For years, the Seattle Seahawks have suffered against Kyle Shanahan. He's about to enter his tenth year with the San Francisco 49ers, and he currently holds a 14-4 record vs. Seattle, including the playoffs.
However, as much success as he's enjoyed against the defending Super Bowl champions, he's always had the luxury of coaching absolutely stacked teams. Then, when it's time to get the job done on the big stage, he's often outcoached, frustrated, and simply... exposed.
That's why, after years of having a star-studded team and having a big nothing burger to show for it, it seems that people have finally realized the truth about Kyle Shanahan. In fact, he made FanSided's list of the most overrated head coaches in the NFL at No. 7.
The Seattle Seahawks are about to turn the tables on Kyle Shanahan
"Nobody outside of the Bay Area expected the 49ers to be as good as they were last season but the lasting image is the absolute beatdown in the playoffs against the Seattle Seahawks. That didn't help Shanahan's case as he enters his 10th season as 49ers head coach with two Super Bowl losses as his best achievements," FanSided's Jason Reed wrote.
As good an offensive mind as he might be, he still hasn't been able to crack Mike Macdonald. The Seahawks' head coach holds bragging rights with a 3-1 record against him, including consecutive wins last season.
The 49ers' offensive behemoth failed to score a single touchdown in the last two games vs. the Seahawks. That includes an absolute beatdown, a 41-6 statement win in the NFC Divisional Round that Macdonald ultimately capped off by hoisting the Vince Lombardi trophy.
It's easy to be a successful head coach when you have the most talent and a myriad of All-Pros on both sides of the field. That's pretty much the same knock on Brock Purdy, who's an entirely different quarterback when he doesn't have an elite offensive line and multiple Pro Bowlers in front of him.
Granted, Shanahan does have some pretty interesting schemes, and his running game has remained efficient regardless of who's out there. That said, he's also blown big leads and struggled with clock management in big games.
At the end of the day, it's almost impossible to win without a good team, and perhaps Shanahan shouldn't catch backlash for that. However, great coaches elevate their players, and there's no evidence that this so-called offensive guru ever did so; he actually failed to develop multiple quarterbacks.
Macdonald's critcs could also argue that the Seahawks are pretty deep and oozing with talent, and that would be fair to a degree, but Macdonald's leadership, complex defensive schemes, and ability to maximize each player's skill set on defense by moving them all around the field is remarkable.
Winning a Super Bowl in your second season as a head coach isn't for everyone; just ask Shanahan, who's almost a decade into his tenure and has dropped the ball twice in the big game.
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