Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers are off to a 6-0 start, but Roddy White isn’t ready to buy into the idea that this finally ends with a Super Bowl ring for the San Francisco coach.
White, who played under Shanahan when he was the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator in 2015, gave a blunt answer when FanDuel TV host Kay Adams asked whether Shanahan would ever win a Super Bowl.
"No," White responded on Up & Adams.
Adams pointed out that the 49ers are unbeaten and that Shanahan has already reached the Super Bowl twice as a head coach. White still wasn’t moved, saying San Francisco has a habit of starting fast before things get complicated.
"Yeah, but they start like this every year," White claimed. "That team starts very fast every year. The only time they haven't started fast is when they had everybody hurt, and this year they're still managing to get people hurt, but they're off to a good start."
White’s biggest issue with Shanahan centers on how he handles pressure moments. It’s a critique that has followed the coach for years, first after the Falcons’ 28-3 collapse against the New England Patriots a year after White left Atlanta, and again after the 49ers led in the fourth quarter of both Super Bowl losses to the Kansas City Chiefs.
"He's a great offensive mind," White said of Shanahan. "But in tough situations, in pressure situations, the over-aggressive play calls always get him in trouble.
And I think that's just his mentality. He doesn't play situational football well.
That's the only thing that I think that's really a knock on his game. ... That's what gets his team in trouble when you play against great quarterbacks.
And when you make it to the Super Bowl, you're going to be playing against a great quarterback."
White also framed the issue as one of game management, saying Shanahan’s urge to seize control can work against his team when the margin gets tight.
"Kyle always thinks about 'I have to win the game. I have to win the game' instead of putting his players in the best position to win the game," White said.
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