SANTA CLARA – 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks has decided to leave the comfort of the dugout for the at-times chaotic environment on the sideline.
Wilks has said he finds it more convenient to call a play from the box. But coach Kyle Shanahan pointed out to Wilks that being close to players over the course of a game might do more good.
Defensive tackle Arik Armstead, one of the 49ers’ captains, has seen the benefits of his experiences with former 49ers defensive coordinators Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans.
“I think personally and I have seen other people communicate with Saleh and DeMeco in the past,” Armstead said on 49ers Talk. “That was sometimes helpful.”
Wilks has a long history of coaching in the secondary, so Armstead understands why Wilks wanted a top-down view of the field.
“I know Coach Wilks comes from the back end, the defensive backs, and I’m sure it’s great for him to see the bigger picture on the back end as far as coverage and things like that,” Armstead said.
The plan calls for Wilks to be on the sidelines for the 49ers’ Week 10 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
And Armstead believes this is an opportunity for players to have more influence during gameplay.
“I think it would be great to see how it goes so we can have more communication and talk to the leader of our defense,” Armstead said. “We can also have better lines of communication up front and at all levels of defense. I can share what I see from the O-line and what can be helpful.”
Wilks, in his first season as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, came under scrutiny as the 49ers entered the bye week on a three-game losing streak.
In consecutive games against Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, the 49ers’ defense allowed 63 completions on 80 pass attempts (79 percent) for 661 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions.
Additionally, the 49ers only recorded three sacks in those two games and weren’t particularly good against the run either.
Armstead said he believes it will take a while for things to get back to where they were in the past. And he noted that there were also calls for Saleh’s head after his first few seasons as defensive coordinator. Eventually, he and Ryans parlayed their success with the 49ers into head coaching jobs with the New York Jets and Houston Texans, respectively.
“If you look back on history, people weren’t particularly excited about Saleh, and people weren’t particularly excited about DeMeco when he started,” Armstead said. “And if you look at where we’ve gotten to, we’ve been a top-five defenseman since 2019 and we still are today.
“Our goal is to be No. 1 and we will put in the work to get there. Sometimes it takes a little time, but you have to keep working hard, believe in each other and find ways to improve.”
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