Analyzing who the San Francisco 49ers will hire to replace Steve Wilks as their defensive coordinator.
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00:00 The 49ers fired Steve Wilks just three days after they lost the Super Bowl.
00:04 Here are a few coaches they could hire to replace him as a defensive coordinator.
00:10 One, defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks.
00:15 This probably would be the coach the players would lobby for.
00:18 He's been with the team since 2017.
00:21 He was with Robert Sala and D'Amico Ryans on that first 49ers defense
00:27 with Kyle Shanahan as the head coach.
00:30 He was with Robert Sala in Jacksonville.
00:31 He played in the league.
00:33 These players know him very well and they're comfortable with him.
00:37 Probably more comfortable with him than they were with Steve Wilks,
00:39 who was an outsider.
00:40 And if you ask a lot of these DBs, they'll attribute their growth,
00:43 Ambry Thomas, Diamander Lenore, Jyre Brown to Daniel Bullocks.
00:48 It's a little surprising Bullocks didn't get the job last year instead of
00:54 Steve Wilks.
00:55 I'm thinking some of the players expected he would.
00:57 And I'm thinking the reason that Kyle Shanahan didn't give it to Bullocks is
01:00 because there's a lot of pressure.
01:01 This is a Super Bowl team and you need a experienced defensive coordinator maybe?
01:07 Maybe, I mean, D'Amico Ryans wasn't, but
01:09 maybe that was the thinking that Bullocks wasn't quite ready.
01:12 Maybe he's ready now or maybe the Niners think they need a defensive coordinator
01:17 with some Super Bowl experience, considering Steve Wilks didn't have it and
01:22 he didn't come through in overtime, although he did quite well the first
01:26 four quarters.
01:27 So if they don't go for Daniel Bullocks, they could go for Brian Flores,
01:32 who is a longtime position coach under Bill Belichick,
01:34 has four Super Bowl rings as a coach and an excellent defensive coordinator.
01:38 Most recently was a defensive coordinator with the Vikings.
01:42 He'd be a great choice.
01:43 He's a hell of a coach.
01:44 Although it's possible the Niners feel that one of the issues with their defense
01:49 this year is that their defensive coordinator Wilks had a defensive backs
01:54 background and the previous two defensive coordinators, Ryans and
01:58 Sala, were linebacker/linebacker coaches.
02:02 And they talked all year about how the Wilks in particular,
02:06 the defense, was having a tough time marrying the coverage with their pass rush,
02:12 tying in the back end with the front end.
02:15 Well, who does that?
02:16 The linebackers.
02:18 They're in the middle.
02:19 That's what linebackers do physically, mentally.
02:21 So if the Niners feel they need someone with a linebackers coach background
02:26 to get the most out of this particular defense, because that's what Sala and
02:29 Ryans had, then maybe they could go for someone such as Mike Rabel.
02:33 He's available.
02:35 He was a linebacker coach.
02:36 He was a linebacker.
02:36 He has three rings as a player.
02:38 He might be interested in coaching under Kyle Shanahan for a year.
02:43 Maybe he thinks if he comes to the 49ers, wins a Super Bowl,
02:46 has a number one defense, he'll become a head coach in a year.
02:50 And if there's a wild card, if the Niners think that they could get him,
02:54 I don't know how much money it would cost or what it would take, but
02:56 there's always Bill Belichick.
02:57 Maybe he doesn't want to be head coach anymore.
02:59 That sounds ridiculous just saying it.
03:00 So I'm not going to really entertain it.
03:02 But maybe if they offer him $8 billion, he'd do it.
03:06 So the in-house option, Daniel Bullocks, I don't think they're going to do it.
03:11 They could go Brian Flores, excellent option.
03:13 But I think they want someone with a linebacker coach background,
03:18 even if he's an outsider, someone with Super Bowl experience.
03:21 I would think Frable.
03:23 Let's see what happens.
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