Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Monday, January 13th, 2024
49ers complete interview with Jett Modkins for special teams coordinator role
“Modkins has been with the Lions since 2021, working under special teams coordinator Dave Fipp. He also has a personal connection to the 49ers, as his father, Curtis Modkins, served as the team’s offensive coordinator in 2016. The interview was reportedly conducted virtually.”
49ers’ fired coordinators fell short. Why won’t Kyle Shanahan admit he did, too? (paywall)
“I don’t believe anything went wrong in the process,” Shanahan said.
Shanahan has also seemed to publicly downplay the importance of special teams during his eight-season tenure. He has said more than once that he didn’t want to try to win games with special teams and the focus was on making sure those units weren’t the reasons for losses.
Asked in the aftermath of Schneider’s firing whether he needed to change his approach after not taking a “real detailed interest” in special teams, Shanahan responded with a question: “What do you mean by I don’t take interest in special teams?”
Seeming to sense Shanahan wasn’t amused, general manager John Lynch, sitting to Shanahan’s right, interjected and provided an 81-word response.
“Let me help Kyle there,” Lynch said. “I would tell you, Kyle spends an inordinate amount of time with all phases of our team. Special teams is extremely important …”
Why Warner is cautiously optimistic 49ers can rebound in 2025
So I say that as the first part to say that is encouraging to know that it’s been done before, “but I say that with an asterisk next to it, because the last thing that you can do, or last thing that you want to do, is say to yourself, ‘Oh, we’ve done it before. We’ll do it again.’
“You can’t go about it that way, because if you look back at those moments, especially the one I think of is in 2021 we started that season after having a losing year in 2020, we started 2021 3-5. And I remember that feeling of going into Chicago, where, if we lose that next game, we’re 3-6.
“You want to talk about some heat on that derriere? That’s it. So anyway, the whole point I’m trying to make is, yeah, even though it’s been done before, it’s going to take even more of an effort, even more of everything to say you have a chance at getting back to the 49er standard like we talked about. So it’s going to be, to be quite frank, it’s going to be miserable. And that’s exactly how you want it.”
“The 49ers desperately need offensive line help,” Cherepinsky wrote. “They have no successor for Trent Williams. Jonah [Savaiinaea] is a quick blocker with plus athleticism.”
Savaiinaea’s versatility and production make him an intriguing option for the 49ers. He has experience at both left and right tackle and was the Arizona Wildcats’ highest-graded offensive lineman in 2024, earning a 74.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.
Savaiinaea’s pass-blocking stood out, achieving a career-high grade of 83.7. Over 478 pass-blocking snaps, he allowed just four sacks and 15 pressures. At 6-foot-5 and over 330 pounds, his frame is reminiscent of Williams, adding to the appeal.”
“Infante projects San Francisco to select Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon with the 11th overall pick, drawing a striking comparison between Harmon and another former Oregon product whose name is familiar to 49ers fans.
“The comparisons to make between Harmon and former 49ers first-round pick DeForest Buckner are easy,” Infante wrote. “Both are lengthy, athletic Oregon defensive tackles with quick hands and tremendous pass-rushing value along the interior.”
Harmon played one season at Oregon after transferring from Michigan State. In 2024, he posted an impressive stat line of 45 tackles, including 11 for a loss, five sacks, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
“Though Buckner graded out slightly higher against the run for me coming out than Harmon does, it’s not inconceivable to think the latter can’t also reach Pro Bowl status at some point in his career,” Infante added.”