The crucial role the late Monte Kiffin played in 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan's journey to the top
Monte Kiffin, one of the greatest defensive coordinators in NFL history, died on Thursday at the age of 84. The architect of the Tampa 2 defense, Kiffin spent 13 seasons as the defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2008, crossing paths with an inquisitive young offensive quality control coach who worked […]
Monte Kiffin, one of the greatest defensive coordinators in NFL history, died on Thursday at the age of 84.
The architect of the Tampa 2 defense, Kiffin spent 13 seasons as the defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2008, crossing paths with an inquisitive young offensive quality control coach who worked under Jon Gruden in 2004 and 2005.
That coach's name was Kyle Shanahan, the now San Francisco 49ers head coach whose offense system has become the pre-eminent scheme in the modern NFL.
There is arguably no offensive coach in the NFL who understands how to manipulate opposing defenses quite like Shanahan.
His acumen in that regard is in large part a product of the time he spent with Kiffin and his staff.
Speaking before Super Bowl 54 back in 2020, Shanahan explained how Kiffin was instrumental in him learning the defensive side of the game.
"Tampa was such a special time for me, to get the chance to work with Jon Gruden and be around all the other good coaches on their staff,’’ Shanahan said, per the Tampa Bay Times.
“My office was a closet. Whenever you would open the door, it would hit me in the head every time. I’d always walk over to Monte Kiffin’s office. He had a little screen you could pull out and it would separate him, Rod Marinelli, Joe Barry, Raheem Morris, Mike Tomlin.
"All those guys were there. When I was done with my work with Jon, I would always go sit in the floor in there. They would always give me all their tip sheets and help me out with everything. That’s what really helped me understand defense, and how linebackers fit and understand fronts and things like that.
“To learn all their plays from Jon and defense from those guys, it gave me a foundation where I see football and wherever I’ve gone I’ve been able to take that foundation and mold it."
Shanahan now stands as the finest offensive play-caller in the league, but it's clear he would not have reached those heights without the willingness of Kiffin and his staff to share their wisdom with him in the early days of what is already a storied career.
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