San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has affirmed that he won’t alter his coin-toss strategy for the upcoming game against the Green Bay Packers, despite the Packers’ unconventional decision to receive the ball in the wild-card round, leading to a touchdown and setting the tone for their victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
When questioned about potentially adjusting his approach to the coin toss to keep the ball out of Jordan Love’s hands at the start of the game, Shanahan responded unequivocally with a “Nope.” He emphasized that he believes a quarterback can establish rhythm at various points in the game, not just at the beginning, citing instances where Love demonstrated good rhythm on the second drive.
Shanahan highlighted that his decision-making regarding the coin toss has remained consistent, and he doesn’t plan to deviate from his routine, which hasn’t involved taking the ball after winning the toss since “probably preseason.” The coach explained that, for him, the advantage of potentially having two possessions at the end of the half and the beginning of the third quarter outweighs the strategy of keeping the ball away from the opponent for the first drive of the game.
The goal, according to Shanahan, is to “kind of lap them” and gain an advantage through an extra possession. He expressed confidence in this approach, citing his observations over the years and his study of game situations. Shanahan ultimately trusts his defense to handle Jordan Love, who has been in impressive form recently, regardless of whether they face him on the game’s first or second possession.
Leave a Reply