The 49ers Raiders showdown drips with family subplot steeped in the fire

The Kubiak family has spent a lifetime around football.This week, it apparently is spending a little less time talking about it with one another.And that includes Gary Kubiak, the father of Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak and 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak.With Klint preparing his Raiders to face younger brother Klay and the 49ers on Sunday, there are limits to what needs to be shared.Especially in the family group text.“Well, my dad doesn’t really know how to text very well,” Klint joked.

“No, I think we kind of avoid each other.See you, talk after the game.”There will be plenty to discuss then.

For now, the brothers have jobs to do on opposite sidelines, Klint as the Raiders’ head coach and offensive architect and Klay as San Francisco’s offensive coordinator.Their father, Gary, has a more complicated assignment: figuring out where to direct his rooting interest.“I don’t know.You’ll have to ask him,” Klay said.

“Rooting for good competition and a good handshake after the game.”That would be a fitting finish for a matchup whose connections extend well beyond two brothers.Gary Kubiak and Mike Shanahan built a coaching relationship that helped shape the football lives of their children.Now Klint is preparing to face Mike’s son, Kyle, with Klay working alongside the 49ers’ head coach.For Klint, growing up around their fathers’ work provided an education he could not fully appreciate until later.“Just really fortunate to grow up in that environment,” he said.

“I didn’t know it at the time, but I got to be exposed to a lot of football at a young age, and I’m very grateful for that, myself and my brothers.”In 2023, that shared upbringing became a shared workplace when Klint and Klay coached together in San Francisco.The experience gave them more than a chance to compare football ideas.After college, separate careers and marriage had taken their lives in different directions.

Working together allowed Klint to see h...