Nevius: 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan can be coldblooded when needed

Kyle Shanahan hosts the best press conferences in the Bay Area. At the very least, he and the Warriors’ Steve Kerr are tied.

Shanahan leans into questions from reporters, gives lengthy, thoughtful answers, adds a little humor and does it all with a minimum of spin. He rarely, if ever, shades the truth.

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(More typical in the NFL spin zone is GM John Lynch who said on Aug. 26 that “throughout training camp (Trey Sermon) has been one of our best players.” Five days later, Sermon was cut.)

Shanahan’s regular, weekly presser could be recorded and posted as a successful podcast. I’m completely serious about that.

However, he also has a coldblooded streak. You have to have it if you’re going to do that job.

Consider: in any business, if you ask a manager what the worst part of the job is, he or she is likely to give the same answer — firing people.

An NFL coach fires people all the time. And he fires people who have spent months and months in the gym and working with conditioning specialists. He cuts people who are sacrificing everything to chase a long-shot dream of making it in what may be the most competitive league in sports.

Consider the case of Nate Sudfeld. The 49ers signed him in the offseason and gave him a one-year, $2 million contract. Conventional wisdom had it that he was the clear No. 2 quarterback, backing up Trey Lance.

Sudfeld had to feel pretty secure. The money was fully guaranteed, so he would get it no matter what. You wouldn’t think the team would pay out that kind of cash if they didn’t believe in him.

He probably made plans for the season. Who knows, maybe he rented a place in Santa Clara.

Whoops. Plot twist. Suddenly Jimmy Garoppolo is back with the 49ers and is the No. 2 quarterback. Worse yet, now Shanahan and the staff have decided that rookie Brock Purdy has more upside.

Sudfeld was released last week. And although he was quickly signed by Detroit, it had to be a shocker to go from what looked like a guaranteed roster spot to unemployed.

Tough break. But you know what they say NFL stands for: Not for long.

But if you expect to hear any sympathy for Sudfeld, or any of the other players who got cut, you’re at the wrong window.

Which is a long, roundabout way of saying I am not completely sure that the two-headed quarterback situation, with Lance as the starter and Garoppolo’s role as the return of the prodigal quarterback, is going to work out for everyone.

Understand, that’s not to say adding Garoppolo isn’t a smart, savvy decision for the team. They get a proven NFL starter as a backup and at a cost that won’t crack the salary cap.

And it is a great decision for Jimmy G, which we will discuss in a minute.

It is just that you can read the “Jimmy’s back” decision in lots of different ways. But one is certain: It is definitely not a vote of confidence for Lance.

The potential for second-guessing his play, his results and even every throw just went way up. The 49ers will do all they can to help him be successful, but at the end of the day this is a hard, cold business.

Shanahan said as much last week, when he was asked about the potential for “drama” with Garoppolo looming on the sideline while first-year starter Lance attempts to take over the job.

Shanahan’s response? Sorry, that’s how it goes.

“I just think that’s the reality of that position,” he said. “I don’t think there was going to be any less drama. I mean, when a quarterback has a bad game or has a three-pick game or loses a game, that’s coming Monday morning, regardless. Jimmy dealt with the drama, as you say, every single game last year.”

The unspoken message: Hey, that happens to me, too.

“And that’s why,” Shanahan continued, “I don’t know how anyone can be successful in this business if they get caught up in that stuff.”

So there you have it. Shanahan likes Lance, and hopes he succeeds, but it seems pretty clear that if he isn’t cutting it during the regular season they aren’t going to keep running him out there to protect his feelings. He’s not on scholarship.

Meanwhile, Garoppolo just booked a season pass for the catbird seat. He can stand on the sideline, looking very GQ and available for cutaway reaction shots for the TV cameras. He can play it cool and hang out with his buddies on the team.

And, if Lance gets injured, or if he really isn’t up to the job, and they turn to Jimmy, it will be a whole different vibe. Fans will want to see him out there. They’ll be relieved that he’s on the roster and available to step into the void. He’ll be the people’s choice.

And that will give him a chance to showcase his skills, either for another team or — at this point we can’t be shocked to consider it — to sign again with the 49ers.

There’s just one caveat. He’d better play well.

Because he’s not on scholarship, either.

Contact C.W. Nevius at cw.nevius@pressdemocrat.com. Twitter: @cwnevius