Steve Wilks takes blitz blame as he readies the 49ers defense for the Bengals
1 year, 5 months ago

Steve Wilks takes blitz blame as he readies the 49ers defense for the Bengals

New York Times  

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — On Wednesday, Kyle Shanahan bluntly addressed the failure of his new defensive coordinator, Steve Wilks, during the San Francisco 49ers’ previous loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Wilks’ aggressive blitz call with 16 seconds left in the first half had backfired when Minnesota receiver Jordan Addison ripped the ball away from cornerback Charvarius Ward. We all have our hand in it, and we all have to get better.” Week 8 of last season is when the 49ers defense, which finished the 2022 campaign as the NFL’s No. Wilks feels that the right adjustments, including striking the right balance between man and zone coverage and ensuring that his defenders flow more vertically to stop the run, will allow the 49ers’ defensive production to click back into place as he continues to work his way into the team’s process on that side of the ball.

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History of this topic

Geno Smith throws career-high 4 TD passes in Seahawks’ 30-25 win over playoff-bound Rams
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Geno Smith throws career-high 4 TD passes in Seahawks’ 30-25 win over playoff-bound Rams

Associated Press  

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Matthew Stafford and nearly all of his fellow offensive starters watched the Los Angeles Rams’ regular-season finale in street clothes. “I know we’re going to show up next week ready to roll.” Geno Smith passed for 223 yards and threw his career-best fourth touchdown pass to Noah Fant with 3:19 to play, and the Seahawks finished their …

NFL Week 10 best and worst coaching decisions: Pros and cons of 49ers’ blitz plan
4 months, 2 weeks ago

NFL Week 10 best and worst coaching decisions: Pros and cons of 49ers’ blitz plan

New York Times  

The San Francisco 49ers narrowly beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a game that had no business being as close as it was. 49ers vs. the blitz I’m highlighting a very small weak point for the 49ers that hardly affects the offense overall but does affect it against heavy-pressure defenses and often at critical junctures of the game. However, running …

NFL Week 7 best and worst coaching decisions: Lions offense solves Brian Flores’ puzzle
5 months, 1 week ago

NFL Week 7 best and worst coaching decisions: Lions offense solves Brian Flores’ puzzle

New York Times  

It may seem like Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is a constant fixture on the positive side of this column, but he earns it as every week he attacks a new problem with creative, interesting and effective solutions. This week, the Lions did something a few offenses have been able to do: figure out coordinator Brian Flores’ Vikings defense. On …

Aaron Rodgers and the Jets provide a good early test for the new-look 49ers defense
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Aaron Rodgers and the Jets provide a good early test for the new-look 49ers defense

Associated Press  

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Coach Kyle Shanahan made some big changes to the San Francisco defense this offseason in hopes of getting the 49ers back to the dominant level it had in 2021 and ’22. New coordinator Nick Sorensen’s new unit gets its first real test on Monday night with a very challenging opponent as the Niners will go up …

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan gets another shot at elusive Super Bowl title
1 year, 1 month ago

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan gets another shot at elusive Super Bowl title

Associated Press  

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Kyle Shanahan’s offense is mimicked throughout the NFL as his innovative schemes are utilized by teams throughout the league. No matter what you accomplish, if you don’t win that Super Bowl, it’s always disappointing.” Shanahan has experienced plenty of postseason disappointment that critics have questioned his ability to win the “big one.” He was the offensive …

49ers mailbag: Who’s your team MVP? In-house replacement for Steve Wilks?
1 year, 3 months ago

49ers mailbag: Who’s your team MVP? In-house replacement for Steve Wilks?

New York Times  

The weather outside is frightful, but your mailbag questions were so delightful. GO DEEPER The sweaty secret to the 49ers’ success: Practices are faster than other teams' The defense seemed unengaged — mentally — versus Arizona. For example, there’s no way Trent Williams plays a full — or maybe even a partial—– Week 18 game if there’s nothing on the …

Steve Wilks is the big winner as 49ers’ pass rush, coverage finally converge
1 year, 4 months ago

Steve Wilks is the big winner as 49ers’ pass rush, coverage finally converge

New York Times  

Steve Wilks’ sideline relocation was going to be a bonanza for the Fox television cameras no matter what happened Sunday. If the San Francisco 49ers’ defense struggled there would be all sorts of forlorn shots of the defensive coordinator with perhaps one — if Fox got lucky with the composition — of a stone-faced Kyle Shanahan looming in the background. …

Kawakami: Should Steve Wilks be the 49ers’ scapegoat for this losing streak? No, at least not yet
1 year, 5 months ago

Kawakami: Should Steve Wilks be the 49ers’ scapegoat for this losing streak? No, at least not yet

