Former NFL offensive tackle Joe Thomas played for six head coaches and seven offensive coordinators in 11 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. But when he was asked about all of them on "Wake up Barstool," the Hall of Fame left tackle gave one name.
"It's Kyle Shanahan," Thomas said. "He was my coach in Cleveland in 2014. He was the best coach I ever had in any sport."
Shanahan spent just that one season in Cleveland. Then-head coach Mike Pettine brought him in as offensive coordinator in February 2014, after Shanahan had run offenses in Houston and Washington. He left after the season. Thomas said at the time that he was disappointed Shanahan left and wanted more continuity on offense. The two have stayed close since. When Thomas retired in 2018,
he joked that Shanahan had made a 32-page PowerPoint to convince him to come back.
Thomas said Shanahan's gift was the way he built confidence during the week. He didn't get in players' faces or try to scare them. He showed them the plan.
"You would see how he's putting you in a position to succeed, in an advantageous position over your opponent," Thomas said.
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This shows with Brock Purdy in San Francisco now, Thomas said. Shanahan's play-action game creates big voids in defenses, Thomas said, and gives quarterbacks simple reads and easy throws. Thomas called Purdy part of a tradition of Shanahan quarterbacks that people don't know much about when they arrive.
Purdy is putting together a season of a lifetime through the first three weeks of the year. The 49ers quarterback is 3-0 with 789 passing yards, a league-leading nine passing touchdowns, just one interception and a career-best 72.3% completion rate.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Hall of Famer says Kyle Shanahan is the best coach he ever had
