As we all continue to get to know Kyle Shanahan, we scoured the Internet for some of the best features ever written about the San Francisco 49ers new head coach. It wasn't difficult to drum up a list of five exceptional pieces about the coach who has spent more than a decade building his NFL resume.
The common thread between each story is Shanahan's brilliant offensive mind and relentless dedication towards his craft. Below are the must-read features from Shanahan's rise up the NFL coaching ranks.[
- Kyle Shanahan and the Evolution of a Young Coach | MMQB](http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/10/06/kyle-shanahan-nfl-coaching-carousel-list-notebook)
by Albert Breer, published Oct. 6, 2016
Breer's piece detailed how Shanahan has changed as a coach from his time as a young coordinator with the Houston Texans until his recent success with the Atlanta Falcons. Part of what makes Shanahan such a special offensive maestro is his ability to adapt to his personnel. That's something he learned as an offensive coordinator in Washington.
Shanahan's gameplan that succeeded in Houston with Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter couldn't be replicated verbatim with his new crop of skill players.
"I learned you have to find different ways to succeed," Shanahan told Breer.
That adaptive mindset has helped him engineer a top-ten offense in six of his nine seasons as an OC in the NFL.[
- The Falcons Offense Needs a Nickname | The Ringer](https://theringer.com/atlanta-falcons-offense-matt-ryan-julio-jones-kyle-shanahan-557349d74cb6#.5maxapk3v)
by Danny Kelly, published Jan 10., 2017
Kelly explained that Shanahan's high-scoring attack is worthy of a moniker that's on par with some of the greatest offenses and defenses ever assembled. The St. Louis Rams had "The Greatest Show on Turf." The Pittsburgh Steelers had "The Steel Curtain."
The Falcons offense became even more deserving of a nickname after putting up 36 points against the Seattle Seahawks acclaimed "Legion of Boom" in the divisional round of the playoffs. The following week, Shanahan's crew posted a 493-yard encore in a 44-21 rout of the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game.
"It took the cunning of an excellent play-caller, Kyle Shanahan, to bring it all together and construct what looks like an unstoppable force," Kelly wrote in regards to Atlanta's offense.
Shanahan's ability to utilize the entire field and incorporate each of his skill players is what has made Atlanta's group one of the most productive in NFL history.[
- Mike Shanahan's Descendant Ascends | Denver Post](http://www.denverpost.com/2007/12/11/mike-shanahans-descendant-ascends/)
by Anthony Cotton, published Dec. 11, 2007
This feature centered around a meeting between Mike Shanahan's Denver Broncos and Kyle's Houston Texans in Week 15 of the 2007 season. Mike was the head coach in Denver while Kyle served as the Texans quarterbacks coach under Gary Kubiak.
Cotton revealed the gamesmanship that existed in the relationship between the father and son while spelling out why Kyle was already a head coach in the making.
"I know I'm catching him in some great years as a coach because he's going to move up the ladder awful quick," Kubiak said at the time.[
- Well-designed Falcons Offense Took the Panthers Apart | The Undefeated](https://theundefeated.com/features/well-designed-falcons-offense-took-the-panthers-apart/)
by Dominique Foxworth, published Oct. 4, 2016
View the top images of Kyle Shanahan's coaching career from his time with in Tampa Bay, Houston, Washington, Cleveland and Atlanta.
Foxworth took a film-study approach to his breakdown of the Falcons Week 4 contest against the Carolina Panthers this season. Atlanta carved up Carolina's defense and put up 48 points in the game, due in large part to Shanahan's creative play-calling.
What Shanahan did so well in 2016, Foxworth wrote, was change up his gameplan on a week-to-week basis. If a team focused on stopping Julio Jones, Shanahan would exploit its run defense instead, which lead to monster games for Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. In turn, Jones exploded for huge numbers when defenses would prioritize stopping the run.[
- Kyle Shanahan Learns the Ropes | Denver Post](http://www.denverpost.com/2006/12/14/kyle-shanahan-learns-the-ropes/)
by Bill Williamson, published Dec. 14, 2006
There's no doubt that Kyle Shanahan has benefitted from being around NFL football since he was a boy. But Williamson's feature explained that Shanahan's obsession for the game is what separated him at a young age.
"I studied every potential X's and O's play and issue possible," Shanahan said during his season as Houston's wide receivers coach. "I spent my whole life working on that. My goal was that any question a player could have about anything on the field, I'd be able to answer it."
The story went on to explain how Shanahan learned how to connect with his players and bridge the gap between studying in the film room and coaching on the field.
