There are two ways for a head coach to handle a devastating loss in the Super Bowl. They can take responsibility for what went wrong, rally the team, and come back stronger, or they can engage in blame and tear the team apart. Unfortunately, the San Francisco 49ers have chosen the latter option. Instead of heading into the offseason with a roster that is mostly intact and a quarterback still on a rookie contract for two more years, Captain Shanahan has set them on a path towards disaster.
On Wednesday, Kyle Shanahan made the surprising announcement that he was letting go of defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. This firing only adds to the internal fractures within the 49ers organization. It wasn’t Wilks who made the decision to freeze Christian McCaffrey out of the offense after his strong performance in the first half, or who chose to receive in overtime. Wilks wasn’t responsible for the blocked extra point or the punt that bounced off a rookie’s ankle, resulting in the Chiefs’ first touchdown.
The 49ers are once again falling apart after their NFC Championship loss. Just two days after the game, All-Pro receiver Brandon Aiyuk, along with his girlfriend and best friend, hinted that he may not be returning next season or that he may hold out for a contract extension. San Francisco’s morale issues even extend to their offensive line, with offensive lineman Jonathan Feliciano tweeting about his frustrations and inadvertently throwing his teammate under the bus.
However, Wilks’ firing may be the catalyst for even more chaos. He came to San Francisco with the daunting task of filling the shoes of his predecessor, Demeco Ryan, who was known as one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL. While Ryan’s defense ranked first in EPA (Expected Points Added) in his final season, it dropped to twelfth in Wilks’ first season. Defensive metrics can vary from year to year, and two years ago, Ryan’s defense ranked eighth in defensive EPA per play.
Shanahan and Wilks clashed throughout the season, primarily due to their differing defensive philosophies. Wilks preferred a 3-4 scheme, while Shanahan favored a wide-9 4-3 defense. Shanahan knew this when he hired Wilks, but it became a source of tension during a midseason losing streak. Wilks admitted the challenges of transitioning to a new scheme after years of doing things his own way.
Wilks also preferred to call plays from the booth, unlike his predecessors, but the run defense was a major weakness, dropping from second in the league to twenty-sixth. This weakness was evident in the first half of their NFC Championship comeback win. After the Super Bowl, Nick Bosa pointed out the disconnect between the front and back end of the defense and criticized their lack of preparation for Mahomes’ big gain. However, using this as a justification for Shanahan’s mistakes is just an excuse. In a 60-minute game, there are bound to be numerous errors made by playcallers, and Shanahan should understand this better than anyone. Giving Wilks more time to acclimate could have been beneficial, considering his previous success.
Wilks was hoping that this opportunity with the 49ers would lead to a head coaching job elsewhere, but instead, he finds himself unemployed after the Super Bowl. Would Shanahan have fired him if the defense had only slightly regressed according to advanced analytics? Probably not. Instead of leading a revival in 2024, Shanahan has thrown Wilks under the bus and contributed to the chaos engulfing the 49ers organization.
You can find DJ Dunson on his website or on social media.
According to the Source deadspin.com