important downs of the season for the Niners and
07:56 The issue is let's be it. Let me try to rephrase it and tell me if if I'm wrong
08:01 It's the issue is they were doing Kansas City the same thing
08:06 blitzing an extra man
08:09 and Kyle didn't have an extra man to pick up the blitz and
08:14 Never figured out the counter move ie he lost it to Spagnola Spagnola beat him
08:20 Yeah, like if you watch the final play of the game where Chris Jones comes free and everyone blames Spencer Burford
08:26 Well, maybe that play would have had a chance if George Kittle would have stayed in and blocked instead
08:31 he runs this little nothing route is not a
08:34 threat at all in the play and
08:36 They only have five blockers
08:39 So maybe if there had been a different design in the final play and George kill it stayed in a block that would have been
08:42 able to pick up all
08:44 The rushers, but they couldn't
08:46 Okay, that's another one for so so one of the questions is why did you see these blitzes?
08:52 And if so, why didn't you?
08:55 Adjust. Yeah, that's another reason
08:58 Aside from the coin toss another reason you lost the game. Yeah, because you could not adapt and
09:06 Andy read adjusted to things as the game went on. Mm-hmm. It's my working hypothesis
09:13 Let me try to say this clearly that Kyle is very clever at doing his scripted plays
09:19 25 15 however, but once he's off the script and he has to think by the seat of his pants
09:26 He's not good can't adjust
09:28 That's why he doesn't do well in big games in the second half exactly agree more stuff
09:35 So you wanted the ball first for whatever reason and overtime fine. You get the ball you're down at
09:41 The nine yard line is fourth and four from the nine earlier in the game. You picked up a fourth and three
09:47 You don't go for it
09:49 Which means you don't really trust your offense to pick up four yards
09:52 You don't want to put the game in the hands of your offense
09:54 You want to put it in the hands of your defense and Steve Wilkes against Patrick Mahomes?
09:59 Why why'd you lose confidence in that offense? The offense was better than defense all year
10:04 Right and Steve will so you're gonna fire in two days clearly
10:09 You don't trust him. Yeah, you don't know may I add something on
10:14 Third down they threw an ink he pretty through an incompletion. So they had third and four
10:20 Correct. Well, that's a perfect place to run it because you know if you have guts, you know, you're gonna go for four downs
10:29 Run it. Yeah, you see the you see the blitz coming from the right you could toss it to the left get Christian McCaffrey running
10:35 Behind Trent Williams. I mean that would be you might get a first down like that. You didn't do that
10:39 Yeah, why would you not put the ball in the hands of the offensive player of the year in such a critical spot?
10:42 Right, and if you don't get the first down you get it the next time right?
10:46 So what I want to say is there are certain coaches at the crisis moment who have guts who are on fire?
10:54 Andy Reid was like that Bill Walsh was like that this guy he was timid
11:00 He lost because on third and fourth down he was timid
11:05 Yeah, he didn't have he didn't have the fire you want from a head coach. No, he has to answer for that
11:12 Why would these plays why didn't you get go for the for the on four downs?
11:18 And why didn't you go for the touchdown the minute you got that?
11:23 That took the field goal. You knew you were either gonna be tied or lose and please don't tell me there was gonna be a
11:30 Third possession it was never gonna be a third possession
11:33 You knew you're either, you know, well if you tied there would be but the point is you you weren't gonna hold my homes back
11:41 That's why you fired
11:43 Wilkes two days later, right?
11:46 And then the final thing he needs the answer for a lot of people who made their predictions for this game on like a statistical
11:52 analysis
11:54 basis pointed to one stat a
11:58 Bit up four point five yards per carry in the regular season. That's 24th out of 32 teams
12:02 they can't stop the run the Niners have Christian McCaffrey chiefs can't win and
12:06 Then McCaffrey averaged three point six yards per carry against him and fumbled
12:10 What happened there is Christian McCaffrey overrated is the Chiefs defense underrated or did you not figure out how to get the running game going?
12:18 I thought you were the run game guru and instead you spent like
12:23 45% of the game in empty backfields. What was going on there? You couldn't figure out how to get the run game going why?
12:28 What's the point of having such an expensive great running back if you just give up on that or you can't even succeed with it
12:36 Any defense can stop you?
12:39 So what I would I want to summarize here as
12:43 a former working journalist what I'm looking for in the coverage is
12:50 Addressing these points. I'm not looking for oh, it wasn't Kyle's fault or oh, they lost again
12:56 Their feelings are hurt now. They have to start all over. I'm not a psychologist. They're not psych the other
13:02 Don't tell me about their feelings. Tell me what happened in the game
13:06 Ira Miller would have told what happened in the game and he would have gotten those answers from Shanahan or no comments
13:13 He would have he would have put him on the spot because it's what journalists are supposed to do
13:18 It's not what fans are supposed to do fans. You're okay. It's what journalists supposed to do
13:23 You're not supposed to get on the bandwagon and say oh, it's alright dear
13:27 It's all your feelings you failed, but you feel in a good way. No, there is no such thing as a good loss
13:34 No such thing
13:36 Answerable
13:39 Yeah, the journalists aren't here to police the discussion the journalist journalists are here to ask the the tough questions
13:44 And yeah, this is the time you lose a Super Bowl like that
13:48 There's a lot of tough questions. You got to ask you don't just turn around and say hey, don't blame this guy
13:52 Right. Okay, not
13:55 You're not you're not there to massage the coaches feelings. You're there to ask the pertinent questions and and I
14:02 Didn't hear them and nor did I see Kyle step forward like Burford did
14:11 Like a purdy did after the game and say it's on me. I never saw the coach say that and you know what Iggy?
14:17 I don't admire it
14:20 You
14:22 (upbeat music)