It was in the 1992 James Foley film “Glengarry Glen Ross” that Alec Baldwin uttered the famous line “Coffee is for closers!” Baldwin, playing the character known simply as Blake, was sent by the higher-ups to a flailing real estate office to motivate the lackluster agents into generating more business or be fired. Closers were the agents who got homes sold, and their reward, aside from money, was access to the fresh pot of coffee brewing in the office.
After the 49ers fell to the Rams 20-17 in Sunday’s NFC Championship, it is fair to wonder if Blake would allow head coach Kyle Shanahan to pour himself a hot cup of joe in his presence. After all, for the third time in the last five years, a team coached by Shanahan entered the fourth quarter of a massively important game with a lead of over 10 points, and for the third time in the last five years, that team failed to win.
What started out as a meme when the Atlanta Falcons blew a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl LI when Shanahan was the team’s offensive coordinator has now grown into a full-fledging concern that the 49ers front office and fanbase must seriously confront. From that Super Bowl LI downfall, the collapse in Super Bowl LIV in Miami, to this past Sunday’s flop at SoFi Stadium, the pattern has been eerily similar: abandoning the run game with the lead, throwing the ball too often, and panic rushing in as the score is tied, and throw in some defensive breakdowns, to boot.
As the Falcons offensive coordinator, Shanahan’s offense held a 28-9 lead with two minutes remaining in the third quarter. From there, he called five run plays that netted 9 yards, and nine pass plays. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan completed five of those nine passes (a sixth completion was nullified by a holding call) for 91 yards. The last run play he called came with 4:40 left, Devonta Freeman to the left side that went for -1 yards. The Patriots scored the game-tying touchdown on their next drive. Meanwhile, the Falcons defense allowed Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to go 15-20 for 196 yards in the fourth quarter, converting 4-of-6 third downs.
That Falcons team was well-balanced on offense, ranking in the top five in both rushing (fifth) and passing (third). Shanahan’s 2019 49ers team was far more run dominant, ranking second in rushing vs 13th in passing. Neither were effective for Shanahan in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LIV. After Tarvarius Moore seemingly sealed the 49ers win when he intercepted Patrick Mahomes pass intended for Tyreek Hill with 12:05 remaining, Shanahan called five run plays that went for 32 yards and 10 pass plays, of which quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo completed only three for 36 yards. Shanahan abandoned the run later this time, opting to throw the ball the rest of the way after Raheem Mostert rushed for 17 yards with 2:39 remaining.
All the while, Mahomes torched the league’s top ranked pass defense for 114 passing yards, completing 8-of-13 attempts. The Chiefs faced three third downs in that fateful quarter and converted them all, one coming on a Moore pass interference penalty that set up Mahomes first touchdown of the quarter, connecting with tight end Travis Kelce from the 1-yard line to make the score 20-16 prior to the extra point.
In both instances, Shanahan’s vaunted offense stalled out while the defense crumbled under the pressure. That pattern continued in Sunday’s loss, but in worse fashion. Shanahan abandoned the run with over 10 minutes remaining, after the 49ers failed to convert on 3rd-and-2 and decided to take a delay of game penalty rather than go for it on 4th-and-2 despite the Rams having zero timeouts. After punting the ball, safety Jaquiski Tartt dropped what could have been the game-sealing interception. From there Matthew Stafford was 8-for-10 for 101 yards, helping the Rams set up the game tying and go-ahead field goals to win. The Rams converted 4-of-6 third downs in the process.
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Does a better quarterback help Shanahan get the job done? He had the league MVP in Ryan under center in Super Bowl LI and was not able to get the job done. Could better defensive execution be the cure? The 49ers defense was considered the unit of strength in both Super Bowl LIV and in Sunday’s NFC title game, and Shanahan still took the loss. Simply put, the answer lies with what goes on underneath whatever trucker hat Shanahan is wearing on gamedays.
This is not to suggest the 49ers should part ways with Shanahan. If the Niners were to part with Shanahan over breakfast on Wednesday, he would be hired elsewhere by dinnertime Thursday. You do not part with wanted commodities in the NFL, and Shanahan has shown that he can take a (healthy) roster to a championship level, which is half the battle in the NFL these days, and that is a battle that the 49ers, and over half the league, have struggled to win over the last 20 years.
So here the 49ers sit, stuck between a rock and hard place while waiting for their heralded head coach to find a way to dig the team out of it. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, and it is time to seriously have a long look in the mirror and ask the difficult questions as to why one is so easily fooled. Until then, the coffee is on the pot, and not only is not getting any warmer, it won’t be served to Shanahan anytime soon. Coffee is for closers, and after Sunday, it is fair to wonder if Shanahan will ever be granted such a title.
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