Tag: Steve Wilks

49ers DC Steve Wilks on key penalty called on S Tashaun Gipson vs. Browns

49ers DC Steve Wilks was asked about the game-changing call on 49ers SS Tashaun Gipson vs. the Browns:

49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks on Friday spoke with reporters for the first time since the team’s Week 6 loss to the Browns. It was also his first chance to address a key call that didn’t go the 49ers’ way.

While there were plenty of things San Francisco’s defense could’ve done differently in the game, a key play came on a third-and-10 during the Browns’ game-winning drive.

Browns QB PJ Walker tried finding WR Elijah Moore on a third-down slant. The throw was too high for Moore, who jumped to try and haul it in. As he came down, 49ers FS Tashaun Gipson drilled Moore and was flagged for unnecessary roughness.

A replay showed the hit was clean, and if there hadn’t been a flag it would’ve put the Browns in a fourth-and-long with the game on the line.

Wilks opted not to harp on what the league could’ve done differently, and instead focused on what his defense could’ve done to change the outcome.

“I can’t say that right now,” Wilks said with a laugh. “But no, in all seriousness right here, I know the league is definitely all about the safety of players and so are we. We teach our guys how to lower their target. Personally, I thought it was clean. They called the flag. That’s part of the game. And again, going back to how it initially opened up, we had several times after that defensively, to finish the game, and we didn’t.”

While the 49ers defensive coordinator isn’t looking back on what could’ve gone different, he was all for a change in the way the NFL can review those plays.

As for Gipson, Wilks doesn’t believe his safety could’ve done anything differently to avoid that particular play.

“No, not in how we teach him,” Wilks said. “I felt like once again, he did everything he could for us trying to lower his target right there in the moment. You’re talking about, I don’t want to say human error, but humans are trying to determine whether or not it’s a foul or a good hit. They called the flag on it and we got to live with it.”

The 49ers will look to put Week 6’s loss and the penalty on Gipson behind them Monday night when they take on the Vikings in Minnesota. Kickoff from US Bank Stadium is set for 5:15pm Pacific Time.

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Studs and Duds from 49ers’ tough 30-23 divisional win vs. Rams in Week 2

Following a tough Week 2 victory over a divisional opponent, here’s a look at some of the studs and duds from the 49ers’ Week 2 win over the Rams.

The San Francisco 49ers’ 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2 on Sunday proved that divisional games are never easy. After cruising to an easy victory in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Rams provided a true test for the 49ers.

Through two quarters, Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford dueled with Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy. Stafford showed rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua was worthy of the hype as the Rams went into halftime with a tie ballgame at 17 against the heavily favored 49ers.

Yet, with some halftime adjustments and clutch plays on defense, the 49ers were able to take control down the stretch against the Rams on the way to a 30-23 victory in Hollywood.

Before the 2-0 49ers start preparing for the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football, here’s a look at some studs and duds from San Francisco’s performance on Sunday afternoon against the Rams.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

49ers DC Steve Wilks was ‘very impressed’ by new Panthers CB D’Shawn Jamison

Former Panthers interim HC and new 49ers DC Steve Wilks had some high praise for CB D’Shawn Jamison earlier this month.

Want to know a little bit about about new Carolina Panthers cornerback D’Shawn Jamison? Then how about we look to an old friend?

Jamison was one of three players claimed off waivers by Carolina on Wednesday. But before finding himself a new home, he worked under former Panthers interim head coach and current San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks—who had some high praise for the 24-year-old earlier this month.

“Very impressed. Very impressed,” Wilks told reporters back on Aug. 4. “And I think some of the receivers were talkin’ about him the other day. He has definitely made strides from the spring and just came back and build on his repertoire and just his toolbox.

“I think the one thing that he’s doin’ with his technique—he’s stayin’ more square in his backpedal, which is allowing him to be able to see and visualize more of the field, route concepts, see the quarterback. And he’s doin’ a great job of breakin’ on the ball. His man-to-man technique, he’s great at the line of scrimmage and he’s doin’ a good job at the top of the route. The point of emphasis that I talk about all the time—that’s where we gotta win. So you see him doin’ a lot of good things.”

A standout defender at the University of Texas, Jamison signed with the 49ers as an undrafted rookie this past spring. The 5-foot-9, 186-pounder, however, would eventually be waived by the team during this week’s final roster cuts.

But if Wilks’ endorsement is any good (and we know that he carries quite the track record), then the Panthers may have found themselves a hidden gem.

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49ers undrafted rookie impressing defensive coordinator Steve Wilks

An undrafted corner for the 49ers is impressing defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.

Training camp has a way of bringing new standouts to centerstage.

On the defensive side of the ball, one rookie defensive back is impressing San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. 

Following practice on Friday, Wilks had high praise for undrafted rookie corner D’Shawn Jamison. Wilks said he was “very impressed” with Jamison. However, it wasn’t just the defensive coordinator who had eyes on Jamison. Wilks told reporters on Friday that some of the 49ers receivers were also talking about the former Texas Longhorn. 

Very impressed, very impressed. And I think some of the receivers were talking about him the other day. He has definitely made strides from the spring and just came back and built on to his repertoire and just his toolbox. I think the one thing that he’s doing with his technique, he’s staying more square in his backpedal, which is allowing him to be able to see and visualize more of the field-route concept, see the quarterback, and he’s doing a great job of breaking on the ball, his man-to-man technique, he’s great at the line of scrimmage and he’s doing a good job at the top end of the route, the point of emphasis that I talk about all the time, that’s where we’ve got to win. So, you see him doing a lot of good things. 

Via @NBCS49ers on Twitter: 

Jamison played his college ball in Austin at the University of Texas. In his final season with the Longhorns, Jamison recorded 21 tackles to go along with seven pass deflections and two interceptions. Against the University of Lousiana-Monroe, Jamison took an interception back to the endzone for a pick-six. 

While at Texas, Jamison also returned kicks and punts for the Longhorns. Jamison scored three touchdowns as a punt and kick returner in his career at Texas. 

For an undrafted rookie fighting for a roster spot, earning praise from your defensive coordinator is a step in the positive direction. 

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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Don’t expect 49ers defense to change much under new DC Steve Wilks

Don’t expect the 49ers’ defense to look a lot different despite a change at defensive coordinator.

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The 49ers have all the makings of an offense-first team. They have weapons galore on that side of the ball and their head coach who also serves as the offensive coordinator is considered to be one of the NFL’s premier offensive minds. However, over the last four years where they’ve gone to three NFC title games it’s been their defense spearheading their success.

While defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans departed this offseason, the 49ers’ defense won’t change much under new DC Steve Wilks.

“I think you have to embrace the success that they’ve had here,” Wilks on Friday told reporters in his first press conference. “I think it is a foundation that we all agree we wanted to keep and I think it is an opportunity as we go through the process, which we already have, to try to tweak things a little bit. I still think there’s room for improvement. If you talk to the players, they would tell you the same, so when it’s not broke, you don’t really want to try to fix it and once again, we’ve had a lot of success around here and we just want to continue to build on that.”

It’s not hard to see why a defensive coordinator wouldn’t want to tinker much with the building blocks they’re inheriting. San Francisco didn’t take any steps backward when Ryans took over for Robert Saleh in 2021 and the on-field product didn’t look discernibly different.

The 49ers will return virtually its entire starting defense from last year. Defensive back Jimmie Ward left in free agency and will need to be replaced. Defensive end Samson Ebukam signed a free agent deal with the Colts, which presumably moves second-year DE Drake Jackson into a larger role. The addition of defensive tackle Javon Hargrave could actually make San Francisco better on that side of the ball despite a handful of other offseason departures.

There’ll still be an adjustment period for Wilks as he learns the personnel in San Francisco, but not many things from a schematic standpoint will be dramatically different.

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Former NFL coach Chuck Pagano doesn’t see 49ers defense falling off at all

Former NFL head coach Chuck Pagano doesn’t envision any significant steps back for the 49ers defense this year.

The 49ers defensive personnel won’t undergo many dramatic changes this season, but there are two key factors that could alter the unit that finished No. 1 in scoring defense and total defense last season. They added defensive lineman Javon Hargrave in free agency, which provides a massive lift on the interior. They’ll also be working under new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.

