‘His Seat Is Formally Sizzling’
The San Francisco 49ers took a giant step again from practically profitable the Tremendous Bowl final yr to going 6-11 this season. Accidents took a toll on the 49ers this yr, particularly on the operating again place.
San Francisco was with out star operating again Christian McCaffrey for a lot of the season. McCaffrey performed in simply 4 video games and suffered two separate accidents this yr. Not having him harm the offensive manufacturing from being among the best to only an above-average unit.
The actual challenge is the protection. That unit took a free fall from being among the best in factors allowed final yr at No. 3, down all the way in which to twenty ninth one season later. With the dip in productiveness, some are calling for head coach kyle Shanahan to be firmly positioned on the recent seat heading into the 2025 NFL season.
Emmanuel Acho Places Kyle Shanahan on the Sizzling Seat
After going to 4 NFC Championship video games and showing in two Tremendous Bowls in a five-year stretch, Shanahan’s job with San Francisco ought to be firmly protected.
Nevertheless, former NFL linebacker and present FS1 analyst Emmanuel Acho had some very sturdy phrases for the 49ers head coach concerning how he has dealt with his time in San Francisco.
“Let me be actual in regards to the Niners. Shanahan’s seat is formally sizzling,” Acho mentioned. “You simply fired your particular groups coach. You simply fired your defensive coordinator. You’ll fireplace your offensive coordinator, however you’re the offensive coordinator. Shanahan, now you gotta get it proper.”
That is the reality. pic.twitter.com/pl0BnXwY57
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) January 9, 2025
Acho continued his rant by saying that he felt the offseason was an actual concern for the 49ers, and it harm their potential for the 2024 season.
“Final offseason I urged you bought all of it flawed. You must have paid Trent Williams sooner. Y’all didn’t. You must have paid Brandon Aiyuk sooner. Y’all didn’t. So I’d counsel you probably did all of it flawed final season,” he added.
“I’d additionally go as far to counsel, you wasted a yr of Fred Warner’s life. You wasted a yr of Nick Bosa’s life. You wasted a yr of Charvarius Ward’s life. You wasted a yr of Deommodore Lenoir life, since you employed a defensive coordinator that was not suited to the job. You employed your buddy. You wasted a yr due to cronyism.
“So, due to friendship, you wasted a complete yr of the Niners’ life. So, yeah, Shanahan, that seat is sizzling. You didn’t rent [defensive coordinator Nick] Sorensen as a result of he was certified; you employed him as a result of he was your homie, and now you misplaced a complete season as a result of he was your homie.”
These are some sturdy phrases from Acho about how he feels Shanahan’s job standing ought to be questioned going into the 2025 season.
San Francisco is within the strategy of hiring a brand new DC as Nick Sorensen has been let go, and there may be an inner change on the offensive coordinator place as effectively.
How Dangerous Was 49ers’ Offense and Protection This Previous Yr?
This San Francisco workforce went backward in a number of methods this season. They had been unable to place up factors and took a giant step again in consequence.
The 49ers went from being third within the NFL in factors per sport at 28.9 final yr and fell all the way in which right down to 14th this season with a 22.9 common.
Shanahan elected to make modifications to each coordinator positions. Though the play-calling on offense will nonetheless be performed by himself, Klay Kubiak is now formally the offensive coordinator.
In accordance with Professional Soccer Community’s OFF+ metrics, the 49ers had been really a top-10 offense and completed ninth total with a B- grade. That’s nonetheless a step again from its league-leading ranges of seasons previous, however it may have been adequate for a playoff berth with higher close-game luck and higher defensive assist.
Brock Purdy led the second-best offense when it comes to yards per play, trailing solely the Baltimore Ravens. That’s an unimaginable accomplishment, given the accidents he’s navigated all through the season.
There’s loads of firepower on this roster, however this season was harking back to the 2020 49ers, who suffered via an injury-plagued season after a Tremendous Bowl loss to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs. San Francisco can solely hope that one other run of three straight NFC Championship Recreation appearances will observe.
The defensive aspect of the ball had much more points, going from third in factors per sport allowed to twenty ninth in a single offseason.
With Sorensen out as defensive coordinator, there are reviews that former 49ers DC and New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh might be making a return to the Bay Space in the identical capability.
The brand new rent will likely be Shanahan’s fourth defensive coordinator in as many seasons.
Per Professional Soccer Community’s DEF+ metric, San Francisco struggled and completed twenty sixth. For all the eye the accidents on offense acquired this yr, the decline of the 49ers’ protection was an enormous concern as effectively. Having been a top-10 unit annually between 2019 and 2023, San Francisco slipped to its worst season-long rating because the Protection+ metric started.
Run protection was an enormous weak spot this yr. The Niners ranked twenty eighth in EPA per rush and twenty fifth in speeding success fee. Not like previous years, they couldn’t prop that up with an efficient cross protection, which ranked twenty fifth in success fee.
Wanting forward, cornerback Charvarius Ward and linebacker Dre Greenlaw stand out because the high free brokers on this unit. Shedding Ward, specifically, can be a troublesome blow given the dearth of depth at nook, as that’s an space the Niners might want to tackle to return to competition.
