49ers' Kyle Shanahan picks up coach of the year award in Kansas City
Kyle Shanahan was presented with an award Saturday night.
But -- and this is not the punchline to an insensitive joke -- he had to travel to Kansas City to pick it up.
With the painful loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV still fresh in his memory , Shanahan was honored as the NFC Coach of the Year by the Kansas City-based Committee of 101.
While in Kansas City, of course, he was asked about his team letting a 10-point fourth-quarter lead get away in a 31-20 loss to the Chiefs in Miami. He answered every question , according to the Kansas City Star.
"I don't look it as much as it getting away from us," Shanahan said at the black-tie event. "It's what it takes to beat a good team, and you have to do that in all three phases. The other team makes plays. That's what happens.
"It's a big deal, and it's tough. It's also a big deal to get to one. Not many people understand that. But I don't try to make it more than it is. We lost the game. We didn't move the chains on our last two possessions, and they did. When that happens against a good team like that you don't win. You lick your wounds, you see what you could have done better and you work harder."
The 49ers , winners of just four games in 2018, won the NFC West in 2019 with a 13-3 record and earned home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The 49ers rolled to 17-point victories over the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers in the playoffs to meet the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
"I'm proud as heck as I can be of our season, of how much we competed, how hard we went," Shanahan said. "That's all you can control."
Shanahan has previously said he regrets not calling a timeout for his offensive players to regroup before the 49ers' fourth-and-10 play with approximately 90 seconds remaining in the Super Bowl loss. He held onto all three timeouts so the 49ers could potentially have one more chance if the defense came up with a quick three-and-out.
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The 50th 101 award winners were announced on Jan. 14 after the 49ers defeated the Vikings in the playoffs. Also honored were the Baltimore Ravens ' John Harbaugh as AFC Coach of the Year, quarterback Lamar Jackson as AFC Offensive Player of the Year, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas and Arizona Cardinals defensive end Chandler Jones as NFC offensive and defensive players of the year, and New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore as AFC Defensive Player of the Year.
The late Bart Starr was named the winner of the Lamar Hunt Award for Professional Football.
The honorees for the event included the Chiefs team award winners. Safety Tyrann Mathieu won the Derrick Thomas Award as the team MVP, and Mecole Hardman won the Mack Lee Hill Award as the Chiefs' top rookie award.
49ers' Kyle Shanahan picks up coach of the year award in Kansas City originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
