As I started getting this written, I realized: The San Francisco 49ers have made a lot of boneheaded decisions in their rich history. Kyle Shanahan’s tenure itself has a lot of decisions I’m sure he’d like to re-think.
Over at CBS Sports, Bryan DeArdo put together a list of every NFL Team’s biggest do-over of all time. His decision for the 49ers? Deciding to play offense after winning the coin toss in the recent Super Bowl loss:
Kyle Shanahan surprised everyone when he opted to put his offense on the field to start the second overtime game in Super Bowl history. San Francisco managed to get a field goal on the drive, but the lost the game moments later when the Chiefs scored a touchdown on their ensuing possession.
For a while, it looked like Shanahan’s gamble might pay off as the 49ers appeared poised to win the game on a walk-off touchdown. But after zipping to the Chiefs’ 9-yard-line, the 49ers’ offense had to settle for a field goal after failing to gain a yard on consecutive plays.
Another situation Shanahan would likely like to do over occurred on the 49ers’ final drive of regulation. Facing a third-and-4 on the Chiefs’ 35, Brock Purdy attempted a low-percentage pass to Jauan Jennings that fell incomplete, thus forcing San Francisco to settle for a go-ahead field goal. Jennings played well that night, but it’s safe to assume that Shanahan would have called Christian McCaffrey’s number in that situation.
Yeah, while hindsight is always 20:20, I have the unpopular opinion here of saying while questionable, perhaps incorrect, I wouldn’t say it’s a bad decision. Or, at least, the worst decision in the history of the franchise. It didn’t seem as bad as everyone blasted it as. The offensive line picked a bad time to remember they were the 49ers’ offensive line and Steve Wilks’ defense picked an even worst time to remember they were coached by Steve Wilks. Yes, deciding to play defense on the coin toss was probably the correct move as we’ve discussed, but I wouldn’t say that’s the absolute worst call, or set of calls, in 49ers’ history.
I wouldn’t even put it in the top three. There’s the stupid set of decisions to close out Colin Kaepernick’s final offensive series in the Super Bowl (you can’t ever justify throwing the ball there to me, even if the defense knew Frank Gore was coming, you RUN FRANK GORE!). There’s that aformentioned Kyle Shanahan call on fourth down in the 2022 NFC Championship against the Los Angeles Rams that I don’t think gets brought up enough. Or even Jaquiski Tartt dropping the ball in the same game (though there’s no guarantee the 49ers would have won had they sealed the interception, or changed fourth down decisions).
But my winner for worst decision in 49ers’ history is Kyle Williams. Why, oh why, do the 49ers run Kyle Williams out not once, but twice in the 2011-2012 NFC Championship? Yes, Ted Ginn Jr. was out, so you have to have someone. But that first fumble, not to mention the way it occured, was nigh-inexusible on its own. You cannot let Williams return punts in that atmosphere, in that game, after such an egregrious decision on his part. Especially when he tried to pass it off like he didn’t touch it. I said it then and I’ll say it now, if you aren’t going to pick up the ball, get the [decorum] out of the way.
Still, it was a mistake and a mental one at that. Not like he intentionally did something or was trolling fans. While we all pile onto Williams for the second fumble (when, in truth, there were a lot of things that happened to cost the 49ers that game), the second fumble never should have happened the way it did. Why? Williams shouldn’t have been returning punts in overtime after the first botch in the first place.
Williams’ day should have been over following the first muff and the 49ers should have gone to someone, anyone, to finish out. Yes, the 49ers were depleted at wide receiver, but I’ll never understand why Williams wasn’t sat just to finish that game to get his head straight. This wasn’t a first half botch and he was getting another crack after a good hour or two. These were rather close to each other, so I don’t get it. Someone else fumbling in Williams’ place for overtime would have sucked just as much, it’s just the decision to keep him in the game given the small time that passed.
If we don’t want a do-over on who they put in at returner, sure, just give him another crack at that punt return, but put some sticky sticky on the gloves or something so he doesn’t fumble it. I’d just say re-think the decision to keep him in after a mental miscue moments ago, especially when he was filling in for an injured Ted Ginn.
It wasn’t like the first muffed punt was bad luck of something getting punched out of his hand or anything like that. It was just a bonehead decision.
So that’s what I still think was one of the worst decisions in history. I know not many will agree with it, or my logic behind it, but everything else had something where it made sense. Shanahan didn’t go for it on 4th down because he was playing safe; the 49ers choose to receive in the Super Bowl and it almost did work until it didn’t, the 49ers did three pass plays because of the play selection on the card in the game, whatever.
Jim Harbaugh kept Kyle Williams returning punts because, reasons. The only sense it made to keep Williams there was to show the team (and him) you had his back and believed in him. I feel there’s other ways to display that same sort of positivity.
That’s my pick anyways. What is the one decision (or decisions) you think the 49ers would like a mulligan on?