Former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano doesn’t envision much of a drop off for the 49ers’ defense in 2023. And while Wilks is their biggest question mark on that side, he drew a strong review from Pagano who still likes that unit for San Francisco.

“This defense is stacked, then you add Hargrave to the mix,” Pagano said via the 33rd Team. “So to me, the biggest thing for them now is going to be the transition from DeMeco Ryans – who gets his shot in Houston, he’ll do wonderful there – he did an amazing job running that defense in San Fran the last couple years. So this transition, how quick can they adjust to Steve Wilks – who did a phenomenal job in Carolina as the interim (head coach). A lot of people thought he deserved a chance there after Arizona – having his opportunity there. But Steve’s a great coach, he’s a great teacher, he’s a great communicator. And he’ll put those guys in the best position possible to sustain this level of play.”

It’s fair to question exactly what how the 49ers’ defense will respond to a new defensive coordinator. Those same question marks existed when Robert Saleh took a head coaching job with the Jets and Ryans took over as the DC. The defense responded by actually getting better over Ryans’ two seasons at the helm.

Now they’re hoping the same will happen under Wilks, who won’t have to make many changes given the lack of turnover in personnel. There’ll be a new Sam linebacker and a new nickel cornerback, but beyond that this will largely be the same group of players that was dominant last year, with the addition of Hargrave who might’ve been the best available free agent.

Wilks will have to answer some questions as the DC, but Pagano’s ringing endorsement combined with the talent on that side of the ball makes it hard to believe San Francisco’s defense is due for any significant drop off in 2023.

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Terry McDonough claims scandal will cost Michael Bidwill ownership of Cardinals

Terry McDonough believes that when he is heard and when Steve Wilks speaks on Bidwill’s workplace behavior, he will be forced out as owner.

The Arizona Cardinals are dealing with a new offseason scandal. Former vice president of player personnel Terry McDonough filed a request for arbitration with the league accusing owner Michael Bidwill of a number of things including cheating, bullying, harassment and more.

McDonough believes the result of what he is bringing will be the end of Bidwill as the owner of the Cardinals.

He shared a number of text messages with Doug Franz, a former well-known radio host in Phoenix who now has his own daily podcast, “Doug Franz Unplugged.”

Franz shared the texts he got from McDonough on Monday.

“Bidwill’s days of owning the Cardinals will soon be coming to an end, and he has nobody to blame but himself and his horrific behavior toward so many people,” he wrote to Franz via text.

McDonough claims he has a 29-page petition of what he says is completely factual evidence of Bidwill’s mistreatment of employees and says it is all the truth.

“This was never about me,” he said. “Someone had to put a stop to Bidwill’s cruel treatment of people. When I saw how he was trying to treat me, I knew it was time to speak up against him and for all the people he thought he could bully because he owned the team.”

McDonough includes former head coach Steve Wilks as one of the biggest victims of Bidwill’s behavior.

“Do you have any idea of how heinous Michael Bidwill’s actions were toward Steve Wilks in 2018,” he asked. “Bidwill loved me right up until that point.

“From (general manager Steve) Keim’s suspension on, everything changed. The only thing I did was let Bidwill know that I was going to expose him for his atrocious treatment of Steve Wilks. That’s why I suddenly disappeared. He couldn’t fire me because he knew I had him dead in his tracks, and that’s why he came out with all that B.S. about me last week.”

He was referencing the response the team gave, bringing up McDonough’s own workplace misconduct.

McDonough believes he and Wilks hold the smoking gun that will force Bidwill out.

“His biggest mistake is this — he never thought he was going to be held accountable for his cruel and uncivilized behavior towards many people,” he said. ‘His time of owning an NFL team is going to come to a quick and abrupt end whenever I speak and especially when Steve Wilks talks.”

Thus far, Wilks has made no comment on any of this, although he is included as a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the NFL for racist hiring practices filed by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores.

The league will decide if commissioner Roger Goodell will hear this case or whether someone he appoints will hear it.

