The presumptive next head coach of the San Francisco 49ers will arrive in Santa Clara with an award in his possession, AP assistant coach of the year. This is the third year that the award has been given out with both previous recipients being defensive coordinators; Todd Bowles and Wade Phillips.
The Falcons not only led the NFL for the first time in franchise history with 33.8 points per game, they finished the season with 540 points total which ties them with the 2000 Rams for the seventh most points scored by a franchise in a single season. No other team was even close this season. New Orleans came in second with 71 less points scored at 469. The Falcons 540 points is also 176 points above the league average.
According to Football Outsiders, the Falcons also were at the top of the league scoring 3.23 points per drive, and gaining 6.69 yards per play. They also broke franchise records in total yards per game (415.8) and yards per play (6.7).
Shanahan will obviously not have a roster that comes close to matching what he currently has in Atlanta but it’s hard to not get excited about the potential of what he brings with him to Santa Clara.