From: timr@sco.COM (Tim Ruckle)
Subject: Shanahan: 49ers' new Offensive Coordinator (was Re: '49ers News)
Organization: Uncivil Libertarians and United Solipsists
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 23:07:05 GMT
Summary: more trick plays?  could be...
Keywords: 49ers, coaching changes


Va negvpyr <1992Jul24.114535.1@gallua.gallaudet.edu>
rlwilliams@gallua.gallaudet.edu jevgrf:
} In article <1992Jul23.235712.6784@iscnvx.lmsc.lockheed.com>,
} marshall@force.ssd.lmsc.lockheed.com (Bob Marshall) writes:
} > [...]
} > 
} > I doubt that this year will be any different (in terms of trick plays),
} > but with a new offensive  coordinator, who knows?
} > 
} 
} What does anybody know about their new offensive coordinator?

Mike Shanahan learned football at Oklahoma, Northern Arizona, Eastern
Illinois, the U. of Minnesota, and Florida.  As the Bronco's offensive
coordinator for three seasons (1985-87) he was instrumental in Elway's
development.  The Raiders hired him as their head coach in '88, and
then fired him four games into the '89 season (as he never adjusted to
Al Davis' hands-on management of the team).  He returned to Denver seven
weeks into the '89 season.  Ironically, he was on hand as the Bronco's
offensive coordinator to witness Denver's 55-10 loss to the Niners in
Super Bowl XXIV.  He was fired after the '91 season, apparently because
he overruled the plays Reeves had scripted for Elway in that game.  The
recent history paints a clear picture: he doesn't want to be the lapdog
for an owner or head coach.  As he said in a recent interview, ``If you
give responsibility to do it, and if I don't do it, get rid of me.  But
at least give me that opportunity to run things...''

While Seifert was said to be a conservative influence on former offensive
coordinator Holmgren's game plans, it is thought that he will give more
latitude to Shanahan.  Shanahan should have more freedom than he did under
the Bronco's Reeves, and an order of magnititude more than he got from Al
Davis.

Shanahan will put his mark on the offense, but the scheme will not have
any fundamental changes.  Montana says he's ``added little spices of his
own.''  It's also said that the playbook has been simplified a bit: that
is they have trimmed some of the plays which were run in practice but
never actually used in game situations.  Again from Montana, ``He adds
things that fit into our offense but give it a different flair.''

He seems to have hit it off very well with the players.  Steve Young
calls him "refreshing".  I'd call this a very positive sign for Niners
fans.  I think stability in the coaching staff is important to the
success of any team, but they too have to be "rebuilt" from time to
time.  Probably the major downside here is that the veteran holdouts
are not going to have a chance to get to know their new coaches...

This seems to be the year for coaching changes in the league, and the
Niners have a lot of new faces in the organization.  When Holmgren went
to be head coach for Green Bay he took receivers coach Sherman Lewis
and defensive-backfield coach Ray Rhodes with him (to be his offensive
and defensive coordinators respecitvely).  Special-teams coach Lynn
Stiles went to Kansas City to be their VP of player personnel (the Niners
special-teams put in a rather dismal performance last year, and though I
don't think it'd be really fair to lay the blame on Stiles, that's what
often happens in this business).  The Niners picked up Jeff Fisher from
the Rams to be their defensive-backfield coach, Carl Jackson from the U.
of Iowa for their running-backs coach, and Mike Solari from the U. of
Alabama for their tight-ends/offensive-line assistant.  Ray Sherman was
reassigned from running-backs coach to receivers coach.

There have also been some changes in the front office, and perhaps more
importantly, a major shakeup in the scouting department.

-timr

--
Come, my coach!
                                       --William Shakespeare, _Hamlet_
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro