ESPN REPORT: The San Francisco 49ers Star Player is Been Fired Due to….
INSANITY, California Steve Wilks has left his position as defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers after just one season.
Coach Kyle Shanahan of the Niners stated, “This morning I relieved Steve Wilks of his duties,” during a conference call on Wednesday that was planned only ten minutes in advance. We’re going to switch around at defensive coordinator in the end. It was a really difficult choice to make because it speaks very little about Steve’s character as a man or as a football coach. He’s just the kind of man we’ve always wanted, really. He coaches football really well.
“But just where we’re going and where we’re at with our team from a scheme standpoint and things like that, looking through it all throughout the year to these last few days, I felt pretty strongly that this was a decision that was best for the organization.”
On Tuesday, Shanahan largely sidestepped inquiries on Wilks’ potential two-season extension as defensive coordinator. While he acknowledged that he needed more time to process his thoughts toward his workers, he did state that he anticipated seeing the majority of them return.
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By Wednesday AM, Shanahan claimed to have come to the realization that “going a different direction” was “something that I have to do.”
There were ups and downs for the defense during Wilks’ one and only season with the Niners. Under DeMeco Ryans, a team that led the NFL in 2022 in a number of categories—including fewest points allowed per game (16.3) and defensive anticipated points added (89.58)—regressed in 2023.
Although the 49ers were ninth in defensive EPA (41.48) and caused major leaks against the run in the postseason, allowing the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and Kansas City Chiefs to average 5.1 yards per carry and 149.3 yards per game, San Francisco still finished third in points allowed (17.5) this season.
Shanahan accepted some of the blame for those difficulties, stating that he wanted Wilks to manage the same structure that had worked for Ryans and Robert Saleh before him.
Shanahan remarked, “I knew that was a challenge.” “It was very difficult to lose DeMeco. The previous year, losing Saleh was difficult. We had made a commitment to the players who had previously played in the system, whether they were linebackers or members of our defensive line. They had spent so much time playing in it.
“I wanted to avoid having to replace them all, so I tried to bring in Steve, who was incredibly devoted, and he tried to make the adjustment, but it didn’t work out. And although I was hurting, I had no choice but to do this.”
Following a 5-0 start in which the defense appeared unbeatable, Wilks saw some setbacks. Before the half, Shanahan publicly chastised him for an all-out blitz call that gave the Minnesota Vikings a touchdown in a Week 7 loss. Shanahan requested Wilks to go from the booth to the field on game days during the Week 9 bye.
In addition, with 2:48 remaining in overtime of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl loss on Sunday, Shanahan called a defensive timeout because he didn’t think the play looked good. The play put the Chiefs on a second-and-6 at San Francisco’s 37.
Defensive end Nick Bosa remarked following the Chiefs’ victory that the Niners weren’t ready for some of the running plays that quarterback Patrick Mahomes was supposed to utilize. During Tuesday’s locker cleaning, Bosa provided an evaluation of Wilks’ 2023 campaign.
“I think he does a great job with the back end, and obviously we had some issues this year throughout the year,” Bosa stated. “But that’s part of playing a full season, and I think we were playing our best ball at the end.”
Linebacker Fred Warner provided a more upbeat assessment of the game, pointing out that the Niners tied for first place in the league with 22 interceptions and finished fifth in takeaways (28).
According to Warner, “I thought it went well,” on Tuesday. “The fact that you have the best defense one year and then a guy comes in and you lose that position, makes people wonder, ‘Oh, well, what happened?'” is why I believe that people will undoubtedly be critical.
“Well, there are a lot more factors involved. Additionally, he was entering a system that he didn’t run, thus it was a difficult job for him the entire time. It’s difficult to maintain that kind of play, so he had to come see what we did and that we were the best defense a year ago. However, we were still this league’s strongest defense, and I believe we performed at our peak when it mattered most.”
The 49ers will now start their third-straight season-long hunt for a defensive coordinator. Shanahan declared he would take into account both outside and internal possibilities. Searching internally has the advantage of allowing him to locate someone who is already familiar with the plan and would fit in better, just like Saleh and Ryans did.
But Shanahan would much rather have a coordinator who can more effectively link the defensive front and secondary. Wilks had coached linebackers for a long time, unlike Ryans and Saleh, who were both experienced in the position.
“You want to tie things together and Steve was always working to do that,” said Shanahan. “There is no question about it. However, I felt it would be better for us to proceed in a different route because of his past and how it ended up with us. It was more difficult than it needed to be.”
After serving as the Carolina Panthers’ temporary coach at the end of 2022, Wilks joined the Niners. In 2018, he was sacked from his position as coach of the Arizona Cardinals following a 3-13 season. As a result, Wilks joined a 2022 racial discrimination lawsuit filed by Brian Flores against the NFL. Wilks claims the Cardinals employed him as a “bridge” coach and did not offer him a “fair” opportunity because he is Black.
