One thing common among Mahomes, Jackson, and now Stroud is their ability to study the defense. All great quarterbacks of the past, like Tom Brady, Payton Manning, and even Drew Brees, could read the defense and call audibles accordingly. They were allowed and celebrated for their cerebral play. And that comes with making strategic decisions at the line of scrimmage. The Texans recently gave that flexibility to Stroud to call audibles and adjust protections to the third-year signal-caller, and in the words of Grant Cohn, they are “making a big deal about it.” This flexibility came with Nick Caley, the new offensive coordinator, replacing Bobby Slowik. But what does that have to do with Shanahan and the 49ers?

Guess who Slowik assisted? The Niners head coach Shanahan from 2017 to 2021, where the coach dictates protection based on design and game planning, rather than relying on a QB’s call. This brings us to Purdy, who’s yet to be entrusted with the right to call audibles and adjust protections. Grant Cohn said, “A common feature of the Kyle Shanahan offense and that Brock Purdy cannot adjust protections or call audibles. Um, and I just think it’s interesting that DeMeco Ryans gave that power to CJ Stroud. It stands to reason that he would give it to Brock Perie, too, considering he’s just as cerebral.” All Purdy has been told for the past two seasons is to trust the system. This shows that Shanahan still doesn’t trust Purdy with play calling and wants to run the ship his way. “The audible thing is cool, to be able to call your own plays in line of scrimmage, but I think what’s more important is the protections because we’ve seen that Kyle’s method doesn’t really work that well,” said Cohn in the latest edition of his YouTube podcast. And he isn’t wrong. 

Take the Super Bowl LVIII loss, for instance. Things would have favored the Niners if only Shanahan hadn’t been rigid with taking the ball first instead of deferring. And the night ended with Mahomes sealing history with a touchdown. Talk about a bad call!

Last year when Brady was promoting his play calling for Fox, on one interview with Colin Cowherd on The Herd show Brady himself said, “Give him (Quarterback) the tools so that when he gets to the line of scrimmage and he sees blitz, okay, if they’re blitzing me, these are the two protections I can use when they blitz. These are the two or three routes that I can signal to my receivers that can beat the blitz. Or vice versa, we have we’re anticipating blitz, so we call a play that’s going to protect, and nope, they’re they’re actually playing a very safe zone. I want to make sure I can get all my players out into the route, and I can change the call, the protection, and the route so that everybody can get into the defense. So, what are you trying to do? You’re trying to give the quarterback to to really be a field general. Quarterback, you got the last swipe at the pencil. ” Who better than the GOAT himself to tell the importance of empowering the quarterbacks and giving them the freedom to call audibles and make adjustments.

All great teams have entrusted their quarterbacks to call when the need arises. That’s how Brady won 7 rings and Mahomes won 3. Their coaches were coaches first and play-callers second. In Purdy’s case looks like he got a play caller as his coach, who is limiting him from owning the plays for the team. It’s high time the 49ers don’t just reach the Super Bowl but win it too. For that, Shanahan has to change his strategy about Purdy.

“What’s the point of having a quarterback who’s physically limited yet mentally elite, right?” Cohn questioned. “That’s the kind of guy you want to empower because if you’re just going to treat him like a robot, then he can’t really execute something that, like a bigger, faster, stronger robot could execute,” he said further. Purdy’s 2023 was like the ones we see in Hollywood—a true cinematic conversion. From Mr. Irrelevant to earning first Pro Bowl recognition with 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 113 passer rating. Though 2024 didn’t pan out as the team hoped, Purdy held up pretty solidly with 3,864 yards, 20 TDs, 12 INTs, and 96.1 passer rating. Even when the team didn’t have a great season, he held his own.

Cohn’s guest on the show, the host of The Coaches Huddle podcast, also had a similar thought process. Where he said, “What I’m describing is what you’ve just talked about as far as quarterbacks are concerned. being able to call your own audibles, being able to call your own protections, being able to have ownership over the offense. And it’s not the fact that the offenses would be Brock’s in this instance. It would be that Brock has full control over what Kyle has built for him, right? And then Brock can find his way. But, uh, I what what kind of throws me off is that if if if you have something that operates as intended, then you wouldn’t have to worry about like all of these special things.” Reiterating the fact that at this point in the 4th year of his career, Shanahan should have the guts and trust in Purdy that he can lead the team and start calling the audibles.

And you know what seems like a punch in the face? Trey Lance’s rise in the Los Angeles Chargers. After the failures of 2022 and not giving much of the field in Dallas, Lance may have spent some time assessing himself. And it showed in the Hall of Fame Game against the Detroit Lions. Not only did he make headlines going 13-of-20, along with 120 passing yards and a TD, but he also put up a good case in the eyes of Jim Harbaugh. In contrast, Shanahan sits without a single reliable quarterback to take over the backup position if Purdy sustains an injury. Perhaps it’s time to contemplate a few things. But Lance’s road to this transforming moment was anything but smooth. His early journey with the Niners was marked by promise, disappointment, and a fight to reclaim opportunity. 

Trey Lance’s comeback post Kyle Shanahan and 49ers

Lance’s journey in the league began with Shanahan and the 49ers, picked in the 1st round (3rd overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft. He impressed the team enough to gain the starting role in 2022. But that was a season of disaster, recording only 84 snaps due to an ankle injury in Week 2 that kept him out for the remainder of the season. Initially, Jimmy Garoppolo was given the position, but he, as well, injured himself, and thus, the role landed in Purdy’s lap. That’s why Lance expected to be handed over the starting role in 2023 when Purdy injured himself in the NFC Championship game. Instead, he was sent to the Cowboys for a fourth-round pick. Brutal! 

Of course, we saw last season how that team-up panned out. Fortunately, the Chargers took a chance on him in April and signed a two-year contract worth $2 million. They will probably hand over the backup position to him, behind Justin Herbert. However, there was a competition for the backup position with Taylor Heinicke, whose experience certainly made him the favorite to win. 

But the Hall of Game was just the beginning for Lance. Against the Rams, Lance outperformed his competition for QB2. He completed the game with 7-of-15 for 121 yards, including a splendid strike in the opening drive to Trey Harris for 34 yards. Riding high on confidence, he brought his team another 25 yards. Just a few weeks and we’ll know for sure who’s covering Herbert.

But right now, Shanahan’s thoughts are not about Lance, but about his own team and how he wants them to approach the coming season. Whether Purdy gets the nod to play call or not, it’s high time that this team gets a Lombardi trophy for their fans.