It’s been open season on San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan since electing to receive instead of kick in overtime of Super Bowl 58 — a tactical decision that, while certainly defensible, backfired big time.
But old friend Mike McDaniel — the current Miami Dolphins coach who previously worked alongside Shanahan in Houston, Washington, Cleveland, Atlanta, and San Francisco — is more sympathetic.
He’s seen Shanahan do everything right on the biggest stage, only to have things still go sideways.
Miami Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel Defends Kyle Shanahan
Seven years ago, Shanahan and McDaniel were part of the biggest collapse in Super Bowl history. They were on Dan Quinn’s offensive staff in 2016, helping the Atlanta Falcons not just reach the NFL‘s title game, but build a 28-3 second-half lead over the New England Patriots.
But in a fourth quarter out of a horror movie, the Falcons gave up the entire lead and lost to the Patriots on the first possession of overtime.
On Atlanta’s final four drives, Shanahan’s offense managed zero points and three first downs. His aggressive late play-calling didn’t work, and as a result, the Falcons controlled the ball for just four minutes, 49 seconds in the final quarter of regulation.
Shanahan has since expressed regret for at least one call that went wrong — a 2nd-and-11 pass call from the Pats’ 23 with the Falcons up eight and less than four minutes left in regulation.
A couple of runs would have set up a very makeable field goal, which would have given the Falcons a two-score lead with very little time remaining.
Instead, he tried to have Matt Ryan go to Julio Jones for a potentially game-clinching big gain. Bad move. The Patriots had the perfect defense called, Ryan took a sack, and the Falcons didn’t score again.
Mike McDaniel’s Takeaway From Super Bowl 51
That second half had a profound impact on McDaniel, but not in the way one might think.
Asked at the NFL Owners Meetings in Orlando this week to discuss a moment from his many years spent with Shanahan that helped shape him as a coach or a man, McDaniel brought up a 3rd-and-short play earlier in the half.
“Because of injury during the game, we had a shuffle in the backfield,” McDaniel said. “And I watched him call a play that was designed for Aldrick Robinson, guessing a certain coverage and put in the play based upon guesses of what the defense might show that they haven’t.
“The bottom line was, it was the third quarter of the biggest game of our lives and he made a perfect play call and because we had some injuries during the game, our protection was a little off and we got sacked. So I watched him be fully prepared, do everything in his control, [and] make a play call that was highly scrutinized.
“That brings me peace in my job,” McDaniel added. “You only can do what you can control. You’re always responsible for the results. And to me, I learned so much about how in high-stakes situations, it doesn’t matter sometimes how much you prepare, how well-orchestrated a scheme is or everything that you can control from a coach’s perspective.
“Football is a team sport and a lot of things are going on, and sometimes it doesn’t fall your way and you have to move on and do your best moving forward.”
McDaniel’s Send-Off for Bill Belichick
The winning coach in that game was, of course, Bill Belichick, who, on that day, led the Patriots to their fifth of six world championships.
Five years later, McDaniel took the Dolphins job, accepting the challenge of trying to beat Belichick’s Patriots twice a year. But that challenge is gone with Belichick out of a job for the first time in a quarter century.
KEEP READING: Mike McDaniel Won’t Relinquish Play-Calling Duties
“It’s bizarre for me,” McDaniel said of Belichick’s forced retirement. “I think I was in high school the last time he wasn’t a coach in the AFC East. So from a competitive standpoint, you want to go against the best.
“I have no doubt that the New England Patriots are retooling in their own fashion to be their best selves. But in terms of an individual to go against, there’s not anybody more difficult from a defensive standpoint to try to forecast what they’re going to do in that next game. There’s not anybody better at facilitating technique and fundamentals across the board.
“So to say that I’m somber and have been mourning the loss of Bill Belichick in the AFC East would be a flat out lie and I wouldn’t lie to you.”
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