Kyle Shanahan on whether Steve Wilks will be back: ‘I expect all our coaches to be back’

Javon Hargrave also played through an injury

Will the San Francisco 49ers need a new defensive coordinator? Kyle Shanahan was asked if Steve Wilks would return. He gave a non-committal answer, saying that will be discussed down the line, as Shanahan admitted he has yet to re-watch the Super Bowl.

This is the same coach who said, “I can’t guarantee that anybody in the world will be alive on Sunday.” Shanahan followed up and said he has yet to speak with any of the assistant coaches, saying, “I haven’t talked to anyone. I expect all our coaches to be back.”

So, there’s no news about whether Wilks would return.

General manager John Lynch confirmed that Arik Armstead played through a torn meniscus and added that Javon Hargrave played through a torn thumb ligament. The reason was, as you might expect that both players wanted to win a Super Bowl.

After the game, Nick Bosa said, “The first half was a very good defensive performance, but there were missed opportunities. We were playing good defense most of the game, and obviously, it hurts when it comes down to defense, and we don’t get it done.”

Bosa also mentioned how he felt like the team wasn’t prepared for the RPOs the Kansas City Chiefs ran in the second half, which led to Patrick Mahomes picking up multiple first downs, including a couple with his legs.

Shanahan is reasonable and won’t make any rash decisions based on emotion. You generally only remember the last thing that you saw. And that was Kyle calling a timeout with 40 seconds remaining in regulation after he saw his defense give up three first downs on six plays due to soft coverage.

Then, of course, there’s the drive in overtime when the Chiefs marched down the field and won the game.

There’s the other side of the coin, and that’s if Wilks wants to come back. He came into a situation where he had little control. Now, how much that changed as the season went along is something we’ll never know.

Fans will want a Bill Belichick or Mike Vrabel to replace Wilks if he does leave, but Wilks delivered a dominant performance for 3.5 quarters against the greatest quarterback I’ve seen in my lifetime.