The San Francisco 49ers are flying high with a 3-0 start, but as they prep to face the Denver Broncos in Week 4, head coach Kyle Shanahan isn’t buying all the hype around Denver’s play-calling drama, straight up calling the whole discussion “overrated.” It’s a bold take ahead of what promises to be an early test of the season at Levi’s Stadium this Sunday.
Denver’s Play-Calling Saga: Shanahan Thinks We’re Making Too Big A Deal
The Broncos have been a mixed bag to start the year. They looked like a complete mess against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, getting torched on both sides of the ball. But then they pulled off some quality wins, taking down the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Los Angeles Rams in the last two weeks, with their offense finally looking alive in Week 3. All this comes after a lot of offseason chatter about coaching. Head coach Sean Payton actually relegated play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Davis Webb, apparently to keep Webb in Denver. The results have been all over the place, leaving everyone wondering if that move was the right call. So, what did Shanahan, a guy who knows a thing or two about running an offense, think of it all? “I’m sure it’s hard [on Davis Webb], but sometimes I think it’s overrated,” Shanahan said about the situation. He went on to say, “I guarantee, without me knowing, I guarantee Sean’s a big part of all of that on game day and during the week. It’s only been three games, so you can’t really tell yet. I mean, you can see over the course of the year, but sometimes I think that stuff’s made too big a deal about.”
Behind The Headset: Shanahan’s Take On Who’s *Really* Calling The Shots
Shanahan didn’t stop there. He pulled back the curtain on how *his* offense operates, too. The 49ers have even experimented with play-calling changes in the preseason, with Shanahan sometimes passing the clipboard to offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak. For Shanahan, it seems the person holding the play sheet isn’t the whole story. “I can’t tell you how much Klay’s involved in what we do, and I call it so people give me the credit. But if he was calling it, it wouldn’t be much different either,” Shanahan explained. He chalks it up to the week’s game plan, saying, “It has to do with the plan that you do in the week. Most of the situational stuff you guys already have an idea where you’re going, and we all have a headset, so you can chime in on a lot of stuff anytime. So, I think a lot of that stuff’s a little overrated.” Shanahan also talked about how much he enjoys calling plays himself, reflecting on his career and even his dad’s approach. “My dad called plays for a long time, and then him and Gary [Kubiak] would switch it off all the time. Sometimes Gary would open the game and then he’d give it to my dad. Second quarter, they’d go back and forth.” For Shanahan, the offense humming with Brock Purdy playing at an MVP-like level early on seems to be more about the collective plan than who’s shouting into the headset on any given down.
This Week 4 game is an early test for both squads. Can the 49ers keep their perfect start going, or will Denver’s mixed-bag offense find its rhythm and prove Shanahan’s “overrated” assessment wrong? This Sunday’s showdown will tell us a lot about where these teams truly stand.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Niners Nation.
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