The San Francisco 49ers took little time in making moves at defensive coordinator after what they perceived as a problem in the Super Bowl. And now former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley is keen to reset the 49ers defence, and his own career.
“I don’t think looking at it as a reset is a bad thing,” Staley said Wednesday in his first interview with Bay Area media. “I think about playing quarterback when you reset. It’s giving you a pause to move on to the next thing. And I was really excited about the role. I think talking to Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, there’s just a lot in common ground and how to lead a football team.
“And that’s what I was looking for more than anything — an opportunity where you feel like you’re going to be aligned with the right people who do things the right way and where you have a chance to improve and where you also have a chance to affect a team that can compete for a championship. I think all those stars kind of aligned, and it’s been energizing.”
49ers keen to emphasise the upside
“I think Brandon is in a real good spot, just leaving from being a head coach and how he can help us in a number of roles,” Shanahan said. “I think Nick feels very excited to have a guy on the staff who has called plays, who has done it at a number of different places and things. I think he’s helped him a lot in those ways.
“Brandon is helping him on a lot of things, just like all the other coaches do on the defensive staff. With Brandon’s expertise just in other areas than just defense, with his expertise as a head coach and things, I thought he was a real benefit in the draft and helps me in a number of areas also.”
“I’ve seen since Kyle became the head coach here and John became the general manager here — when they came here together — how far they’ve really brought this team and organization since 2017 to now,” Staley said. “And I think every year that I’ve been in the NFL, I’ve competed against this team, so I’ve seen the growth of this football team, of this organization, and I think that’s where the respect comes from.
“I think a lot of people see the 49ers as what they are, but it wasn’t like that at the beginning. And there was a journey to get there, and I know how hard they’ve worked to get it to this point.”
While the 49ers are keen to spin the move as a purely positive, many have questioned whether their defence was really the issue in the Super Bowl. One this is for sure, the pressure will be on Staley from the first snap of the 49ers.
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