BC-FBN-KURTENBACH-COLUMN:SJ — sports (1050 words)
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — When Kyle Shanahan agreed to become the head coach of the 49ers ahead for the 2017 season, he fully understood the enormousness of the task ahead of him. In order for him to take on the job of rebuilding the mismanaged 49ers from something close to scratch, Shanahan made a demand: while the standard head-coaching contract in the NFL is five years, Shanahan, a first-time head coach, needed a six-year deal.
Year One was meant to be a demolition job — gutting every corner of the building and creating a clean slate so he could start to build, in earnest, in 2018.