Why the 49ers Need to Hire a Game Management Coordinator
Kyle Shanahan has many strengths. Game management isn't one of them.
Like lots of offensive play callers who double as head coaches, Kyle Shanahan struggles when it comes to managing the clock -- that's why his record is so bad in one-score games. He's thinking more about the next play he's going to call on offense than the big picture, and his team suffers as a result of his myopic vision.
Most play-callers have this issue when they become head coaches. That's why only two head coaches who also call plays -- Andy Reid and Sean McVay -- call offensive plays. The rest -- Nick Sirianni, Dan Campbell, DeMeco Ryans, Sean McDermott, Dan Quinn and John Harbaugh -- do not call offensive plays. Most of them don't call plays at all.
Reid juggles game management and play calling duties by allowing offensive coordinator Matt Nagy to call plays sometimes. Shanahan could try something similar but already has said he will continue to call plays next season.
In that case, Shanahan can do what McVay did last year -- he hired a game management coordinator. His name is John Streicher, and his job is to help McVay decided when to use his timeouts, when to go for it on fourth down, when to attempt a fake punt -- all those tough decisions. So far, the hire has paid off, as the Rams are still alive in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the 49ers didn't make the playoffs largely because they lost almost every close game they were in. Plus they lost the Super Bowl in overtime because they won the toss and elected to let the Chiefs have the ball last.
Shanahan needs a game management coordinator.