San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan thinks NFL awards voters need to reconsider some of their choices.
Shanahan pointed out Thursday that running back Christian McCaffrey was not named to either the Pro Bowl or the new players’ All-Pro team. McCaffrey was omitted in favor of Josh Jacobs on the All-Pro team, while Saquon Barkley, Tony Pollard, and Miles Sanders received the NFC Pro Bowl nods at running back.
"It's blown my mind all year that Christian (McCaffrey) wasn't an All-Pro or Pro Bowler," Kyle Shanahan said
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) January 12, 2023
Shanahan might know what he’s doing here. If McCaffrey feels underappreciated, he may be poised for a big statement performance in the 49ers’ playoff opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
As for Shanahan’s point, it is not easy to argue that McCaffrey should have vaulted ahead of Jacobs, who won the rushing title this season. He certainly has an argument on the Pro Bowl, however, as McCaffrey had more yards from scrimmage than all three NFC selections and tallied more rushing yards than Pollard, too. Though he was a centerpiece of San Francisco’s offense after his midseason acquisition, voters may have punished him slightly for how he started the season with Carolina.
The All-Pro selections have not been universally popular among players. If McCaffrey is as irked as Shanahan is, he would not be the only one to feel that way.
