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NFL Coach Power Rankings: Where Jay Gruden fits in among the 32 coaches

By Jacob Camenker

BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 29: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins talks with quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins in the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on August 29, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/ Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 29: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins talks with quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins in the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on August 29, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/ Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 24: Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers congratulates Jimmy Garoppolo #10 after a one-yard touchdown run against the Jacksonville Jaguars during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 24: Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers congratulates Jimmy Garoppolo #10 after a one-yard touchdown run against the Jacksonville Jaguars during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images) /

player. 42. . Head Coach. San Francisco 49ers. Kyle Shanahan. 16

Kyle Shanahan is one of the best quarterback gurus in the league. Every year, it seems that he is able to turn a quality quarterback into a borderline elite player. Or a below average guy into a decent starter.

During his nine years as an offensive coordinator, Shanahan was able to create a lot of success stories. He was the coordinator during Robert Griffin III’s magical first season with the Washington Redskins. Sure, that didn’t end well, but Shanahan still helped lead a well-balanced attack to the Redskins’ first playoff appearance since 2008.

In two years in Atlanta, Shanahan was able to do the same thing with Matt Ryan. In 2016, Shanahan helped turn Ryan into the league MVP and almost helped lead the Falcons to a Super Bowl title. That was what got him his job with the 49ers, and he had success there in his first season.

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Now, the 49ers did post a 6-10 record in 2017. So on paper, that doesn’t look great. But, before Jimmy Garoppolo joined the team, they were on their way to a two-win season. Garoppolo was inserted as the quarterback for the final five games. All of them were wins. Shanahan made the smart choice to have him sit as long as he could and learn the playbook. And then when he had to play, he was ready to go. This was a brilliant coaching decision, as the season was already a lost cause, so keeping Garoppolo on the bench for a while didn’t hurt anybody.

That said, Shanahan does have some other question marks on his coaching resume. And one notably came during the aforementioned Falcons Super Bowl run.

In the game, the team was leading 28-3 over the Patriots and were having a lot of success passing the ball. But, instead of continuing to run in the second half, Shanahan’s offense elected to pass quite a bit and that gave the Patriots a chance to make a comeback. The question surrounding this was simply, why? Yes, they had the MVP at quarterback, but they had the Patriots on their heels. If he was responsible for abandoning the run game, he deserves to be questioned for that, as that was a major misstep.

As it stands, Shanahan is a bright star among the young coaches. He has a great resume with a long track record of developing quarterbacks. As he coaches more, his play calling ability will be evaluated more. It seemed solid during his time in San Francisco, but the Atlanta Super Bowl is still a dark cloud hanging over his head. With a strong 2018 season, Shanahan could vault into the top 10.

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