When an NFL team finishes their season with a 6-10 record, usually there won't be too much to smile about. Don't tell that to head coach Kyle Shanahan and his up-and-coming San Francisco 49ers, though.
In an interview with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on Friday afternoon, coach Shanahan reflected on the 49ers' 2017-18 season and the team's 5-0 finish.
“It was cool to be a 6-10 team, come in on a Monday when the season’s over and no one wanted to leave. Everyone is still hanging around because we didn’t want this feeling to end. I think that's what excites us the most.” Shanahan said.
Those final five games of the season were headlined by Niners rising star quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, acquired via trade from the New England Patriots. To coach Shanahan, the final three games of the season against the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Los Angeles Rams really was a glimpse into the future success brewing in San Francisco.
“We had that three-game stretch where we were playing versus all playoff teams. I just challenged our team to really look at it that way. Put that pressure on yourself,” Shanahan said. “If we don't beat these three playoff teams, we won't get in the playoffs because that's where we hope to be next year.”
The Rams may have rested pretty much all of their starters during Week 17, which coach Shanahan acknowledged, but he was very happy with his team's dominating 34-13 road win regardless.
The Niners will have the No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and it's very much so up in the air as to what San Francisco decides to do with it.
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