Analyst: 49ers offense 'flat' without former OC Mike McDaniel

Mike McDaniel served as the run game coordinator and, more recently, the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers before the Miami Dolphins hired him as their new and current head coach this past winter. 

While McDaniel has the Dolphins at 3-0 heading into October, the 49ers are at 1-2 and experienced offensive struggles throughout September with both second-year pro Trey Lance and veteran Jimmy Garoppolo handling quarterback duties. During a Tuesday morning appearance on San Francisco sports radio station 95.7 The Game, NFL analyst Brian Baldinger made it clear he believes 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan isn't the same this fall without McDaniel. 

"I thought they would miss him, and I think they [do]," Baldinger explained about the Niners and McDaniel, per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. "It just looks very beige, this offense, if you've got to put a color to it. It's just flat. I think Mike McDaniel is a big loss because what Mike does, nobody is willing—even if you're willing to put the time in, you don't know, really, what you're looking at. He just has that skill." 

Bonilla noted that the 49ers averaged just 2.8 yards per carry minus a 37-yard run recorded by running back Jeff Wilson Jr. during this past Sunday's 11-10 loss to the Denver Broncos. 

"You can replace a running back coach. You can replace a run-game coordinator. They get replaced all the time," Baldinger said. "But [you can't replace] somebody that is willing to do what Mike did. And so, I thought it would show up, and look, you had one explosive run by Wilson. You're on your third running back. I understand that. One explosive run. Otherwise, they were struggling to get two yards a carry."

According to ESPN stats, the 49ers are currently tied for 28th overall in scoring and are averaging just 15.7 points per game. To compare, the Dolphins are eighth with 27.7 points per matchup. 

Shanahan and company will look to right the figurative ship when they host the 2-1 Los Angeles Rams this coming Monday night.