Former NFL coach calls out 49ers' Kyle Shanahan for this one part of his offensive play-calling: I'm not a fan

The 49ers coach needs to work on this one part of his offensive play-calling, according to a former NFL coach

By John Breech Sep 20, 2024 at 2:19 pm ET• 2 min read

Kyle Shanahan is considered one of the smartest offensive coaches in the NFL, but according to former NFL coach Jay Gruden, if there's one situation where the 49ers coach seems to struggle, it's when he's forced to call plays while his team is trailing.

That subject came up during a recent episode of the 3 and out with John Middlekauffpodcast. Gruden, who spent 17 seasons in the NFL as a head coach or assistant coach, said that Shanahan just isn't the same when he's forced to call plays while the 49ers are down. 

"I'm just not a big fan of his true pass concepts when he's down," Gruden said. "I just don't understand a lot of them. That's just something you have to continue to work on through OTAs, training camp and all that stuff. You have to prepare to be down. It's a lot easier to call plays when you're ahead by 14 points on first and second down."

To Gruden's point, the 49ers had to play from behind in Week 2 against the Vikings. With the 49ers trailing 20-7 in the second half, Shanahan seemed to cut the run plays out of his playbook in favor of more drop-back passes. One reason the 49ers offense is so successful is because of the threat of the run is always there. But with that out the window, the Vikings were able to pin their ears back and go after Brock Purdy, who got sacked five times in the second half and six in the game. 

The 49ers tried to throw the ball on 24 of their 34 plays in the second half.

"It's very difficult when you're a one-dimensional team," Gruden said.