The 49ers have been on the doorstep of a Super Bowl Championship for five years and they haven’t won one yet.
Clearly, they need to change something about their team, but they don’t know what to change. So I asked former Raiders offensive coordinator Tom Walsh, who won two Super Bowls, what he thinks the 49ers need to change. Here’s what he said.
ME: Do you think the 49ers will win the Super Bowl this upcoming season?
WALSH: “To be honest, it comes down to Kyle Shanahan. They got all their players back. The hardest thing now for them is that they busted their chops the last two years. They were that close to getting the brass ring last year. What stopped them from getting the brass ring? Kyle. So has he learned? Has he grown? Has he matured as a playcaller and a game manager? He has all these players and all the talent in the world offensively, and they’re doing their best. Hopefully, Kyle has learned that he has to evolve.”
ME: It seems like Andy Reid can take his ego out of his coaching decisions more than Shanahan can.
WALSH: “The bottom line is that Kyle is throwing when he should be running late in games. At that point, it’s about the big picture and getting the job done. It doesn’t matter who makes the calls or who makes the plays. Get it done.”
ME: Do you think the 49ers will get it done this upcoming season?
WALSH: “It’s tough to get back there again when you came so close last year. And the worst part about it is that you came from ahead to lose. Now you have to be able to cleanse your minds as players and coaches and erase your brain of all of those emotions of how hard you worked and how you lost the game. And now, if the players work as hard as they did last year, will that be enough to change the outcome? And who is the person who can change the outcome? Which player can give more than he gave last season? That’s the tough part. What’s one factor that can swing the pendulum the other way? Kyle.”
ME: It must be tough for Kyle at Thanksgiving dinner when his dad is tapping his Super Bowl rings on the dinner table.
WALSH: “Why did his dad get those rings? How many times did they lose Super Bowls with John Elway? What was the factor that allowed them to finally win?”
ME: Running the ball.
WALSH: “Thank you. Until they ran the ball, Elway didn’t win Super Bowls either, and he’s one of the greatest quarterbacks ever.”