As a 49er fan, I laid witness to one of the most painful experiences on Saturday. I watched San Francisco lose its Divisional Round game against the Seattle Seahawks... on the opening kickoff. Rashid Shaheed returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, essentially ending the 49ers' season.
What's worse is that Kyle Shanahan couldn't get his team out of a rut. It was watching Kyle Juszczyk botch a lateral to Brock Purdy on a fourth down. It was watching Jake Tonges fumble to the Seahawks after getting a first down. It was even Brock Purdy throwing a pick.
Whatever the case, the 49ers just couldn't come back. Of course, this is a common truth among my fellow fans, where they've seen the team fall apart like a wet tortilla. It's also a cruel reality of a franchise that had all the superstars, ranging from Trent Williams to Christian McCaffrey.
So why not turn to Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy for a few tips? There's a reason why Cassidy has a championship, you know. The Golden Knights' bench boss knows how to win when his team's back is against the wall.
Bruce Cassidy knows a thing or two about coming back from sizable deficits
It took Kyle Shanahan until the 2024 NFC Divisional Round to finally snap a horrendous losing streak. The 49ers head coach was 0-30 in games where the 49ers trailed by seven-plus points entering the fourth quarter before that win.
It's easy to see why that's the case. Shanahan likes to have a lead in front of him. Once you sock the 49ers in the mouth, that's when chaos and trouble break out. But for Bruce Cassidy? He doesn't flinch when the Golden Knights are facing a sizable deficit.
Take Thursday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs as a perfect example. No matter how hard the Golden Knights tried, the Maple Leafs kept countering with goals. Before you knew it, they were up by a score of 5-3 with 10 minutes in the third period. Game over, right?
Well, here's the difference. Cassidy made adjustments and cranked up the offensive pressure. That meant attacking the offensive zone and making more calculated passes. Before you knew it, Mark Stone had cut the lead to one. Then, Tomas Hertl ties the game with seven seconds left before Jack Eichel wins the game in overtime with a backhand shot. Guess who fed it to Eichel? Stone.
Bruce Cassidy's ability to adjust mid-game is a testament to how well he coaches
Remember when fans were talking about firing Bruce Cassidy when the Golden Knights were struggling? There were conversations about Cassidy's seat getting warmer with each embarrassing loss, leaving fans wondering if it was it.
Well, fans saw what the head coach is great at with Thursday's massive win. Heck, he bounced back from the Nashville Predators scoring the first goal and demolished Nashville without breaking a sweat.
While Shanahan's seat is as cold as Cassidy's, 49er fans wonder whether they can actually win the big one when he faces a large deficit. Perhaps Shanahan can sit down with the Golden Knights head coach and get a few pointers about adjustments.