McDonough appears ready to make sure this story doesn’t get forgotten.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Everything we know about Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill’s alleged harassment and discrimination

There appears to be a deep pattern of abuse and misconduct at the top of the Cardinals’ organization.

Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill came under fire from a former team executive Tuesday afternoon, and the allegations do not paint Bidwill’s conduct as owner in a remotely positive light.

According to an ESPN report, former Cardinals vice president Terry McDonough filed an arbitration claim against Bidwill, accusing him of cheating, discrimination and harassment. McDonough’s claim was filed to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

In a statement provided to ESPN, the Cardinals denied the allegations, saying McDonough was “lashing out” at the franchise with “disparagements and threats that are absurdly at odds with the facts.”

Here’s what we know so far about the allegations.

49ers make 4 coaching hires official, including defensive coordinator Steve Wilks

The #49ers officially hired 4 new coaches:

The 49ers saw their coaching staff undergo a handful of changes this offseason. On Thursday they officially announced a quartet of coaching hires.

Among those hires were defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, offensive passing game specialist Klint Kubiak, defensive quality control coach Jacob Webster, and coaching operations assistant Max Molz.

Wilks will replace DeMeco Ryans, who took the head coaching job with the Houston Texans. He made his way into the NFL in 2006 as a defensive backs coach with the Bears. This is Wilks’ third time holding a defensive coordinator job in the NFL. He was the Panthers’ DC in 2017, and the Browns’ DC for the 2019 campaign. Wilks began last season as Carolina’s defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach before becoming the interim head coach when Matt Rhule was fired.

Kubiak will replace Bobby Slowik, who went with Ryans to Houston to become the offensive coordinator. This marks the second Kubiak on staff for San Francisco. Klint’s younger brother Klay is an assistant quarterbacks coach. The elder Kubiak landed in the NFL with the Vikings as an offensive quality control coach in 2013.  He spent three years as an offensive assistant with the Broncos from 2016-18, and then moved on to become the Vikings’ QB coach for two years before taking over as their offensive coordinator in 2021. Last season he was back in Denver as a passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

For Webster this marks his first NFL job. He was a graduate assistant who worked with the offense at the University of Wisconsin last year. Prior to that he was a volunteer and a defensive graduate assistant for the University of Missouri. Webster played football collegiately for the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. In four seasons, including a redshirt year, he played in 27 games and posted five catches for 41 yards.

This is also Molz’s first NFL season. He previously served as the director of football operations at Mizzou starting in 2019.

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Why Steve Wilks taking helm of the 49ers’ defense means he’ll be a head coach again soon

This was an EXCELLENT career choice for Wilks.

Given the relatively bare cupboard of the Carolina Panthers, many people in the football world thought Steve Wilks should’ve stayed on as their head coach after the 2022 season.

For a squad that many pegged to be in line for the No. 1 overall pick, Wilks instead took Carolina to an admirable 6-6 record as their interim coach. Unfortunately for the established defensive mind — who once led the Arizona Cardinals in an impossible situation — he would be passed over for former Indianapolis Colts’ leader Frank Reich.

If Wilks does eventually want to be a head coach again, though, he probably couldn’t have picked a better new job. On Tuesday, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, it was revealed Wilks was hired as the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator.

Talk about a perfect fit for a monstrous defense that just played in the NFC title game:

Wilks taking the helm of the 49ers’ defense isn’t only significant because he’ll likely keep them playing at a high level. He could soon be the third 49ers’ defensive coordinator in as many years to be a hot head coaching commodity.

After helping San Francisco to Super Bowl 54, Robert Saleh would eventually become the New York Jets head coach. Then, with DeMeco Ryans keeping the 49ers’ dominant defensive gravy train rolling along, the Houston Texans brought him aboard as their main sideline leader.

If all goes well for Wilks with a star-studded defense, it’s not hard to see teams clamoring for his services in one of the next few head coaching cycles. Think about it. If Wilks can make the Panthers look respectable, what will he accomplish with names like likely Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Talanoa Hufanga?

Start penciling Wilks in to be someone’s new head coach by the mid-2020s at the absolute latest.