CBS Sports Ranks 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan 7th Among NFL Head Coaches

Kyle Shanahan is the most controversial head coach in the NFL.

Some people think he's the best offensive mind in football -- better than Andy Reid and Sean McVay. Just look at the work Shanahan has done with non-elite quarterbacks such as Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy.

Other people think Shanahan is a glorified offensive coordinator who has too much power and is largely responsible for the 49ers' awful drafts from 2021 to 2023.

CBS Sports comes down somewhere in the middle, ranking Shanahan seventh among the NFL's 32 head coaches.

"Depending on the year, Shanahan's either a schematic genius on the precipice of glory or the dejected face of an injury-ravaged lineup," writes CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin. "No other coach, after all, has guided four NFC title-game appearances in five years, while also overseeing four losing seasons. It's pretty simple here: If his toys are sturdy, he can draw up a shootout with the best of them. Robert Saleh's return as a right-hand man on defense should also help, though Shanahan's also got a conservative bent in the biggest moments."

I disagree that Shanahan has a "conservative bent" in the biggest moments. His issue is quite the opposite. In all three of his Super Bowl collapses, he abandoned his running game while leading in the second half.

Shanahan's offense is a run-first scheme. When he's at his best, he runs the ball as much as possible. When he panics under pressure, he turns to his passing game.

That's why Shanahan is so complicated. He's good enough to take a team to the Super Bowl even with a mediocre quarterback. But when he gets to the Super Bowl, he's the reason his team doesn't win it.

He's like a tragic Greek mythological figure.