Make California Post a Preferred Source Kyle Shanahan felt for Keenan Allen on Wednesday.
The Colts had traded the veteran wide receiver to the 49ers on Tuesday, he’d gotten to the Bay Area late that night, and by the time he made it to his first walkthrough, he had two hours’ worth of a new offense rattling around in his head.
Allen barely had time to get fitted for a new helmet, and he was already knee deep in one of the NFL’s most complex offenses.
“I’m sure he’s spinning right now,” Shanahan said.
That sympathy only went so far, though. With a big game to play on Sunday against the Cowboys, Shanahan couldn’t give Allen very much of Wednesday to catch his breath.
In fact, it went straight from welcome aboard to more than 120 minutes of listen, learn and try to keep up. Not even one thought of using Cliffs Notes, either.
“Not really,” Shanahan said. “We throw everything at him.”
He was more focused on playing in a Shanahan system that offensive players around the NFL spend an inordinate amount of time envisioning themselves in.
After spending so many years admiring it from afar, he now gets to enjoy the perks himself.
“You know, his scheme, week in and week out, everybody’s open,” Allen said.
Which is why Wednesday’s crash course was so important. Shanahan wants Allen exposed to everything the 49ers might ask him to do Sunday and then give him the next few days to sort through it.
That is how it goes with a player absorbing Shanahan’s offense for the first time. Even a veteran like Allen, who spent a good two hours on Wednesday absorbing every detail from one of the best offensive teachers the game has ever produced.
“No person in the history of football has been able to hear it for the first time and go out there right away,” Shanahan said.
It was hard to tell whether that takes pressure off Allen or puts more on him.
At the least, it tells you a little bit about the respect Shanahan has for his new wide receiver. And the confidence in Allen being able to retain enough of the offense to be able to contribute as soon as possible.
“It was a good first start, and I’m sure he’s reviewing it right now at lunch,” Shanahan said. “We’ll see what sticks at practice. Then we’ll watch film after, and then we’ll put in some new stuff tomorrow. Then we’ll see by the time we get to Saturday where he’s at, where we’re at, and then we’ll play the game accordingly.”
Shanahan doesn’t know yet what Allen’s first game as a 49er will look like. But he has an idea of what he wants the next two months and beyond to look like, especially once Mike Evans gets back. That was the whole point of trading for Allen.
Asked whether the possibility of Evans missing another week or two drove the trade, Shanahan offered a useful glimpse into the thinking behind it.
“That could be the case,” Shanahan said. “But even if Mike was good on all eight of these games, wouldn’t have changed anything with trying to add another guy.”
That’s where Wednesday’s crash course could pay off.
If Evans draws a safety outside, Purdy can come back to Allen working against one defender inside. Put the help on Allen and there’s a little more room for George Kittle between the numbers. And when Christian McCaffrey gets the ball, Shanahan already knows how the new guy feels about doing a receiver’s less glamorous work.
“He’s a guy who blocks, who never takes a down off, is extremely competitive and a very smart, aware football player.”
As for his new quarterback, Allen is a fan, calling him “a competitor” and “a winner.”
As for the coach who greeted him with two hours of install, Allen sounds like somebody who’s been watching from a distance long enough to appreciate the invitation.
“I mean, being around the league, you know he’s a genius,” Allen said. “He’s always dialing it up.”
