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MIAMI — Coach Kyle Shanahan was back on the mic Tuesday to answer reporters’ questions, some 14 hours after meeting the media on Super Bowl Opening Night. Here are the highlights from the 49ers’ media access at a downtown hotel across the street from their digs:
Quarterback prospects
Shanahan did pre-draft analysis on both quarterbacks who’ll start this Super Bowl, the 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo (2014 second round, New England Patriots) and the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes (2017 first round).
Shanahan recalled attending Garoppolo’s pre-draft workout as he came out of Eastern Illinois. “They didn’t have a lot of receivers so I had to run routes,” Shanahan said. “It was frustrating because Jimmy threw too hard for me. I didn’t have gloves and my hands were purple.
“He was very simple, very humble. When you spend a night with someone like that through the draft process, ‘What’s the guy hiding?’ He’s so relaxed and a good dude. Three years later, nothing different. he’s the same guy.”
With eyes on pursuing Kirk Cousins in 2018 free agency, Shanahan did not seriously consider using the 2017 draft’s No. 2 overall pick on Patrick Mahomes; the 49ers instead drafted defensive tackle Solomon Thomas after trading down to No. 3, and Garoppolo arrived in an Oct. 31 trade with New England.
“He blew all our minds with the success he had out there,” Shanahan said of Garoppolo’s 5-0 December debut.
So why pass on Mahomes?
“I didn’t look into him, obviously, as much as I should have,” Shanahan said of Mahomes. “We definitely looked into him and studied his tape. He was a freak and could make any throw. He had the ability to do anything.
“We had the second pick and based on the intel, it didn’t seem he would go that high. … With the situation we were in, we didn’t want to be that risky, with the second player in the draft.”
An offensive guru?
As outstanding as the 49ers have been this season on offense, Shanahan has regained league-wide respect for his offensive acumen, which perhaps took an unfair beating after the 2016 Atlanta Falcons infamously blew a 25-point Super Bowl lead.
“No I don’t consider myself an offensive guru,” Shanahan said. “I consider myself a coach who tries as hard as I can and I definitely don’t do it alone. When you have good players around you and good coaches, it helps a lot.”
The key to being here and winning Sunday?
“I don’t wish an 0-9 start or a 4-12 season on anyone. … We really learned from it. A lot of guys got to play. We learned to go through adversity together, and that made us stronger. The opportunity our guys got this year from what they learned their first two seasons made us stronger and battle-tested and led us to here.”
Shanahan credited this season’s team for being so resilient and with injury replacements repeatedly succeeding in their opportunities.
“Every game we went into, whether it was preaching it or not, they went in like they were underdogs.”
What is the injury update?
Nothing new to report since last week, when they listed only running back Tevin Coleman as questionable with a shoulder issue.
The 49ers had a 45-minute walk-through session on Monday at the University of Miami. They took Tuesday off from practicing and will resume on-field preparation Wednesday. They will visit Hard Rock Stadium for the first time Saturday before Sunday’s 3:30 p.m. (PT) kickoff.
