Bill Belichick's relationship with the Shanahan family stems back to the many years in which Mike Shanahan and Belichick competed against each other as coaches, starting when Mike was on the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff as an offensive coordinator and Belichick was the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants. Through many years of competition, league meetings, etc. the two grew fond of each other.

With Mike no longer in the league, there is another Shanahan in the NFL coaching ranks - Kyle Shanahan, the San Francisco 49ers head coach and former offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. Kyle has certainly taken on a liking for Belichick as well, which, as he puts it, has him watching film of the New England Patriots quite frequently.

“I watch other people every week,” Shanahan said during an interview with Bay Area radio station KNBR. “A guy like Belichick… that’s a team I watch almost every Monday.”

Does Shanahan watch both sides of the ball, so he can replicate his entire playbook around what Belichick has dominated with for the past two decades? Or does he watch a lot offensive tape, in hopes that he will get starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in rhythm in 2019 by using some of the same schemes Garoppolo utilized during his time in New England? The latter seems more likely, as Shanahan's supposed star quarterback has had a bumpy start to the season, throwing for 739 yards, throwing five touchdowns and having five turnovers (four INTs, one FUM).

The stats don't tell the whole story in Garoppolo's case, however; he has steadily improved his accuracy over the first three games of the regular season and looks to be shaking off the rust from being absent from football due to a torn ACL that he suffered last season. So, if watching Patriots tape gives Shanahan some ideas to help scheme Garoppolo to success, then he should be making New England's film appointment viewing every week.