The San Francisco 49ers had a comfortable 10-point lead against the Arizona Cardinals at the end of the third quarter on Sunday. They were up despite losing their kicker, Jake Moody, to an ankle injury. What turned into a 10-point lead vanished, with Arizona walking out of Levi's Stadium with a 24-23 victory. Fans are starting to question whether Kyle Shanahan is the guy for the job, given he lost a 14-point lead against the Los Angeles Rams earlier.
Vegas Golden Knights fans are familiar with this, watching their team surrender six goals to Arizona's hockey team... the Coyotes. Yet, Cassidy is known for being a guy of change. If something looks off to him, he'll make a switch. For example, he swapped Logan Thompson for Adin Hill during the Dallas Stars series last season.
While the swap wasn't successful, Cassidy isn't afraid of making changes, proving he has a successful track record. While Thompson had a GAA of 2.35 and a save percentage of .921 (four games), Hill bested him with a GAA of 1.70 and a save percentage of .931 (three games). The 49ers should inquire about hiring Cassidy as their head coach since he's got bigger cajones and can make successful swaps.
What Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers can learn from Bruce Cassidy and the Vegas Golden Knights
I'm a fan of the San Francisco 49ers and Vegas Golden Knights. I witnessed Patrick Mahomes throw an errant pass for a completion in Super Bowl 54, leading to a Kansas City Chiefs victory. It also cemented himself as a generational quarterback. Meanwhile, Kyle Shanahan relied on Jimmy Garappolo to lead them to victory... which didn't happen.
Shanahan could learn a thing or two about the pratfalls of coaching conservatively from Bruce Cassidy. One relatable example is Game 2 of Vegas's series against the Dallas Stars. The Golden Knights carried a 2-1 lead into the third period and applied the forecheck pressure, despite Anthony Mantha and Ryan Suter getting roughing penalties against each other. Instead of getting complacent and trying to be cute, Cassidy doubled down and applied more pressure. The result was a 3-1 Golden Knights victory.
As for Shanahan? He left his game plan behind in the last Super Bowl, opting for eight straight pass plays when leading in the third quarter. It resulted in an overtime loss... against Patrick Mahomes. It's like some things are meant to be inevitable, especially when one team doesn't have the mental toughness that the other does.
The moral of the story?
This post is a viewpoint from a frustrated fan, who's witnessed one Super Bowl victory in his lifetime and yearns for another Lombardi Trophy. Who knows? Maybe these concerns will be resolved and the San Francisco 49ers will go on another late-season run.
As it stands, Shanahan needs to learn from Bruce Cassidy on handling leads. Cassidy doesn't let up on the gas, applying more pressure if he's ahead. Yes, his strategy doesn't work at times, with Saturday's preseason game being a good example.
However, he's better about instilling a stoic mentality in the Golden Knights and not abandoning his game plan. Shanahan has made this mistake too many times, getting comfortable at the worst times. It's resulted in a defeated mindset, hurting whatever team he's with.
Perhaps a better example is the 28-3 lead for the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51. With three minutes left in the third quarter, New England Patriots legend Tom Brady cranked up his play and led the Patriots to a 34-28 overtime victory. The offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons at the time? Kyle Shanahan.