Prior to the Pittsburgh Steelers win over the Tennessee Titans on Thursday Night Football, the team announced that oft-criticized offensive coordinator Matt Canada would leave the booth and call plays from the sideline. The San Francisco 49ers apparently like that idea and are doing the same with defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.

The Steelers’ move paid off immediately. They scored a touchdown on their opening drive for the first time this season. It was just their second offensive touchdown in the first quarter of any game. To be fair, they still only scored 20 points in the game but that was enough for the win.

The 49ers are, obviously, hoping for similar results — particularly the winning part. After starting 5-0, they’ve lost three straight games. They entered the bye week at 5-3 and return with a road game at the 6-2 Jacksonville Jaguars.

Though, the defense isn’t the main problem. But, it has regressed over the three losses. They averaged 13.6 points per game allowed in their five wins. That numbered ballooned to 24 points in the three losses.

Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks of the San Francisco 49ers talks to the defense in the locker room. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)

Those stats require context, though. First, they gave up 31 points to the Cincinnati Bengals in the loss just before the bye week. That’s the most they’ve allowed all season.

Plus, they gave up 22 to the Minnesota Vikings prior to the Kirk Cousins injury. Their early-season success was partially inflated with wins over the Steelers, Giants, and Cardinals. Not exactly high-powered offenses.

Although, they did hold the Cowboys to 10 points in the 42-10 drubbing on Sunday Night Football just prior to the slide.

Still, head coach Kyle Shanahan clearly wants to shake things up a bit. It worked — to some degree — for the Pittsburgh Steelers, so why not give it a shot and move Steve Wilks down to field-level?

The NFL is a copycat league.

Usually that means offensive and defensive schemes, but why can’t it mean physical locations of coordinators?

Follow Dan Zaksheske on X – formerly known as Twitter: @RealDanZak

The post San Francisco 49ers Utilizing Pittsburgh Steelers Blueprint, Shifting Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks To Subject Degree appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

When will Trey Lance finally become the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers?

This question has been popular since the 49ers drafted him to third overall in the 2021 NFL draft. Jimmy Garoppolo and Lance fought at training camp before the incumbent was named a starter.

Then Garoppolo went down with a calf injury and Lance was thrown into the starting XI only to go down with a knee injury. Garoppolo has been the starter ever since, and fans are wondering if Lance will ever see the field again in the 2021 season.

Well, it looks like the 49ers have a plan, even if it’s not exactly encouraging to Lance.

The 49ers have revealed Trey Lance’s blueprint but are waiting to get it out

Everyone has been wondering when – or if – Lance will be back on the field this season. Last weekend, the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport answered those questions and revealed the 49ers’ future plans for the two quarterbacks.

“Without a Super Bowl run, which is theoretically still possible at this point in time, this is the 49ers’ plan for the next season: start Trey Lance, trade Jimmy Garoppolo. No surprise, they were pretty open about that. What Garoppolo is doing now is add to the value of the picks the 49ers get on a trade he’s in and they make it more likely that a place he wants to go will want to take him away. “

Ian Rapoport on the 49ers’ plans with Lance and Garoppolo

So there it is, the answer everyone has been waiting for.

With the 49ers still alive in the playoff picture, it looks like Garoppolo will remain the starter. San Francisco has scored three straight wins to sneak into the wild card race, and Garoppolo hasn’t played badly either.

The veteran has 2,342 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions a year. It’s not great, but it’s been good enough to lead the 49ers to victory in the past few weeks.

Lance has only played five games and hasn’t been there since October 10, which was a bit of a surprise given his ability to lead football. Still, it’s Jimmy Time in San Francisco for now.

On the surface, the 49ers are doing everything they can to increase the commercial value of Garoppolo in the off-season. The quarterback market will be fluid as stars like Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and possibly Deshaun Watson are available.

Garoppolo would undoubtedly be a lot cheaper than this one, and he can still offer a capable quarterback game. But the 49ers are worried here.

What if Garoppolo leads them to a deep playoff run? As Rapoport mentioned, the plan is to swap Garoppolo apart from one Super Bowl run.

Yes, a run to the Super Bowl is highly unlikely, but crazier things have happened in the NFL – especially this season. You never know, although Deebo Samuel’s injury makes things difficult.

Now turn the script over. What if nobody wants to pay to take over Garoppolo this off-season? That’s a very different scenario and a real possibility.

There are just so many factors and as long as the 49ers win with Garoppolo at the center, things will get more uncertain for Lance’s future.

Pulling Kyle Shanahan away from Trey Lance completely is another problem

Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo | Brian Rothmüller / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

As long as the 49ers are winning football games, it makes sense to keep Garoppolo inside. On the other hand, leaving Lance completely is a concern.

Before the 49ers matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, Shanahan explained why he deviated from the Lance packages (h / t Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports).

“I’m more concerned with telling you the truth. In terms of calling games, we get into a rhythm where we attack a defense and what fronts they play and what covers they play. Every move leads to the next move and you get a feeling for what our players are doing and I for what we are going to do. “

Kyle Shanahan on deviating from Trey Lance packages

Well that’s an interesting tidbit from Shanahan who was full of it when he was talking about Lance.

So it’s not Lance’s fault, but the head coach? That doesn’t sound good to Shanahan in terms of customization.

Ultimately, that doesn’t look at all promising for Lance for the remainder of 2021, or as long as the 49ers continue to stack wins.

It looks like a frustrating season for Lance fans, but a 49ers playoff offer would ease the pain a bit.

The ongoing situation between Garoppolo and Lance needs to be monitored while Jimmy remains in the roster.

Statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference

RELATED: 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan Sends a Mixed Message to Trey Lance While Dismissing Regression Reports: “I’m As Eager For It As Everyone”

The post 49ers Reveal Regarding Trey Lance Blueprint as Jimmy Garoppolo Continues to Push San Francisco Right into a Playoff Berth appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.