The Falcons spent the year nailing opponents with their offense. So it stands to reason they might lose the manager of the hardware department.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank admitted it would be difficult for his team to lose offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan to the 49ers, but understands it’s also the cost of running the league’s highest-scoring offense.
“Well, I think Kyle would be a big loss,’' Blank told Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. “But great coaches and great teams, that’s what happens in the National Football League, unlike when I was running [Home Depot]. When we had somebody who was ready to run a large division, it wasn’t a problem. You’d take [him] and move him out of his division and give him his own division. In the NFL, you only have one NFL team. And unless we’re going to put Kyle in charge of our soccer team — and we already have a good coach there — that’s it. We only have one great football coach.
“Great coaches like Bill Belichick and Bill Parcells in the past, Coach [Joe] Gibbs and Andy Reid — and the list goes on and on — are great NFL coaches who have produced over time, and they lose their coordinators. Same with Mike Tomlin.’'
Of course, there’s still business to attend to, and the 49ers can’t officially hire Shanahan until the Falcons are finished playing this season. But he could sit for a second interview/first date with his prospective General Manager next week even if the Falcons advance to the Super Bowl.