In Mike Silver's most recent column, he tries to paint the picture of an introspective Kyle Shanahan:
"In recent conversations with confidants at the 49ers' training facility, he wasn't afraid to admit the truth: The 49ers were fortunate to have made it to Vegas in the first place. They probably should have lost their playoff opener to an underwhelming Green Bay team and needed a huge second-half comeback - fueled by a 51-yard pass that bounced off a defender's facemask - to overcome Detroit in the NFC Championship Game."
Unfortunately, it went off the rails from there. Silver, and by extension Shanahan, cites:
The "glaring weakness" of the pass rush
Steve Wilks failure to integrate with the scheme and coaching staff
Clelin Ferrell's injury
Chase Young's inconsistency and inability to set the edge
And while all of those things were certainly factors in what happened, there's a glaring omission from that list: Nowhere in the article does Shanahan own up to his hideous game management or inconsistent playoff offense.
Nowhere does Shanahan criticize his decision to take the ball first in overtime and hand Patrick Mahomes a chance to win the Super Bowl with one successful drive.
Nowhere does Shanahan criticize his decisions to kick field goals on fourth down late in regulation and overtime.
The closest we get to Kyle accepting responsibility for his team's failings is this:
"Deep inside, Shanahan knows that the unsatisfying outcome was on him. He hired Wilks, and it didn't work out; in the end, his guys weren't good enough.
That the head coach is willing to take a long, hard look at the roster - and in the mirror - is a very positive sign for the 49ers."
The head coaching taking a long hard look in the mirror would be a positive sign for the 49ers. Unfortunately, that is the complete opposite of what Silver described.
"I admit, it's his fault" isn't introspection. That isn't taking responsibility, it's assigning blame.
In the second paragraph, Silver writes, "Perhaps more than anyone in his profession, Shanahan has a reputation for keeping it real."
Apparently that applies to everyone except himself.