Santa Clara – So what happens when Kyle Shanahan has a crazy week and his duties as a head coach take him away from game planning?
Shanahan has a system set up with his coaches, where they do much of the game planning then the plan is discussed before final preparations.
For the run-game preparations, offensive line coach John Benton and run game specialist Mike McDaniel create the run plan, with some input from Shanahan. On the passing game side, Rich Scangarello, the quarterback coach and wide receivers/passing game specialist Mike LaFleur, watch film of the opponent and then put together the passing game. Shanahan is more hands on with this side of the planning and he will also watch film and script his own plays. Then on Tuesday night, the mad scientists convene and decide which plays are best.
LaFleur and Shanahan will work on first- and second-down passes, while Scangarello devises the crucial third-down passing game. Coaches then unveil the plan to players on Wednesday, and Shanahan said the process has gone smoother as the coaches get to know each other.
If Shanahan is pulled away to make a trade with the Patriots for Jimmy Garoppolo for example, then the coaches are more responsible for the plan, but Shanahan still lends his thoughts and asks about the thought process.
More of the specialty plays, like the goal-line offense, are installed on Thursday and Friday. Tweaks and adjustments are undoubtedly made throughout the process, and then on Saturday, coaches script some plays for the first part of the game.
“And then we mix it together and by the time Saturday night comes and we put in the openers (scripted plays),” Shanahan said, “and sleep pretty comfortably on Saturday nights and show up on Sunday and I call it,” Shanahan concluded.