Kyle Shanahan has escaped sufficient criticism for the 49ers’ Super Bowl loss due to his apparent lack of knowledge about overtime rules in the playoffs. This lack of scrutiny may be attributed to the fact that my father, Lowell Cohn, a retired journalist who covered the 49ers from 1979 to 2016, possesses a keen understanding of championship-caliber teams.
In analyzing the pivotal moment in the game, my father highlights a critical decision rather than a football play. Shanahan explicitly expressed his desire for the ball first, as evident in the video. Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes consulted with Andy Reid about which direction to kick if they won the toss, indicating a plan to defer. However, when the coin toss occurred, the 49ers won, and Fred Warner, perhaps misguidedly, chose to receive the ball. Mahomes quickly conveyed this to his sideline, revealing the 49ers’ apparent confusion. According to my father, Shanahan’s lack of awareness of the rule directly contributed to the team’s loss, overshadowing other in-game mistakes.
Despite Shanahan’s post-game assertion that he knew the rule and consulted with analytics, my father questions the credibility of this claim. He suggests that if true, the 49ers have the worst analytics department in the league. Moreover, my father expresses skepticism about Shanahan’s consistency in his statements, hinting at a possible attempt to conceal his lack of knowledge. While refraining from directly labeling Shanahan a liar, my father speculates that the coach may have initially been unaware of the rule, later attempting to cover up his mistake with a fabricated story.
