SHANAHAN ON WILKS - POST SUPER BOWL

A lot of talk post-loss about the coaching mistakes by Shanahan (and Wilks) that led to the Super Bowl disaster. Now, four days later, Shanahan felt it necessary to "explain" the firing of Wilks..

SO... From Kyle Shanahan's brain (???) mouth, comes the following explanation which initially sounds like a lot, but really doesn't SAY anything.  Just another example of CYA...  I'm so tired of hearing the HMFIC portioning off "blame" to others.....

He said he is not close minded....ha!

He hired a DC who was not like his previous 2 but then insisted that he become them.  I do not think that wilks is a great DC but still he was put in an impossible situation.  I also think Shanahan was very disrespectful to Wilks from the beginning.  Kind of surprised Wilks took the job in the 1st place.

But I don’t know if anybody outside of the 49ers’ defensive hive mind could’ve avoided a firing at this point. I do know that Wilks, who wasn’t part of the 49ers’ culture when he was hired and never could find a way to merge with it, is now without a job. It’s a bad look to fire somebody with such a good reputation in the days after a failed Super Bowl. But if you believe Shanahan’s explanation on Wednesday, and I do, it’s not a scapegoating as much as an admission that Shanahan and John Lynch made a mistake when they hired Wilks in the first place.

It wasn’t his fault as much as it was theirs.

The 49ers simply have a very specific way of running their defense, which was initiated by Robert Saleh in his three DC years before moving on to the Jets’ top job and was elevated by DeMeco Ryans, previously the linebackers coach under Saleh, in his two DC years before he got his own top job in Houston.

The 49ers needed more of that. It was up to them to realize that Wilks wasn’t going to give it to them, and they realized it too late. But there’s context: The 49ers didn’t have a strong in-house candidate to replace Ryans last year and they couldn’t land Vic Fangio, who ended up with the Dolphins (and is now with the Eagles).

Shanahan and Lynch logically wanted to keep the same Seahawks-style Cover 3 scheme that fits their roster so well, but they also wanted an authoritative figure. Wilks had the authority, but no experience in the Seattle system. So the 49ers’ brass just hoped he’d pick up on the scheme. But it never happened. Wilks was always the outsider looking in.

https://theathletic.com/5276062/2024/02/...-kawakami/

My position on Wilks is this. He’s never built his own defense. He has always inherited another very good coordinator’s Defense. He’s a manageable DC, and even deserves to be a top 10 paid DC, but he’s not honestly proven to BUILD AND SUSTAIN his own defense. I’m not saying he’s not capable, just he’s never been anywhere long enough to prove that he has that team building ability.

My position on Wilks is this.  He’s never built his own defense.  He has always inherited another very good coordinator’s Defense.  He’s  a manageable DC, and even deserves to be a top 10 paid DC, but he’s not honestly proven to BUILD AND SUSTAIN his own defense.  I’m not saying he’s not capable, just he’s never been anywhere long enough to prove that he has that team building ability.

I think that's a pretty solid observation.  Still though, Wilks took over the 49ers Defense from DeMeco Ryans. So he didn't build that one for certain.... as he was not expected to do. So, Shanahan blaming him for a Defense that was not his own seems a little overbearing. Shanahan seems to think that the Defense as scripted is fine.....as long as the DC doesn't mess with it.  If it fails, it has to be the DC's fault because obviously there is nothing wrong with the script.  Shanahan just looking for a scapegoat to portion off the blame.....

Wilks was one score away from being a Super Bowl Ring wearing Defensive Coordinator. They made him a scapegoat.

Wilks was one score away from being a Super Bowl Ring wearing Defensive Coordinator.    They made him a scapegoat.

I don’t disagree.  I felt this way before all of this, I said it last year as well.  Truth could be he hadn’t had the opportunity to build his own defense.  I wonder what that would look like?

This is a link to an article which has some interesting social media posts from football people.  Scroll down to read some of the tweets. Shanny not popular with a lot of people these days.

https://sports.yahoo.com/steve-wilks-fir...13400.html

You know, Steve Wilks Defense took the Defending Super Bowl Champions into overtime... in the SUPER BOWL.  The team that has won three of the last five Super Bowls, and played in four of the last five. They lost by three points.......  that means their Offense did not score a Field Goal OR a Touchdown, so why fire the Defensive Coordinator?  This whole thing blaming it on Wilks was shameful.

Not to mention the difference was really the missed extra point.

Shanny put Wilks in an impossible situation.  Be the DC but your players know the defense and you don't.  Don't change anything.Do it my way only.

Lost respect for Shanahan as I think a of of people did.He and Lynch are the ones who came out looking bad in all this.