New York Times  

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Steve Wilks isn’t going to be the 49ers’ October scapegoat. He was the guy Shanahan picked after Ryans took the Texans’ top job last offseason, and Wilks is the only coach on staff who can get this right this season. Heading into the bye week, the 49ers’ D seems a little caught-in-between: The defensive front hasn’t …

How the 49ers’ defense overpowered the Giants with five-man fronts and man coverage
1 year, 6 months ago

How the 49ers’ defense overpowered the Giants with five-man fronts and man coverage

New York Times  

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The short week began with San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks calling a meeting of the team’s defensive backs. The 49ers, after correcting some loose pass coverage issues around halftime during Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Rams, would aggressively attack the New York Giants from the jump on the back end. “ told us …

49ers minutia minute: Nick Bosa logs a lot of snaps but says it’s only ‘up’ from here
1 year, 6 months ago

49ers minutia minute: Nick Bosa logs a lot of snaps but says it’s only ‘up’ from here

New York Times  

The Athletic has live coverage of Thursday Night Football featuring 49ers vs. Giants The San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. What a catch JJ 👐 pic.twitter.com/uJQ4iFtMUX — San Francisco 49ers September 17, 2023 Running backs: McCaffrey 57, Samuel 3 Four 49ers were active for the game but didn’t play a snap: Backup quarterback Sam Darnold, rookies …

Inside Steve Wilks’ crash course on the 49ers’ defense and the history behind it
1 year, 10 months ago

Inside Steve Wilks’ crash course on the 49ers’ defense and the history behind it

New York Times  

A major transition is happening atop the 49ers’ top-ranked defense. Longtime NFL defensive assistant Steve Wilks, who finished 2022 as Carolina’s interim head coach, emerged as the 49ers’ top candidate. “Our D-line has been playing together for a long time.” Kyle Shanahan tasked Steve Wilks with getting up to speed on the 49ers’ defense that’s been well executed by Dre …

State of the 49ers, DB edition: Personnel turnover in the secondary is coming
4 years, 2 months ago

State of the 49ers, DB edition: Personnel turnover in the secondary is coming

New York Times  

With the season over for the 49ers, David Lombardi and Matt Barrows are teaming up for an eight-part series that looks at every aspect of the team’s roster. In 2019, coordinator Robert Saleh’s secondary didn’t stray too far from the Seattle Cover 3 model: Per TruMedia, the 49ers ran zone defense 72.5 percent of the time, a rate that trailed …

How Kyle Juszczyk’s TDs and key sneak happened and other 49ers minutia
4 years, 3 months ago

How Kyle Juszczyk’s TDs and key sneak happened and other 49ers minutia

New York Times  

One of the few things the 49ers lost to the Cardinals on Saturday: the time of possession. Saturday’s differential is a bit counterintuitive considering how well the 49ers ran the ball and the fact that the Cardinals had just 20 first downs, their second-lowest output of the season, and converted just 25 percent of their third-down attempts, their worst mark …

Is the 49ers’ attacking defensive style easily exploited by mobile quarterbacks?
4 years, 3 months ago

Is the 49ers’ attacking defensive style easily exploited by mobile quarterbacks?

New York Times  

There are a lot of myths around the NFL. Little things like that.” — Barrows The film This season, the 49ers have played six quarterbacks who can be considered mobile: Murray, Cam Newton, Wentz, Wilson, Jones and Josh Allen. The 49ers held four out of six mobile quarterbacks under their season yards per carry, including Allen, who had only six …

Kyle Shanahan off to rough start as 49ers coach
6 years, 3 months ago

Kyle Shanahan off to rough start as 49ers coach

Associated Press  

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Kyle Shanahan’s coaching tenure hasn’t quite gotten off to the greatest start in San Francisco. He lost his first nine games with the 49ers last year before the arrival of Jimmy Garoppolo provided a late-season spark with five straight wins to close a 6-10 campaign. Beckham threw a 49-yard TD pass and caught a 1-yarder against …

Michael Cohen: Analyzing 10 things from the Packers-Vikings game
6 years, 6 months ago

Michael Cohen: Analyzing 10 things from the Packers-Vikings game

New York Times  

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Opening the regular season with consecutive division games assured the Green Bay Packers their 2018 campaign would begin with ample emotion, and fans at Lambeau Field could hardly have been disappointed with what they saw. On Sunday, the Packers and Minnesota Vikings battled to a 29-29 tie that featured nearly everything you can imagine: a blocked …

Vikings Film Room: 49ers' efficient QB, strong pass rush a tough test for Week 1
6 years, 6 months ago

Vikings Film Room: 49ers' efficient QB, strong pass rush a tough test for Week 1

New York Times  

The Minnesota Vikings, hoping to establish dominance for years to come, will start off the Kirk Cousins era against a virtual unknown — signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo will helm a San Francisco offense coordinated by one of the best offensive minds in the NFL, Kyle Shanahan. In other measures, Garoppolo’s 2017 performance was equally as impressive — he ranked fourth in …

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