XPost: alt.sports.football.pro.sf-49ers, alt.sports.football.pro.kc-chiefs,   
   rec.sport.football.pro   
   XPost: alt.california   
   From: you-failed-you-suck@gmail.com   
      
   Kyle Shanahan isn’t receiving enough criticism for the 49ers   
   collapse Sunday.   
      
   There’s a lot of finger pointing following losses, especially   
   when those losses come at the hands of a 10-point underdog   
   starting their third quarterback of the season.   
      
   Purdy was inaccurate. Moody missed the game winner. The defense   
   was ridden with poor tackling. The weather was bad. The refs   
   were worse. Injuries to key players. Too many mistakes in a game   
   that ultimately wasn’t indicative of how the 49ers play.   
      
   But what shouldn’t be lost in these abnormalities, is that Kyle   
   Shanahan showcased poor game management. This isn’t something   
   new for the head coach. He was too aggressive in a time-   
   sensitive drive at the end of SB LI with the Falcons. He had   
   players questioning his strategy at the end of SB LIV.   
      
   Furthermore, he was too passive against the Cowboys at the end   
   of the half last January in the divisional playoffs. His   
   inconsistency with deciding on to-go fourth down situations can   
   be infuriating. And although it is up to the players to execute   
   better, Shanahan should be getting more criticism for his   
   mistakes that re-appeared in their first late-game situation   
   Sunday.   
      
   With San Francisco up 17-16, the Niners offense took the field   
   with 3:21 left in the game. This was an obvious four-minute-   
   offense scenario. Instead, we got a three-and-out on three pass   
   plays, resulting in a punt after only 25 seconds taken off the   
   clock. The 49ers running game wasn’t exactly dominating, but to   
   not start the drive with the ground attack is an egregious error.   
      
   When asked about the play-calling at that time, Shanahan pointed   
   out that the one-point lead wasn’t enough for him to feel   
   comfortable burning clock, and that picking up a first down was   
   more important.   
      
   Saying the clock doesn’t matter here without a first down is   
   frustrating. If the Niners run the ball on first down,   
   regardless of the yards gained or lost, they can call their next   
   play with roughly 2:35 remaining. After a second down run, the   
   clock stops at the two-minute warning. If you can put Cleveland   
   in a situation where they have to drive down the field against   
   your number one ranked defense in less than two minutes, you   
   have to keep that the priority.   
      
   Instead, the Browns get the ball with 2:56 and a chance to take   
   the lead. The defense should have held, but a couple of   
   penalties helped Cleveland get in field goal range where they   
   take the lead. Unfortunate, but you have to be confident in   
   putting the defense on the field against a third string   
   quarterback on a rainy day. Even more confident if the opponent   
   has less time, which limits their play calling.   
      
   But, Cleveland moved quickly enough that the offense gets the   
   ball back, only needing a field goal to win. And how this game   
   ends also led to some head-scratching about Shanahan’s strategy.   
      
   At 1:40, Purdy and company start their drive following a   
   touchback. After a few penalties and a big play by Brandon   
   Aiyuk, the 49ers are in Browns territory and are facing a 3rd   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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