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Shanahan lost track Monday night of his backpack containing the Atlanta Falcons’ game plan for Sunday’s Super Bowl, which presumably will mark his finale as their offensive coordinator before becoming the 49ers coach.

It turned out that long-time Bay Area sportswriter Art Spander accidentally picked up Shanahan’s backpack before returning it 30 minutes later.

As if I could figure it out. I was panicked because he had mine and my computer — Art Spander (@artspander) January 31, 2017

“That would have been bad,” Shanahan told USA Today regarding potentially losing the game plan during the Super Bowl Opening Night festivities.

Twenty years ago, Bill Walsh endured a similar crisis, on a much lesser scale.

While working as a 49ers consultant and signing an autograph in Green Bay for a Packers fan, Walsh accidentally handed her papers containing play diagrams and the first 16 scripted plays for their Oct. 14 game against the Packers. The fan took copies of those papers to Packers HQ, and although she never heard back, the Packers did shut out the 49ers in the first quarter and went on to win 23-20 in overtime.

“Well, in all seriousness I have to publicly accuse Mike Holmgren of planting a Mata Hari among the autograph seekers,” Walsh quipped back then. “It’s the slickest thing I’ve seen in a long time.”

Coach George Seifert, according to the New York Times, added: “Something like this is blown out of proportion. I don’t think they had it first off, that the Green Bay Packers had that. It’s kind of a comical thing really, and we should have a little fun.”

As for Shanahan, he is slated to become the 49ers’ fourth coach in four years, looking to win their first Super Bowl since the five they won under Walsh and Seifert from 1981-94.

Shanahan said he was “extremely excited” about the 49ers’ hiring of John Lynch as general manager Sunday.

“I really believe in people, and if anyone knows John Lynch, that’s a guy you should believe in,” Shanahan said, according to USA Today.

“He’s been successful in everything he’s done,” Shanahan added. “When you take a talented person who’s extremely smart, who’s got as high of a character as anyone you could be around and who truly is passionate about football and working – if you give someone time like that, they’re going to figure it out and you’re going to be successful.”