Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young recently shared his perspective on the San Francisco 49ers during an appearance on Bay Area radio station KNBR. Young suggested that head coach Kyle Shanahan might need to reinvent himself following a disappointing 2024 season.
Young's comments focused on how defenses have adapted to Shanahan's offensive strategies, proposing that the coach explore innovative approaches to counteract opponents' adjustments to his play-calling.
On Friday, Shanahan addressed this narrative, providing a lengthy response during his media availability.
"That's what you try to do every single week," Shanahan said. "That's what you try to always do, but you don't ... just say, 'Hey, today I'm going to try to run the wishbone offense and stuff.' It's what are the players that you have, what do you believe in, and what gives those guys the best chance to succeed?
"For a little bit here, we almost went with the running quarterback, possibly, with Trey [Lance]. You saw a different offense when he got out there. You see different things. You gotta adjust to your players."
The coach then injected a bit of humor into his response.
"I know what I want to do," Shanahan continued. "I think we got the players here to do that stuff. But reinventing yourself, as you ask, I did that having a mustache this offseason for a little bit. That's how I would look at that.
"And I'm totally joking, but when it comes to football, that's why I think coaches get a little too much credit, too, when a really good scheme is putting the players that you have in the best chance they have to max out and do their best. And that's what we're gonna always try to do, and the scheme will change with that."
Shanahan also recognized the ever-changing nature of the NFL and the need for coaches to adapt.
"I say, as a coach, that if you want to make it in this league, and you want to have some success in this league, you better be able to adjust to anything, or you're only going to be successful when you have the perfect situations," Shanahan concluded.
