The best policy: How 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan rubbed off on Packers coach Matt LaFleur

It was clear early in coach Kyle Shanahan’s tenure with the 49ers. He’s not good at lying.

Way back before his first regular season game as San Francisco’s head coach, while preparing for the Carolina Panthers in the 2017 season opener, Shanahan was asked about how new first-round pick Solomon Thomas would be deployed.

Shanahan declined to offer specifics because he knew what all coaches know during their media sessions: the opponent is watching.

“I don’t mean to be a d---,” Shanahan said to reporters, indicating he wasn’t going to reveal any details, before realizing his gaffe and looking over to a public relations staffer in embarrassment.

It was a refreshing moment (that also happened to go viral). NFL coaches often scoff at questions about strategy and treat those points like war-time secrets. There’s gamesmanship involved in all media appearances during the season, which is an underrated part of coaching in the league.

Instead of giving a non-answer, Shanahan’s moment of awkwardness revealed something telling. He’s honest.

And it’s not just with reporters. His honesty is a characteristic that’s helped him reach his players and coaching staff.

“I think that’s what separates Kyle from everybody else is how real he is with you,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said.

Added quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo: “The more honest you are, the more upfront you are about the situation, the easier it is to fix it or move on, whatever the situation calls for. Whenever a coach is talking to you honestly like that and just being straight forward, you really appreciate it.”

Shanahan’s approach affected LaFleur

That approach rubbed off on Sunday’s opponent.

Green Back Packers first-year head coach Matt LaFleur is a former Shanahan disciple. He worked under Shanahan as an offensive assistant for three different teams (Houston, Washington and Atlanta) over eight different seasons from 2008 to 2016, including six as a quarterbacks coach.

LaFleur got his first offensive coordinator job in 2017 under first-time Rams coach Sean McVay, who also worked under Shanahan with Washington, before taking the same position with the Tennessee Titans the following season.

LaFleur is also extremely close with San Francisco’s defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh. The two met as low-level assistants on the Central Michigan in 2004 and were later groomsmen in each others’ weddings. Mike LaFleur, Matt’s brother, is the passing game coordinator on the 49ers’ staff who Matt tried to hire as his offensive coordinator during the offseason. Shanahan, of course, blocked that overture because it wasn’t considered a promotion.

Matt LaFleur was named Mike McCarthy’s successor in Green Bay this offseason to run a version of Shanahan’s offense with star quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

LaFleur during a conference call with 49ers reporters this week was asked about what stood out about Shanahan’s approach to coaching, and what he’s tried to use in his own coaching career.

“He’s very honest with people,” LaFleur said. “That’s one thing that I remember early on that I really respected about him. He’s always going to tell you the truth, and I think that is so critical. Not only in coaching but just in life.”

Straight shooters in a secretive league

It’s not exactly ground breaking to note the importance of honesty. But it’s not found everywhere. There are multiple forms of dishonesty that players catch on to which often leads to bad results.

Coaches can be disingenuous by praising a player when it’s unwarranted. Or they call out players in team meetings just to make an example of someone for a mistake, even though players know what the reasoning behind it is.

Some coaches can be ruthless in their criticism of players and say things they don’t necessarily mean as a form of motivation. It works for some players but others catch on to the insincerity.

“The one thing that he does as good as anybody,” LaFleur said, “he has a set standard. I think that’s something he learned from his dad, Mike Shanahan, is just how important it is to have standards and the expectations to go along with those standards. And if you’re not living up to them, he’ll let you know. And he holds everybody accountable, including himself.”

Perhaps the most important aspect of LaFleur’s job is dealing with Rodgers, who has become known for his prickly personality that played a role in McCarthy’s departure. Many wondered how a first-time, 40-year-old head coach would deal with the long-time quarterback who made a habit of calling his own plays in the huddle and ignoring what was coming from the sideline.

LaFleur tapped into the honesty-is-the-best policy he learned under Shanahan to form a bridge in the relationship with his new signal caller.

“What makes (Rodgers) so special, is he’s honest with himself and he knows when he does good and when he doesn’t do as good as he should,” LaFleur said. “I think the challenge is: I always have to be honest with myself too, in terms of, am I putting him in the best position possible for him to have success? So we always have honest conversations.”

Shanahan, of course, had the advantage of growing up around NFL teams as his father, Mike, was an offensive coordinator with the 49ers from 1992 to 1994 and helped them win Super Bowl XXIX. Mike Shanahan also won back-to-back Super Bowls as the head coach of the Broncos in 1997 and 1998.

So Kyle Shanahan, in an early age, had an understand of what worked.

“That was the biggest advice my dad always gave me, just be honest,” he said. “Players want a job. They want to support their family, they want to have a good career. Your job is to coach them and help them do better so the more you can be honest with them, even though it’s hard sometimes and can get worse for a couple days, they always end up coming back and respecting you knowing you’re doing everything you can to help them.”

This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 8:00 AM.