Kyle Shanahan’s Unexpected Challenge in Flag Football
Kyle Shanahan thought he had a good handle on things. As the coach of the 49ers, he’s been in football his whole life—playing it in college and, well, he grew up watching his dad lift the Lombardi Trophy more than once.
However, after taking on the role of team manager for the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, he quickly came to realize that he had a lot to learn about the nuances of flag football. “I watched some games and, honestly, I couldn’t believe how different it all was. I needed to catch up fast,” he said.
Those tuning in to watch Saturday’s games at BMO Stadium might feel a similar sense of surprise as they see Shanahan navigating a different kind of football. The field, for instance, measures just 50 yards long and 25 yards wide, and it’s 5-on-5 play instead of the usual 11-on-11. There’s no tackling, either.
“You can’t just take existing plays from our usual game and use them here. It’s a whole new ballgame,” Shanahan noted.
This tournament features three teams competing in a round-robin format. Two teams, the Wildcats FCC and Founders FCC, are made up of current and former NFL athletes, and the third team is the United States Men’s National Team.
Each game consists of two halves lasting 15 minutes, with a running clock throughout. All drives kick off from the 5-yard line, and the quarterback faces a 4th down when reaching midfield. If they make it past that, they’ll get another four downs to score.
The quarterback has a mere seven seconds to snap the ball, and if it’s handed off, the only way to stop the play is to grab the flag.
There are penalties to watch for, such as false starts, illegal contact, and pass interference.
Meanwhile, Tom Brady, captain of the Founders team, noted how adjusting to this format has its own set of challenges. His main worry? The space available for wide receivers. “We were trying to get some separation on crossing routes, but guys were just running over the line,” he explained.
Despite these challenges, both Brady and Shanahan, along with other NFL players, expressed excitement about how they’ll adapt once the game kicks off at 1 p.m. Pacific Time. “It’s kind of like playing one-on-one with ten people on a tennis court. Honestly, no one really knows what’s in store,” Shanahan added.
