Shanahan second-guessed Super Bowl play-calling, but not reasoning

Kyle Shanahan knows his Super Bowl play-calling was questionable.

The San Francisco 49ers head coach told reporters Wednesday he re-watched the Atlanta Falcons' second-half collapse the day after losing Super Bowl LI, and while he stands by his decision to stay aggressive throughout the game, he admitted he second-guessed his decision-making.

"Yeah, I second-guess just like all you guys do. Any time a play doesn't work, you say, 'Damn, I wish I called one that works,'" said Shanahan, according to NFL.com's Conor Orr. "But the reasons for calling those, and why we did that and what we were thinking, I don't second-guess that at all."

Shanahan said he re-watched the footage to confirm the game went how he remembered it, and maintained that staying aggressive was the right move, despite the result. Overall, he was happy with the experience.

"The Super Bowl was a great experience. I know it didn't work out the way we wanted. Every time it ends that way, you're going to second-guess everything that you did. I'm proud of what we did, why we did the things we did.

"One thing I learned from it is I hope that opportunity comes again, because it's a fun thing to be a part of. It makes you realize how special it is to get a win there."

In Shanahan's defense, the Falcons played aggressively all season, and switching to a new strategy in the biggest game of the year may not have prevented the New England Patriots from storming back.