The San Francisco 49ers offense, under the direction of Kyle Shanahan, is one of the most diverse offenses in the NFL. Every year, regardless of personnel, Shanahan and his staff put their players in a great position to succeed.
The base of the 49ers offense is the outside zone scheme. They will run it out of every personnel grouping, and every formation in their playbook. This book covers each variation used throughout the season.
Their most commonly used outside zone play is the "Strong - Lead" version called out of 21 personnel. With the running back's aim point being directly in line with blocking aces George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk, Shanahan used his personnel strengths wisely. This year, I added a new layer of analysis to this book as opposed to previous books. Each run/pass play is broken down by fronts/coverages it faced throughout the season, in addition to my traditional situational play calling charts. Below is the Front table for "Outside Zone - Strong - Lead" as well as a base diagram against an Over front.
The run game for the 49ers is the most diverse & complimentary scheme I have studied to date. Their system has a way of featuring outside zone, while being really good at gap schemes too. The complimentary plays for both their zone and gap schemes are critical to their overall success as well. High school and college coaches will enjoy these sections, as they provide the road map for a successful ground game.
Shanahan's system is well-known for its ability to create chunk plays down the field with play action.This book explains the different ways he goes about this. The diagram and video below show a unique twist on a three level flood concept. The play was called against the LAR quarters coverage. Lining up in 12 personnel with Kittle at the "F" and delay releasing the Y, the 49ers are able to isolate Kittle on the intermediate route vs a conflicted LB. This adjustment removes the quarters safety, as he is taught to go rob the #1 receiver.
Shanahan is great at getting the ball out of the quarterbacks hands quickly through a variety of creative ways. The image/video below shows a "Mini Jerk - Stutter Slant" concept that created some big plays in 2019. The play attacks similar landmarks as the traditional 2-man drive concept, but it gets the ball out of the quarterback's hands much quicker.
Shanahan's expansive "Choice" package is one of my favorite aspects of his offense. The Choice route gives the tagged receiver a three way go, with the surrounding routes as ways to punish the defense if they bracket the Choice as the primary read. The image/video below show one of my favorite variations he used in 2019. The four verticals with switch-releases give a nice downfield attacking concept, and often clears space for the choice route to work 1 on 1.
Shanahan has multiple ways to protect the Choice concept. One example is tagging the "Bang Dig" behind the Choice route. When the defense brackets the choice route, the dig window is huge. The image/video below shows one great example form their week 14 point explosion vs New Orleans.
I could go on and on, but that's what the 343 page book is for. Shanahan's system has something for every coach/fan to learn from. Whether it be run game, drop back pass game, extensive play action package, or creative screen calls (throwback screens!), every play design is well thought out and has a purpose for the 49ers.
Learn from one of the NFL's top offensive minds with this book. Every concept is given its own section, with each variation drawn up, complete statistical analysis (including vs fronts/coverages), coaching points, and what made it effective.
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