Shanahan still haunted by Super Bowl collapse
San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who was the Falcons’ offensive coordinator in this year’s Super Bowl, has had some time to reflect on his play-calling.
He has re-watched the game, which New England won 34-28 in overtime, and has second-guessed his every move, including not running the ball with an eight-point lead after the team reached the 22-yard line with 4:40 minutes to play.
“Mainly with the second half to watch through it so I could … when you see things live, you want to make sure watching the tape you confirm what you saw,” Shanahan said at the scouting combine Wednesday. “It went pretty much how I thought. I haven’t gotten back to the first half yet. Other things have been more important right now.
“But, no, the Super Bowl was a great experience. I know it didn’t work out the way we wanted. Every time it ends that way, you’re going to second-guess everything that you did. I’m proud of what we did, why we did the things we did. One thing I learned from it is I hope that opportunity comes again, because it’s a fun thing to be a part of. It makes you realize how special it is to get a win there.”
Shanahan, who had a 28-3 lead, was asked if he regretted not running the football more in the second half.
“Yeah, I second-guess just like all you guys do,” Shanahan said. “Any time a play doesn’t work, you say, ‘Damn, I wish I called one that works.’ But the reasons for calling those, and why we did that and what we were thinking, I don’t second-guess that at all.”
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
