49rs Fire DC Steve Wilks

[Niner Outlaw]

In a not so surprising move for some Niner fans, the Niners called a press conference yesterday and announced the firing of DC Steve Wilks.

Wilks' defense finished 3rd in points allowed, 8th in yards allowed, but also regressed badly at the end of the season against the run and in the pass rush. Those stats will no doubt have some calling him a fall guy firing, but I'm not so sure of that.

Imo, Wilks was an odd fit from the beginning. He wasn't running his scheme. He learned the Niners scheme and called that defense.

I have to think that during Kyle's end of season interviews with coaches and players, the decision was made to axe Wilks. I have to think that Kyle has someone else in mind at this point b/c the market is rather picked over.

Well, what do we think? Thoughts on this firing and who will be the new DC?

 

[Niner Outlaw]

Kurtenbach: Steve Wilks wasn’t a scapegoat. Why Kyle Shanahan had to fire the Niners’ defensive coordinator

Kyle Shanahan had no choice but to make the first true firing of his 49ers tenure. So who’s next?

www.orovillemr.com

It doesn't seem like he and Shanny were on the same page.

 

[Niner Outlaw]

A list of possible candidates for the now open DC job:

Johnny Holland, 9ers LB coach
Daniel Bullocks, 9ers secondary coach
Cory Undlin, Texans defensive passing game coordinator
Brandon Staley, former Charger HC
Nick Sorensen, 9ers defensive passing game coordinator
Chris Kiffin, Texans LB coach
Chris Harris, Titans CB Coach and passing game coordinator

These are the ones i"ve seen reported so far.

 

[Niner Outlaw]

I agree with @Yosemite Sam in that we can probably ignore the candidates that use a 3/4 system. That probably eliminates Staley and guys like Rex Ryan from consideration. It sure sounds like Kyle is insisting that we stick with the wide 9 alignment and system and that will narrow down our possibilities. What it really looks like is that Kyle hired the wrong guy in Wilks to begin with. We could've had Jim Schwartz last year, but we hired Wilks.

Are we better off getting someone with experience or are we better off going with a first time DC? This late a firing in the offseason doesn't leave us with a lot of choices. Still, one would hope that Kyle isn't so much of an idiot that he'd fire Wilks without having a good idea of who he wanted to replace him.

I also agree that we won't be landing someone like Pete Carrol himself. As for the former Seattle DCs, we probably do not want Norton as our DC. The Seattle fan base was not thrilled with him.

 

[Niner Outlaw]

Albert Breer had some interesting comments on the Wilks firing:

If you want to see the moment Steve Wilks lost Kyle Shanahan, go to the timeout the head coach called with 2:48 left in overtime of the Super Bowl. Two plays prior, Wilks rushed seven and played his DBs nearly 10 yards off the ball on third-and-6, essentially giving the Chiefs an easy first down. They were in a similar look before the timeout, and Shanahan was clearly frustrated, and it wasn’t the only time (it was visible, too, with the scheme issues on Mahomes’s two big runs, the latter of which came on fourth down in overtime).
...
I also believe Wilks was on shaky ground going into the game. Fair or not, there was some belief in that organization that a stacked defense hadn’t reached its potential in the regular season, which was only validated in narrow playoff wins over Green Bay and Detroit.

 

[Niner Outlaw]

Report: Announcement of 49ers defensive coordinator "could be soon"

Eight days ago, the 49ers fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, only two days after the Super Bowl.

www.nbcsports.com

 

[Yosemite Sam]

It seems to me the Brandon Staley rumors were generated by his people to create interest and remain relevant in 2024. I suspect the Bosa family shot this down immediately.

Many have commented on the radio silence surrounding the DC interviews that have no doubt been conducted. The NDA must be threat of criminal prosecution... I think this means the discussions have been "internal" with current staff and the two HCs that recently were DCs in 49ers-land. My guess is the four likeliest candidates are (in order): 1. Jeff Ulbrich (NYJ DC), 2. Chris Kiffin (TEX LB), 3. Marquand Manuel (NYJ LB) and 4. Nick Sorensen (49ers ST/DB).

I strongly suspect it is Ulbrich, but Saleh is playing hardball to extract a draft pick. If it were Kiffin, Manuel or Sorensen, the deal would have been complete by now. I can already hear in my head the voices of Greg Papa and Tim Ryan talking about "Brick" in the 2024 season.

I doubt this kind of silence would have been maintained if they were talking to Belichick, Carroll or Vrabel. Adam Schefter would be crapping himself to break that story.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

Apparently one of Ulbrich's strengths is talent evaluator.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

Report: Announcement of 49ers defensive coordinator "could be soon"

Eight days ago, the 49ers fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, only two days after the Super Bowl.

www.nbcsports.com

The NFL Combine starts on Monday. It would be optimal but not essential to have your new defensive coordinator with you in Indianapolis. This new hire is hung up on some kind of negotiation. I can imagine the new DC has concerns and does not want to be flushed like Wilks after one season. Either that, or they want autonomy to change the system. Or, there is a matter of "trade" compensation demanded by a team releasing their DC for a lateral move.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

It has been 15 days since Steve Wilks was fired. John Lynch tells us at the NFL Combine that Kyle Lynch has interviewed three candidates, and only ONE outside candidate, Brandon Staley. The Rooney Rule mandates that the team must interview TWO outside minority candidates. So, it is conceivable that Kyle interviews only outside candidates. I am not impressed. Maybe he is burned out or suffering a hangover from a long season and emotional defeat, but if you are going to can Wilks, this DC search is uninspired.

Into this conversation, David Lombardi opines that interviews with outside coordinator candidates often offers insights and you learn new things because the outside coach is asked for ideas and observations about defense. If interviewing outside candidates can provide information about other teams and revelations about how your own defense might improve, then why not interview scores of outside candidates? Get out there and learn, unless you think you know it all. Is this hubris? What is Kyle doing? Why isn't he gathering more League intel?

I was disappointed to hear Lynch say the 49ers have not requested permission to talk to Jeff Ulbrich. Not sure what harm that would have done.

 

[Niner Outlaw]

If they hire an internal candidate, it's an admission that they should've hired the guy last year.

It's strange that we've not brought in several outsiders. That fact it's taking this long tells me that the team wasn't ready to fire Wilks b/c we didn't have anyone lined up and ready to take his place.

 

[Niner Outlaw]

Reports out that the Niners did try and get Ulbrich to be the new DC, but the Jets would not let him leave.