NASHVILLE, Tenn. — For one night, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan decided to step aside and let an assistant call the offensive plays.
Klay Kubiak, the 49ers’ offensive passing game specialist, was responsible for calling the plays into quarterbacks Brandon Allen and Josh Dobbs on Saturday night.
“It was Klay’s show,” Dobbs said. “He did a great job.”
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The 49ers gave many of their starters the night off, so Shanahan thought it was a great opportunity to reward Kubiak in the 2024 NFL preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.
“I just wanted to give Klay a chance to do it,” Shanahan said. “He’s earned it, and he’s been more than ready to do it.”
Things started well for the 49ers' offense, as Kubiak called the shots during an 11-play, 74-yard touchdown drive with Allen at quarterback. Running back Jordan Mason scored on a 4-yard touchdown run.
“It was fun to have Klay calling the plays,” Allen said. “I thought he did a great job. He was calling from the box. I thought every time a play came in, I had a lot of confidence in what he was calling.”
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The 49ers managed just 286 yards of total offense in a 17-13 loss to the Titans.
Shanahan said it was probably a one-shot deal for Kubiak. After all, Shanahan has called every play for the 49ers in his first seven years as a head coach.
Before that, he was offensive coordinator for the previous nine years with Houston, Washington, Cleveland and Atlanta.
“I have a lot of confidence in Klay, but it was one of the more boring things for me personally,” Shanahan said. “It the first game in 16 years not calling plays. I didn’t know what to do with my hands.”
Shanahan's only activity during the game came when he threw a challenge flag. Upon review, 49ers safety Malik Mustapha was credited with a fourth-down stop near the goal line.
Shanahan also was responsible for a blunder when he was distracted watching game video of the offense during a special teams play.
When the official on the sideline was obstructed by Shanahan and special-teams coordinator Brian Schneider on a long Titans kickoff return, the 49ers’ bench was called for unsportsmanlike conduct.
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