The shock of the Atlanta Falcons’ Super Bowl 51 loss still hangs in the air for NFL fans. In the game's final 25 minutes, Atlanta’s offense went scoreless, while the Patriots rallied to secure a 34-28 overtime win. Some people point the finger at Davante Freeman, whose missed block resulted in a Matt Ryan sack and fumble. Others lay the blame on the Falcons’ defense who ran out of gas. Patriot fans feel that the G.O.A.T could not be stopped, despite Tom Brady having the worst Super Bowl first half of his career. However, most individuals feel that Kyle Shananan, Atlanta’s offensive coordinator, is the reason for the loss.
With Shanahan preparing for his first job as the Head Coach of the San Francisco 49ers, can he overcome what is being cited as the biggest Super Bowl collapse in history?
Dark shadow of bad play calling
The NFL has become a pass happy league in the past decade. Fantasy football relies on high-scoring quarterbacks and wide receivers to beef up the numbers. Yet, when a team has a huge lead, most football coaches and coordinators decide to kill the clock and run the ball, especially when the opposing quarterback is Mr. Two-Minute Man Tom Brady. Not only did the Falcons continue to pass the ball at the end in the third and fourth quarter, they did not use the play clock to their advantage. Instead of running the clock down to two or three seconds, 10 to 15 seconds were left on the clock -- which gave Brady more time to work his magic and tie the game.
Many fans feel that Atlanta played like they were the team that was trailing. As the offensive coordinator, Shanahan was the guy dialing up the plays. More time for Tom Brady usually spells disasters for other teams. Can Shanahan make more logical play calls for the 49ers?
Julio Jones’ 27-yard catch
After Julio Jones completed a mind-boggling, leaping catch and perfect landing to stay inbounds, the Falcons were in good shape.
At the 22-yard line of New England, kicker Matt Bryant was only looking at a 39-yard field goal with less than 5 minutes left. A couple running plays would take more time off the clock. Yet, they somehow lost over 20 yards on subsequent plays, which made it too long of a field goal. Once again, these play calls have cast doubt on Shanahan’s ability and logic.
Was he trying to stick it to Brady and Belichick, or was he afraid of a possible strip fumble?
San Francisco roster for 2017
Aside from overcoming the heartbreaking loss, Shanahan has his work cut out for him. His starting quarterback will probably be Brian Hoyer, an average passer. Jeremy Kerley is the top receiver and Carlos Hyde may have to be the driving offensive force for the team. Will Shanahan be ready when he takes on the Carolina Panthers in his first game as the new head coach?
