‘This Is Not Illegal,’ ‘Shocked They Weren’t Calling That’ — NFL Fans Split Over Deshaun Watson’s QB Coach Calling Out Kyle Shanahan

Colin Witte Sat, September 12, 2026 at 7:09 AM UTC

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Sep 11, 2026; Melbourne, AUS; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan in the first half at Melbourne Cricket Ground. © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Kyle Shanahan’s offense did more than give the Los Angeles Rams problems in Melbourne. It also sent a chunk of the NFL internet reaching for the rulebook.

Quincy Avery, Deshaun Watson’s longtime private quarterback coach, questioned several clips of the San Francisco 49ers’ pre-snap movement after their 27-7 season-opening win. Avery did not accuse San Francisco of breaking the rule on every snap, but he believed some of Shanahan’s motion crossed the line.

NFL Fans Split Over Quincy Avery’s Kyle Shanahan Criticism

Avery wrote, “This is creative. It’s also illegal in a few instances. This is not the CFL.” The distinction in his wording mattered because the NFL rulebook treats illegal motion and an illegal shift as separate five-yard fouls, leaving each individual sequence dependent on timing and direction.

The pushback came quickly.One fan responded, “This is not illegal.”

Another fan watched the same movement and landed firmly on Avery’s side, writing, “Shocked they weren’t calling that.”

That was essentially the entire argument in two posts. Shanahan’s offense creates chaos before the snap by forcing defenders to process shifts, motions, and leverage changes in real time, while viewers were left debating whether the movement was merely creative or crossed into a penalty.

Athird fan found a less technical way to sum up the gray area, adding, “If you’re not cheating, you aren’t trying.”

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The joke landed because Avery’s original complaint was narrow. He said the 49ers were illegal “on a few instances,” not that Shanahan’s entire motion package was outside the rules, which made the clips fertile ground for frame-by-frame arguments.

No flags erased San Francisco’s biggest plays, and Avery’s post was ultimately an interpretation of the sequences rather than an officiating ruling. That left fans with the sort of debate that tends to survive long after the final whistle.

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Kyle Shanahan’s Motion Came During a 49ers Rout

The actual game was considerably less ambiguous. San Francisco beat Los Angeles 27-7 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with Brock Purdy completing 25 of 34 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns as the 49ers scored 24 unanswered points.

San Francisco also piled up 174 rushing yards, giving Shanahan plenty of ways to stress a Rams defense that spent much of the night chasing movement before and after the snap.

Purdy entered 2026 after finishing No. 3 in PFN’s 2025QB Impact rankings with an 85.5 grade. His efficiency has long been tied to the larger debate over how much Shanahan’s scheme helps manufacture favorable looks, and Thursday’s motion-heavy approach gave that discussion a new wrinkle.

The scoreboard belonged to Shanahan. The rulebook argument, judging by the reaction to Avery’s post, was nowhere close to settled.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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Source: “AOL Sports”