How Steve Young Called Out Kyle Shanahan Without Calling Him Out
Steve Young didn’t mention Kyle Shanahan, but I think he meant Kyle Shanahan – and what he implied was hardly positive. I’m talking about Young’s interview on KNBR the other day.
Young made some important points on a few other topics, so let’s start with the easy stuff.
He said the Niners are not aiming just to win the division. “We’re about Super Bowls.” Later he said, “We’ve got to figure out how to win a championship now, not win a division.” He said the Niners should not aspire to being one of those teams that hangs around and gets eliminated in an early playoff round.
Young was talking about a standard, the 49er standard, which is to be the best, always be the best. He certainly had that standard when he played. He embodied it. Do the current 49ers even know that standard exists – or used to exist?
OK, that was Young’s rah-rah stuff – which I love.
On other topics he was more pointed – or drastic, if you will.
He admitted the 49ers have not played well in the Red Zone. He said other teams have studied the 49ers offense and have made the necessary adjustments. “The league has come to us and closed down some of those avenues.”
He went on. “You have to be able to create all kinds of opportunities that are off script.” He mentioned Patrick Mahomes as someone who does that. He said, “We’re going to have to come up with frankly crazier stuff to get in there.”
Notice Young uses the word “we.” The guy hasn’t played for the 49ers this century, but he still feels he’s a 49er. I bet he feels more of a 49er than Nick Bosa or Trent Williams who, I believe, play for the 49ers but don’t particularly feel 49er.
But the “we” Young uses is more than a statement of loyalty. It is a euphemism, a way to be polite. If the 49ers need to come up with crazier stuff in the Red Zone only two people are responsible – Purdy and Shanahan. The “we” Young mentions is them.
Hang in with me. I have just one more quote from Young. But come on, his quotes are damn good. “This year is harder and it’s going to be harder. So now we can’t do the same things we did last year. We have to innovate, and he (Purdy) has to be better.”
OK, Young lays the blame squarely on Purdy who needs to improve. Fair enough. But Purdy is an easy target – eager young man, happy to take criticism, happy to blame himself for the loss to Kansas City. But isn’t Shanahan part of the “we” that needs to innovate? Isn’t Shanahan the prime innovator on the 49ers, the guy every analyst says is an offensive genius? It’s not like Shanahan is a mere passenger on the offense. He is the play designer and play caller and the final word.
It sure sounds like Young is begging Shanahan to come up with better plays, especially in the Red Zone, to raise his game, to be the innovator he’s alleged to be – “we can’t do the same things we did last year.” It sure sounds like Young is calling out Shanahan without calling him out.
Which puzzles me no end. Why did the interviewer, Tom Tolbert, not mention Shanahan’s name? Why did Young not mention Shanahan’s name? Is the 49ers coach so fragile he’ll fall apart if someone criticizes him? Is he some kind of God above criticism?
But criticize Shanahan is what Young did with extreme diplomacy and decorum. If you interpret this interview any other way, let me know.