The 49ers’ defense is talented and has analytical Steve Wilks as coordinator. But the most important ingredient — intensity — is missing. Here’s a wild idea to fix that.
San Francisco 49ers’ Nick Bosa fails to tackle Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Mixon in the fourth quarter of their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-17. So much has gone wrong for the 49ers’ defense over the last few weeks, it’s difficult to know where to start making corrections.But perhaps this defense’s biggest issue heading into the second half of the season is that it has lost its swagger.
Saleh is a smart guy — you weren’t going to beat him tactically — but unlike Shanahan, he is a yeller. Now Wilks needs a get-down coach — as in Shanahan had to tell him to get down to the sidelines following this bye. San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks speaks to reporters before the NFL football team’s rookie minicamp in Santa Clara, Calif., Friday, May 12, 2023. Like Shanahan, Wilks is an intellectual. A football tactician. A professor. He’s a thinker, not a yeller.
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