Kyle Shanahan has it all. The title of “NFL genius.” Status as one of just 32 NFL head coaches on the planet. Multiple Super Bowl appearances.
And yet I’m not sure I would want to be in his position right now, given the decision he faces.
In a few days Shanahan will need to decide on a starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. Will he ride with veteran Jimmy Garoppolo, who helped lead the organization to an appearance in Super Bowl LIV? Or will Shanahan go with rookie Trey Lance, the player San Francisco traded up to the third-overall spot to select at the top of the 2021 NFL draft?
If he is going to ride with the rookie, Shanahan will need to be convinced that Lance is ready to operate the offense and deliver on the promise of transcending Shanahan’s playbook, which was the idea behind drafting Lance when they did (and giving up future draft assets to do so). But is Lance ready?
Let’s dive into his game against the Los Angeles Chargers to try and answer that question:
There are a lot of nice things that Lance does in this game, particularly as he bounces back from the early interception. If it were up to me, I know what I would do in Shanahan’s shoes. But I’m just a guy sitting on his couch drinking fruit punch…
