The San Francisco 49ers emerged from the bye week with a big change as head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that defensive coordinator Steve Wilks would move from the locker room to the sideline starting Week 10 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Wilks, a first-year coordinator with the 49ers, experienced various problems during the first eight weeks of the season, which were reflected in the team's losses and painted the coordinator as a scapegoat for the problems.

While there were questions about Wilks' issues from a schematic perspective, there were execution issues at all three levels of the field that left a lot to be desired during the defensive losses.

However, is moving Wilks to the sideline the right move to solve the 49ers' defensive woes?

The positive

Wilks' move to the sideline is reminiscent of what the 49ers had with their last two defensive coordinators, DeMeco Ryans and Robert Saleh: a communicative presence who can speak directly to players face-to-face.

Shanahan cited a desire to better communicate with the linebackers as the reason for relegating Wilks to the sideline.

“I want him to be on the ground and be close to our players for a little bit. They've had that more with linebacker communication in the past. I want him to be down there so he can talk to the guys a little bit more,” Shanahan said.

But more importantly, in my opinion, this move allows Wilks to communicate more directly and consistently with Shanahan, allowing the head coach to have more influence on the defense as the 49ers try to get the game back in order in that regard.

The negatives

While many assume that a move to the sideline could give the 49ers the energy boost they need, I'm not sure Wilks' personality is on the level of a Robert Saleh or DeMeco Ryan.

Yes, Wilks can certainly be a leader, but it appears that his form of leadership comes in a more traditional manner, so it will be interesting to see how the dynamic changes with the change.

The biggest downside to pushing Wilks to the sideline, however, is that it takes him away from the place where he feels most comfortable as a game coordinator.

During the offseason, Wilks shared that he preferred the box coach, which is why the 49ers went in that direction in the first place.

Additionally, Shanahan himself revealed on Wednesday that he believes it's best to train from the box, so the switch is admittedly a bit confusing.

“I love being in the box. I think this is the best place. I feel like you guys would judge me too harshly if I went up there. If it ever gets cold enough, it could happen to me. I like a chair and a desk and lots of things to write on and things like that,” Shanahan said. “I had to do this for nine years before I got here. I was only in the box for one year, my last year, so I was in the box eight times before that. Both have their pros and cons, so you usually go with your preference.”

Wilks' whereabouts were not the defense's main problem; The schematic problems and the execution were, and they have not been solved with the move to the sidelines.

Do I think the defense can turn things around? Absolutely, but I'm concerned that a move out of the box would be the main reason for this.

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San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks manned the sideline for the first time and the results were immediate in Week 10’s win.

The San Francisco 49ers got their season back on track with a dominant Week 10 performance, defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-3 on the road. Was a key change involving defensive coordinator Steve Wilks the reason for the Niners’ defense having its best game so far?

During the week, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that Wilks would be coaching from the team’s sideline, rather than up in a box with other coaches.

Linebacker Fred Warner lauded the move after the win, telling reporters “It was good having him down there. The communication was flawless,” per KNBR’s Jake Hutchinson.

It had been a rough stretch for the 49ers, and specifically the defense. The team hit its Week 9 bye on a three-game losing streak after starting the season 5-0.

San Francisco surrendered 22 points to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 7. They were worse in Week 8, giving up 31 points in a two-touchdown loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

But behind Wilks’ new positioning, the unit righted the ship against Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars. Lawrence finished the game 17-for-29 for just 185 yards and no touchdowns with two interceptions. He also lost a fumble after a strip sack.

The 49ers’ pass rush got to Lawrence five times, with DE Nick Bosa and DT Javon Hargrave each registering a sack and a half.

Chalk up the decision by Shanahan as a wise one, at least after one week. If Week 10’s win is any indication, having Wilks on the sideline provided a valuable jolt and got the Niners back in the discussion of NFC contenders.

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The 49ers made the decision to move their coordinator from the booth to the sidelines.

• By
  
  RohanChakravarthi
  
• on November 9, 2023 2:50 pm

The San Francisco 49ers came out of the bye week with a major change, as head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that defensive coordinator Steve Wilks would move from the booth to the sidelines starting against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10.

Wilks, a first-year coordinator with the 49ers, has experienced a variety struggles through the first eight weeks of the season, which have boiled over in the team’s losses, painting the coordinator as a scapegoat for the issues.

While questions have arisen about Wilks’s issues from a schematic standpoint, there have been execution issues at all three levels of the field, leaving much to be desired defensively during the losses.

However, is moving Wilks to the sidelines the correct move for solving the 49ers defensive issues?

The positives

Moving Wilks to the sidelines is reminiscent of what the 49ers had with their last two defensive coordinators in DeMeco Ryans and Robert Saleh: a communicative presence that can directly speak with the players face-to-face.

Shanahan illustrated the desire to communicate better with the linebackers as the reason for moving Wilks down to the sidelines.

“I kind of want him to be down and be near our players a little bit. They’ve had that more just with the linebacker communication in the past. I want him to be down there so he can talk to guys a little bit more,” Shanahan said.

But, more importantly in my opinion, the move allows Wilks to directly communicate with Shanahan more consistently, allowing the head coach to have a bigger input with the defense as the 49ers try and right the ship on that end.

The negatives

While many may assume that a move to the sideline may be the energizer that the 49ers need, I’m not sure that Wilks’s personality is on the level of a Robert Saleh or DeMeco Ryans.

Yes, Wilks can certainly be a leader, but it appears that his form of leadership comes in a more traditional way, which is why it’ll be interesting to see how the dynamic changes with the move.

However, the main negative of placing Wilks on the sidelines is taking him away from the place he feels most comfortable as a playcalling coordinator.

In the offseason, Wilks shared how his preference was the coach from the box, which is why the 49ers went in that direction in the first place.

Additionally, Shanahan himself revealed on Wednesday that he feels coaching from the box is the best place to be, which is why the move is admittedly a little confusing.

“I love being in the box. I think that’s the best spot. I feel like you guys would judge me too hard if I went up there. If it ever gets cold enough, I might be. I like a chair and a desk and a lot of stuff to write down and things like that,” Shanahan said. “I had to do this for nine years before I got here. I was only in the box one year, my last year, so it was eight on the field before that. There’s pluses and minuses to both, so you usually go with your preference.”

Wilks’s location wasn’t the main issue with the defense; the schematic problems and the execution were, and those aren’t solved with the move to the sidelines.

Do I believe the defense can turn it around? Absolutely, but I have my reservations that a move from the box would be the primary reasons why.

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