RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Yahoo Sports — the article as it was filed.
Mike Evans has spent over a decade squaring off against Kyle Shanahan's offenses from the opposing sideline. Now that he's inside the building, the new San Francisco 49ers receiver says the reputation checks out.
"I see a genius," Evans said on KNBR . "I mean, he's consistently one of the best play callers in the league . I've been competing against him a long time and watching and admiring the game plans he puts together. And then just being around him this short amount of time I have been, I understand why he is where he is and how much it's a reason why he has so much success."
Evans said the biggest difference between Shanahan and other coaches he's played for shows up not on the field, but in the meeting room. Nick Bosa, who has played under no other NFL coach in his career, has previously pointed to the specific way Shanahan breaks down film and installs game plans as something teammates lean on heavily — especially with Shanahan sidelined for parts of camp while recovering from an offseason accident.
"The way he can explain the game on both sides of the ball — like when we do meetings, he can just explain the game like I've never seen a coach do before," Evans said. "And it's both sides of the ball. I mean, he's an offensive coach obviously, but the way he can explain to guys and break it down, I've never seen it."
Evans said hearing about Shanahan's meeting-room reputation secondhand before arriving didn't fully prepare him for seeing it in person, even after 12 seasons around NFL coaching staffs.
And now, sitting in the rooms with Shanahan and the rest of the team, Evans has a firsthand account of a big reason for his decision to leave Tampa to join San Francisco in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Mike Evans sees 'a genius' in 49ers coach early in training camp
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