In this era of rapidly forgotten history or, in some cases, rewritten history, it’s easy for people to forget. However, we must not forget the lessons we can learn from the experiences of Kyle Shanahan and Andy Reid. After suffering his third Super Bowl loss, with two of them as a head coach, many NFL fans are pointing fingers at San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. In the 2019-20 season, Shanahan led the 49ers to the Super Bowl only to be defeated by Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and the Kansas City Chiefs. This season, history repeated itself as Shanahan’s team once again made it to the Super Bowl but fell short.
The main criticism against Shanahan is that his teams have consistently held double-digit leads in all three Super Bowl appearances, including when he was the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, who infamously blew a 28-3 lead against the New England Patriots. It’s worth noting that only two coaches and two quarterbacks have managed to defeat Shanahan in the Super Bowl: Andy Reid, Bill Belichick, Patrick Mahomes, and Tom Brady. Losing to such formidable opponents should not be a cause for shame.
On the other hand, Andy Reid, following his third Super Bowl win, is solidifying his position as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. However, how many people remember his reputation before he joined the Kansas City Chiefs? In case you don’t, let me remind you: he was considered a great coach who couldn’t win the big game. During his time coaching the Philadelphia Eagles, Reid led the team to four consecutive NFC Championship Games from 2001-04. Unfortunately, they only managed to win one of those matches, losing to Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the New England Patriots in their sole Super Bowl appearance under Reid’s leadership.
Reid remained with the Eagles until 2011, during which time they reached a fifth NFC Championship Game but ultimately lost to the Arizona Cardinals, ending their 2008-09 season. Throughout Reid’s 14-year tenure, the Eagles participated in 19 postseason games, achieving a 10-9 record. However, after a disappointing 4-12 season in 2012, Reid was fired by the Eagles and quickly found a new home with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Success did not come immediately for Reid in Kansas City. Although the Chiefs made the playoffs in five of their first six seasons with Reid, they never managed to advance beyond the AFC Divisional Round. Everything changed when they drafted quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Since then, the Chiefs have consistently reached the AFC Championship Game for six consecutive seasons, winning four times and securing three Super Bowl titles.
It’s important to note that Kyle Shanahan has never had a quarterback of Patrick Mahomes’ caliber. In fact, very few coaches have. Therefore, it would be shortsighted to write off Shanahan after only his second Super Bowl loss. Shanahan just completed his seventh season with the San Francisco 49ers. Despite a rough start to his career, he has led the team to four NFC Championship Games in five seasons. At the age of 44, he still has plenty of time to achieve greatness.
Comparing Shanahan and Reid after their respective seven seasons in the NFL, their resumes are quite similar. Shanahan has made four playoff appearances, reached four NFC Championship Games, and made two Super Bowl appearances, although he has yet to win a championship. His postseason record stands at 8-4. On the other hand, Reid had five playoff appearances, four NFC Championship Games, one Super Bowl appearance, and a postseason record of 7-5. In fact, Shanahan has experienced slightly more postseason success than Reid, winning one more game with one fewer loss, despite reaching the playoffs one fewer time.
It’s safe to say that finding consistently successful NFL head coaches who consistently lead their teams to championship contention is incredibly rare. Most teams cycle through new head coaches every few years. The San Francisco 49ers have found a coach in Kyle Shanahan who consistently positions his team to compete for championships, yet some people are calling for his dismissal. This is absurd. Shanahan is only approaching his 45th birthday and has already achieved two NFC Championship titles. Additionally, several coaches who have worked under him, such as Mike McDaniel, DeMeco Ryans, and Robert Saleh, have already found success as NFL head coaches. This is not a sprint but a marathon, and Shanahan is in excellent shape. Let’s stop pretending otherwise.
According to the Source outkick.com