49ers news: Do the Niners miss Klint Kubiak calling plays

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The Kyle Shanahan coaching tree grows every season in the NFL. Mike McDaniel, DeMeco Ryans, and Robert Saleh all landed head coaching jobs following their time as a 49ers assistant. Other assistants, such as Bobby Slowik, have landed offensive coordinator gigs in Houston. The latest to land an offensive coordinator job is Klint Kubiak with New Orleans.

The early returns for the Saints offense with Derek Carr have been spectacular following back-to-back blowouts of the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys in Arlington. While it is only Week 2, and things change quickly in the NFL, the Saints look the complete opposite of last year’s offense.

So, what’s the secret? What has Kubiak done to transform this offense in one offseason? Firstly, the Saints’ running game has improved behind an offensive line that wasn’t exactly highly regarded heading into the season and star running back Alvin Kamara. But a deeper look into the adjustments made is the Saints’ pre-snap motion usage and play action usage.

The highest season-long rate of both numbers is 32 percent. Currently, the Saints use pre-snap motion and play action on 42 percent of dropbacks, according to Jacob Gibbs. Last season, the Saints sat dead last in pre-snap motion. Couple the pre-snap wrinkle with Kubiak’s plan to roll Derek Carr out of the pocket for easier throws and avoid pass protection issues.

The Saints offense has scored 91 points in two weeks, and Carr has hit plenty of splash plays down the field, with Carr averaging 11.4 yards per attempt. Carr’s previous career high was 7.9 in 2019 and 2020.

The 49ers offense was successful in running the football in 2024 with Jordan Mason. It’s clear Kubiak’s ideas were highly regarded in the 49ers’ offense, and he’s putting his flavor on old favorite Shanahan concepts in the run-and-pass game.

What are your thoughts? Do the 49ers miss Kubiak’s creativity? Sure, it would have been nice to retain Kubiak, but as the offenses evolve, there is faith that Shanahan can evolve his scheme with his current coaching staff, purely based on previous history.

The 49ers don’t miss Kubiak, but the Shanahan tree has never been stronger in the NFL.