Kyle Shanahan spent two years in Atlanta as the Falcons offensive coordinator. He was there in 2015 and 2016 before moving on to become the 49ers’ head coach in 2017. Sunday will mark his first trip back to the ATL since leaving five years ago. Don’t expect any sentimentality from Shanahan though.
In his press conference after Friday’s practice, Shanahan denied any sentimental feelings about coaching in the city he called home for two seasons.
“Honestly, no,” Shanahan said. “It’s been a long time and I’ve played against them a number of times and it’s always about the people. [Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator] Dan’s [Quinn] not there anymore. The coaching staff has changed a bunch. And really when I think about the roster, without thinking about it, I think [Atlanta Falcons T Jake] Matthews is still there and [Atlanta Falcons DL] Grady’s [Jarrett] still there, but there’s such big turnover. It’s a totally different situation.”
To make matters even less nostalgic for Shanahan, the Falcons moved into Mercedes Benz Stadium ahead of the 2017 season, so he won’t even be going back to the stadium he coached in.
Shanahan is 1-1 against the Falcons since arriving in San Francisco with a loss to them in 2019 at Levi’s Stadium, and a win against them last season at the same venue.
