Let’s party as if it’s 1998, as a Shanahan returns to his rightful role as a head coach in the Super Bowl, which this season will be known as the Montana Bowl even though it’ll be played in Miami. Did you know Paul McCartney was in another group before Wings?
This time, of course, the coach is Kyle Shanahan, leading his San Francisco 49ers into the game. Back in the 1990s, it was his father, Mike, coaching the Denver Broncos to an upset win over the once-and-future mighty Green Bay Packers. But the name is the same, and that’s what matters.
What’s In A Name?
The Washington Post saw this coming. “The weight of his family name has never deterred Kyle Shanahan,” Adam Kilgore wrote on January 11, as the 49ers prepared for a playoff game. “It can be complicated entering a father’s profession, and the two Super Bowl trophies Mike Shanahan won with the Denver Broncos could have applied extra pressure.”
But is the name “Shanahan” a “weight,” or a launchpad? In this case, “Complicated” is a very complicated word. Today the Critic comes to bury nepotism, not to praise it.
Sure, there must be some disadvantages to having a famous family name and a successful father. Give me a minute and I’ll think of a few. Hum. Maybe the fact that you need to win a lot to live up to the fact that your father won a lot. Then again, an NFL coach who doesn’t win a lot will get fired, regardless of whether his name is “Shanahan” or “Shurmur.”
Winning Is The Shanahan Business
Yet think of the advantages of a family name. Just as a lawyer or property developer can easily bring children into the family firm, in football a family name opens doors. Shanahan isn’t the only young coach with a famous pedigree who moved up quickly; Sean McVay, who coached in last year’s Super Bowl, is the grandson of a former NFL coach and executive. He also started as an offensive coordinator in his late 20s.
Meanwhile, there are literally (and I am literally using that word correctly) zero 28-year-old offensive coordinators named “John Smith.”
Of course, a famous name can lead to trouble. Apparently, several lawyers named “Sink” are battling over which family member(s) can cash in on that name. One hopes they solve the legal problems before they all go down the drain.
Likewise, a son may find himself coaching against his father in an NFL game, just as Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim has to coach against his son Jimmy every year. Although that can end up as a winning situation since somebody with the right last name is going to be happy. After all, somebody named “Shula” was bound to win every “Shula Bowl.”
It’s Not How You Feel…
Perhaps the best training a coaching father can give his son is how to look good on the sideline. After all, every time something happens on the field, the cameras are going to find the coach. Great play, happy coach. Bad play. Angry coach. Repeat 10,000 times, and you’ve got a typical NFL game. “Andy Reid did NOT like that,” an announcer will say. Over and over and over.
Of course, if it’s a game on FOX, the coach shots will be mixed in with shots of famous people who are also on FOX network shows. Joe Buck will give them a shout-out as they take in the game. Rob Lowe is in the house! Let’s point the camera at him and see what Kyle Shanahan thinks about that:
Inscrutable.
Kyle doesn’t wear his emotions on his face. Good for him. Also, Kyle, stand up straight and lose the hat. After all, everybody’s a critic, these days.
If there’s a criticism you’d like to share, Tweet at @TheSportsCriti2.
