Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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The Vikings know 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan well. He worked with Gary Kubiak in Houston, and Kubiak, of course, worked with Mike Shanahan in Denver for seemingly forever. Kyle Shanahan also was with Kirk Cousins when the Vikings quarterback broke into the league. What makes Shanahan such a dynamic offensive coach, and how has he put his culture stamp on the franchise in his three years in the Bay Area?
KM: Savvy, genius, mastermind — all words I’ve seen used to describe Shanahan’s wizardry on offense. Every week there’s something electric that continues to leave people (myself included) in awe. From misdirections, explosive play-action and crafty schemes, Shanahan has the mix of the right players and right plays to keep defenses on their toes.
What also works in his favor is that players are genuinely excited to play for him. Shanahan brings a unique perspective to the game. He’s youthful, relatable (Emmanuel Sanders was amazed his new head coach wore Yeezy’s to practice) and more importantly, experienced – from his days of being a ball boy on Kubiak’s staff back in 1994 to earning his first coordinator job under the esteemed coach. Sanders said it best in his introductory press conference, this 49ers team is a reflection of him. Shanahan has surely changed not just the culture but also the perception surrounding the 49ers organization in his three short years in San Francisco.
And finally, pick a Vikings player on each side of the ball you are most looking forward to watching Saturday afternoon.
KM: This is a good one. I’m not going to go with the obvious names here (Diggs, Thielen, Cook), who are all certainly exciting to watch. However, I’m looking forward to seeing Minnesota’s tackles, Riley Reiff and Brian O’Neill. Nick Bosa will make his first playoff appearance on Saturday after a spectacular rookie campaign. Bosa told the media this week he took full advantage of the bye to rest and heal up before the Divisional round showdown. But the rookie understands this will not be a cake walk against the Vikings bookends that managed to neutralize New Orleans Saints daunting pass rusher Cameron Jordan.
On defense, I’m eager to watch the league’s No. 1 defense against tight ends go head-to-head with the No. 1 tight end in the league. Safety Anthony Harris has been key in Minnesota’s defense that has allowed a passer rating of just 60.3 to opposing tight ends this season, the lowest mark in the NFL. Another name I’ll throw in there is linebacker Eric Kendricks. Kittle is a headache to contain. Of his 1,053 yards on the year, over 600 came after the catch, the third-best mark in the NFL behind running backs Christian McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler. Kittle against Minnesota’s stout defense has the makings for an exciting battle come Saturday.