New Year, New San Francisco 49ers In The Works
The 2016 season has come to a close for the San Francisco 49ers, and they have already started to make major moves for their future.
Entering 2017, the San Francisco 49ers were hoping for a new game plan in order to beat the Seattle Seahawks. However, despite a solid first half and a near fourth quarter comeback, they fell 25-23. Although it still a loss, it is a respectable one, with two touchdowns from running back Shaun Draughn.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT1 | T | |
| 49ers | 7 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 23 |
| Seahawks | 3 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 25 |
With this loss, it brings season to a close with a 2-14 record, solidifying the second pick in the 2017 NFL draft.
After a tough season and more concern on what was going on away from the field, owner Jed York released general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Chip Kelly. Baalke’s release was not a surprise, as he was blamed for lack of signings and poor decisions with head coaches. Baalke’s cold demeanor was highly noted by both the players and the coaching staff. This decision was not a shocker to most. But the decision to let go of Coach Kelly was more surprising, given his one-year tenure.
The reason behind cleaning house with both positions was that York wanted a better chemistry between the two. York wants no “forced marriages” with the hiring of a either position. He would much rather have the two be able to communicate properly and be on the same level when it comes to game plan and strategy. This creates a clean slate for both positions to create a new mindset and culture for the city of San Francisco.
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The list of possible candidates for both positions have already begun to circulate and one big target would be New England offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels. He has been serving under head coach Bill Belichick for the past five years, and helped lead them to a Super Bowl win back in 2014. He seems like a prime candidate for a second chance at becoming a head coach. Although he might be waiting for his time to shine in New England, this off-season might be tempting enough for him to try to head out on his own once again. Given his time away from the head coaching position, he was able to examine the mistakes he made in Denver.
The 49ers’ organization has also been looking at New England’s director of player personnel, Nick Caserio. The hiring of the two would be an ideal situation for San Francisco with previous work history, and perhaps putting both on the same page, to York’s liking.
Another two birds with one stone situation could be Mike and Kyle Shanahan. Last year, the 49ers interviewed Mike for the head coach position, but he had no desire to come back to the position. It seems as though he would much rather take an executive position. His son Kyle, has been putting in work as an offensive coordinator since 2008. He has also successfully helped the Atlanta Falcons make playoffs, and he may now want to go with a new position. Given their family and work history, creating a line of communication would be easy.
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York will have some time this offseason, but he has already begun to schedule interviews for both positions.