Fooch’s update: An interesting note from former NFL player and current media member Andrew Hawkins.
Hearing multiple teams have inquired about 49ers Run-Game Coordinator Mike McDaniel for OC.
— Andrew Hawkins (@Hawk) January 10, 2019
I played one season under Mike, & if they want an “offensive guru”, Id bet ever dollar in my account that no other candidate understands offensive football the way he does. EVERY. DOLLAR.
The San Francisco 49ers have denied the Kliff Kingsbury permission to interview run game coordinator Mike McDaniel for his vacant offensive coordinator position, according to Matt Barrows. Kingsbury will be the brains behind the Arizona Cardinals offense, but he likely will look for someone to handle more of the nitty gritty.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan serves as his own offensive coordinator, but he has McDaniel and Mike LaFleur serving as his run-game and pass-game coordinators, respectively. The 49ers fired strength and conditioning coach Ray Wright and are looking for a replacement for recently departed defensive backs coach Jeff Hafley. But it appears they want to keep their current offensive crew together as much as possible.
At some point, I wonder if we see Shanahan promote McDaniel or LaFleur into a quasi-OC role. I don’t know if they’d get much value from the title with the NFL world knowing this is Kyle Shanahan’s offense, but it’s still something they might try to do to boost things for an assistant in demand.
The 49ers run game was inconsistent at times, but they got a lot out of Matt Breida and Jeff Wilson after Jerick McKinnon went on injured reserve to start the season. The 49ers will get McKinnon back in the fold, and the offensive line has significant time in Shanahan’s system. Expectations will rise for an offense that showed some promise in spite of all the injuries last season.