Raiders’ defensive coordinator calls Kyle Shanahan ‘a natural play caller’

Even though the San Francisco 49ers are on their third quarterback this season and lost their top wide receiver for a few weeks, head coach Kyle Shanahan has still been able to find a way to win.

And while many people rightfully praise San Francisco’s defense, its offense is filled with weapons, too. Led by rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, the 49ers rank within the top 10 of multiple offensive categories, including points per game, yards per game and third-down conversion completions.

Patrick Graham, defensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders, knows why the Red & Gold’s offense does so well, it’s because of their coach Kyle Shanahan.

“I don’t know if this is a proper term or not, but like a natural play caller. He’s just really good. He’s really good at calling it,” Graham said of their Week 17 opponent. “He knows how to use those guys and he knows the right situations. He presents a lot of challenges because of just his natural ability to call the game, I guess. I’m not trying to come up and be all philosophical about it, but I mean, he’s just really good at calling the game and keeps you off balance and does a really good job. I’m always impressed with what he does with his offenses no matter who’s out there. And it comes down to the players, they got really good players, but he does a good job of calling the game.”

Because it’s Shanahan’s system, Graham sees some similarities between Purdy and Jimmy Garoppolo.

“You see him checking the run. You see him doing all the right stuff and I’m sure that comes from Kyle, it comes from the quarterbacks coach, their run game coordinator who does a great job. And I’m sure it comes down to their young coaches having him prepared for the situation.”

🔴🎥 Live: Offensive Coordinator Mick Lombardi and Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham address the media from the Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center. https://t.co/wd11Z3PQ2X

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 27, 2022