Dieter Kurtenbach: The 49ers don't need Kyle Shanahan to survive training camp -- and that's a compliment

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — John Lynch said Saturday that one of the things his loves about his job is that “every year brings challenges.”

He better love it, because the San Francisco 49ers, despite never being on HBO’s "Hard Knocks," have all the storylines of a premium-cable drama.

Things are never ho-hum in Santa Clara. Peace is just a brief interlude between absurd plot twists.

And to think, this was supposed to be a boring training camp for the 49ers.

Offseason business was smooth, the roster was set, and the biggest headache was Brandon Aiyuk’s predictable, totally irrelevant social media posting.

And then head coach Kyle Shanahan was in a wicked car crash, and suddenly the most important man in the building is sidelined until further notice.

But here’s the good news for a team that seems to reject such a concept the way a toddler rejects broccoli:

The 49ers are built to survive even this, the most unpredictable of set-backs. Shanahan’s car crash left him with broken ribs, a broken nose, reportedly 40 facial stitches and, most challenging, a severe concussion. That would sink almost any other NFL franchise into total panic, because those are fly-by-night operations that are just trying to fake it until they make it. They panic when the wind changes direction.

The Niners haven’t “made it” under Shanahan, but nearly every year they knock on the door. That’s because Shanahan’s Niners have built an institutional machine so strong and self-sustaining that it can still operate while its mastermind sits in a dark room avoiding bright lights.

If any team in North American sports can handle its head coach being mentally out of commission, it’s this one.

I talk about it all the time, but now the whole world is going to see it in action: Over the last 10 years, Lynch and Shanahan built a legitimate program.

And in that, the 49ers have institutional strength: a comprehensive understanding of what needs to happen, how to do it, and when to execute.

That clarity stems directly from Shanahan’s obsessive brain. And at this point, people don’t need him direct things — what he wants is innately understood.

Sure, every offseason, rival executives pick apart San Francisco’s coaching staff like a buffet, desperate to steal the secret sauce.

Yet the strength of the organization isn’t just a playbook. It’s how effectively Shanahan distills what’s in his brain — his understanding of the game and how to play it right — to everyone below him.

It’s intimidating, yes, but empowering nevertheless. There’s no unwritten rules or innuendo around these parts. No guessing on what Kyle would want to do in this situation.

Everyone, save for the rookies, has been drilled on what to do to properly operate here. And now it’s being put to the test.

For how long? Well, concussions aren’t broken bones; you can’t put a timetable on brain fog.

With the season opener in Australia against the Los Angeles Rams looming, nobody truly knows when Shanahan will be back full-time. The expectation is that there won’t be an issue with the regular season, but expectations can change.

But for the next month — training camp — Shanahan’s presence doesn’t matter as much as you might think.

Interim boss Chris Foerster — one of Shanahan’s trusted right-hand men for 11 years — won’t rule by fiat; he’ll rule by understood decree and groupthink.

Defensively, having Raheem Morris — a two-time NFL head coach — taking the reins is a luxury.

Shanahan already gives his defensive coordinators shocking autonomy. Morris won’t be checking in for permission slips or tips on what to do.

And with Jerry Gray, Johnny Holland, and Kris Kocurek on staff — plus KJ Wright, who didn’t come here to learn linebacking — that side of the ball is under control.

Offensively, Klay Kubiak was already slated to call plays in camp. Foerster has the offensive line locked down.

Leonard Hankerson has earned his autonomy with the receivers, and there isn’t a human alive who can tell running backs coach Bobby Turner how to do his job.

The coaches are exceptionally equipped to manage without Shanahan. They might even enjoy the freedom that being out from Kyle’s gaze brings.

Besides, the 49ers don’t take training camp that seriously anyway. Everything in the NFL is treated as high-stakes, but we can be honest about things after a decade of Shanahan summers — it’s not exactly a basic training.

And sure, the roster cuts at the bottom of the depth chart appear to be tricky and are just a month away. But that’s Lynch’s problem, not the coaching staff’s.

While the assistants manage their little fiefdoms, the veteran core of players will keep the standard in the locker room high.

Brock Purdy, Fred Warner, George Kittle, Nick Bosa, Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams could run these practices themselves. And that’s only to name a few.

Suddenly the Niners’ roster being old is looking like a feature, not a bug.

That’s not to say the Niners don’t need Shanahan. They do.

His ability to synthesize the game and innovate on the fly is essential for anything resembling a Super Bowl run. He’s the most important brain in the building.

But because he actually empowered his staff — even at his own detriment, as coaches routinely leave for promotions elsewhere — and has prioritized players who think like coordinators. San Francisco functions fine without him.

Shanahan has even empowered Lynch — who was hired by Shanahan to be a political figurehead a decade ago — to be the true GM of the team over the years.

Perhaps I’m promoting calm only because you and I have seen this movie before.

When Steve Kerr was sidelined by spinal fluid leaks, the Golden State Warriors didn’t collapse. They started 39-4 under Luke Walton in 2015-16 and tore through the 2017 playoffs with Mike Brown at the helm. Why? Well, Steph Curry and company. But also because Kerr built a self-governing culture.

True leadership isn’t making yourself indispensable — the key man on which everything is shouldered.

It’s building a structure that thrives when you aren’t in the room.

Shanahan built the machine. Now we watch it run.

Expect the 49ers to pass this test with flying colors.

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