Coach Kyle Shanahan fired Steve Wilks, the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, just in case there wasn’t enough action taking place around the team as they recover from Super Bowl 58 and get ready for what should be a busy offseason with an apparently disgruntled Brandon Aiyuk on hand and holes to fill on the offensive and defensive fronts
However, if they’re searching for a big-timer to succeed him, Pete Carroll, the recently fired coach of the Seahawks, is being mentioned as a plausible candidate. If he accepted the position, he would be returning to his hometown. When Carroll was the 49ers defensive coordinator in 1995 and 1996, San Francisco’s point differential was second and fourth, respectively.Beat writer Matt Barrows at The Athletic brought up the prospect of a Carroll comeback, saying, “This makes too much sense.” Carroll, who was born in San Francisco, would get to play twice a year against his old team and take on Jim Harbaugh in the preseason. Furthermore, if Shanahan wants defense continuity? The 49ers’ recent offensive plan, then, is modeled after Carroll’s aggressive defense scheme from 1995 to 1996 while he was San Francisco’s coordinator. It is unclear exactly what Shanahan is searching for in a replacement coordinator, but we do know that he was not totally satisfied with Wilks’ defensive decisions. To be fair to Wilks, taking over as an outsider to coach a gifted defense on a team that has prospered in recent years due to continuity was a nearly impossible task.
Wilks never really got the chance to play the manner he may have desired to, and his players never gave him their full support.
According to the 49ers website, Shanahan stated, “That was the hardest part.” “I realized that would be difficult. It was difficult. Losing [New York Jets head coach] Alex Smith and [Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryan] was extremely difficult.So, I wanted to avoid having to make every adjustment possible. And introducing Steve, who was amazing in his loyalty and his attempt to achieve it, but it just didn’t work out.”
Pete Carroll Created the San Francisco D
Carroll, on the other hand, has the experience and qualifications necessary to assume the position. As Barrows mentioned, he is well-liked by the players and is familiar with the system. In the NFL, he has also had some success. As a head coach, he has a 170-120 record and a Super Bowl triumph.
It wasn’t just Barrows that recommended Carroll for the position. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reiterated the opinion.”Wouldn’t that be something? I would call Pete Carroll, I would call him,” Florio stated on the “PFT Podcast.” “The godfather of the Seattle defense would be a great choice to lead the team,” Bring him inside. Would that not be noteworthy? If I were Pete Carroll and I wanted to continue leading the Seahawks, I would gladly take a job coaching the 49ers defense.
It would be an incredible experience to watch Pete Carroll manage the San Francisco defense.
Veteran sports writer Sean Deveney works for Heavy.com, covering the NBA and NFL. With over 20 years of NBA coverage experience, including 17 years as the lead NBA correspondent for Sporting News, he has been writing for Heavy since 2019. Deveney is the writer behindIn addition to rupturing his Achilles tendon, Dre Greenlaw of the 49ers suffered a horrific injury due to the circumstances surrounding it. His left leg failed him as he was just entering the field during the second quarter of Sunday night’s Super Bowl game against the Chiefs. It is as strange an accident as anything that could occur on an NFL field.
The 49ers were ahead 3-0 at that point. They eventually lost 25–22 in overtime. Undoubtedly, Greenlaw had the potential to have an impact, particularly during the overtime period when the fatigued defense was unable to stop Patrick Mahomes from scoring the game-winning touchdown drive. His injury was, at the absolute least, a gut-punch for theFred Warner, a buddy and fellow linebacker, expressed his intense sadness at halftime upon seeing Greenlaw.
After the game, Warner told reporters, “I’m sick to my stomach.” “I’m still sickly. At halftime, I see him, and I’m crying because I really wanted to win this for him and I was just really hurt for him. Horrifying.
“I certainly saw him at the end of the game when he was out there on the sideline, and I saw him at halftime. Absurd. Greenlaw’s teammates had a particularly difficult time since they knew how hard he had fought all season to battle through injuries, such as a hamstring issue that kept him out of the game in Week 5 and an annoying Achilles tendon injury earlier in the season.
After Greenlaw’s injury, star defensive lineman Nick Bosa claimed there was an extra drive to win the game for him, which led to some emotional uplift. However, Greenlaw also makes a pass on Oren Burks, his backup.Bosa remarked, “It was hard.” Since it’s such an intense emotion, something like that occasionally have the potential to change the momentum. Nonetheless, I believe we did a fantastic job of carrying on with our playing style. Furthermore, Dre is a one-on-one person. This year, he was pushing himself so hard. Furthermore, I believe that 99 percent of players could not have accomplished what he did. And it stinks that we can’t get him one because he risked his life for this.George Kittle, a tight end, described the Greenlaw injury as “depressing.” He gave credit to Burks and fellow backup Demetrius Flanigan-Fowles, but he also expressed optimism that Greenlaw would heal quickly.
That may take nine months or longer, however Kittle brought up Aaron Rodgers’s return, suggesting that if the Jets had been competitive, Rodgers might have been ready to play by Week 17 after tearing his Achilles in Week 1.That’s quite disheartening, Kittle remarked. “To sustain a wound during the Super Bowl? I hope he gets to Aaron Rodgers and recovers quickly. Aside from that, Dre and Fred are the backbone of our defense. They feed off each other, I know that. I am aware that O.B. and Flan filled in admirably.
But it’s hard when we lose a man like Dre. In addition to being a tremendous football player, he embodies everything the Niners stand for. It simply truly, really stinks for him to lose him.
Veteran sports writer Sean Deveney works for Heavy.com, covering the NBA and NFL. He has been a writer for Heavy since 2019 and has covered the NBA for more than 20 years, including 17 years as
