The San Francisco 49ers introduced Kyle Shanahan to the media on Thursday, and naturally he got a question about why he came to the team. He said that he believes the team is committed to winning, and Jed York’s answers to various questions satisfied his concerns about that.
Prior to the question, he spoke extensively about his past with the team, back when Mike Shanahan was the offensive coordinator. He talked about being a ball boy, playing ping pong with John Taylor, and more that took place when he was involved with the organization as a younger person.
The 49ers are coming off a 2-14 season and a three-year run that has gotten successively worse each year. It is easy to wonder why anybody would want the job. The easy answer is that there are only 32 of these jobs. However, Shanahan’s history with the team would seemingly give them a slightly extra boost in some regard. The look on his face and as he talked about his times with the team suggest someone who has a certain appreciation for the organization’s history.
I think this being one of only 32 jobs was plenty important, but given the offense he could have gone back to for one more year, I think it bodes well he was prepared to take this opportunity. There is plenty of work to be done moving forward, and Jed York will have to hold up his end of the bargain, but for the time being, I’m feeling pretty good.