I recently asked former Raiders offensive coordinator Tom Walsh what the biggest difference is between 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and his father Mike Shanahan. Here’s what Walsh said.
WALSH: “Who on that offensive staff can challenge Kyle from a schematic design perspective? I was very fortunate to be around Sid Gillman and Al Davis for decades. I always felt like I could go toe to toe with anybody. Bill Walsh and I would have great discussions about the passing game. He always wanted the sure thing where I wanted receivers to run read routes because I didn’t want to get into a guessing game. That’s the difference between the two. With Mike, you could get into that kind of conversation and show him. I don’t know how Kyle functions in that regard and how dogmatic he is and how willing he is to be exposed to something different.”
ME: It strikes me that most of the coaches on his staff are younger than him. They’re people he has mentored and taught how to coach. They’re almost indoctrinated into his philosophy and way of thinking. He seems not drawn to older coaches who have more experience than him.
WALSH: “I never wanted to be the smartest guy in the room. I want somebody else who can bring me new thought, new creativity and new design. How can we integrate that into what we’re doing? You’ve got to be innovators, not immitators. You want people who can bring you that energy. How many different concepts can Kyle come up with that are different from what he already is doing? How do you come up with the next invention?