Why the 49ers Promoting From Within is a Sign of Success
Losing Robert Saleh and Mike LaFleur is a sizeable blow to the San Francisco 49ers.
Saleh led a constantly shuffling 49ers defense to a top-five ranking, while LaFluer contributed heavily to getting the passing game right. Filling the shoes of these two will not be an easy job, but luckily for the 49ers they have the right coaches in house for it.
Linebackers coach DeMeco Ryans is reportedly going to succeed Saleh as the defensive coordinator. Kyle Shanahan had spoken at great lengths to the capability of Ryans at his exit presser, so the promotion of Ryans is not a surprise. Run game coordinator Mike McDaniel is also being promoted to offensive coordinator, so he will supplement the loss of LaFleur.
What is interesting about the openings at defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator is the 49ers did not look at replacements outside of the organization. By promoting coaches from within, the 49ers are showing signs of success with their team.
It shows just how great Shanahan and John Lynch are at building their coaching staff. That they have superb coaches at almost every level of their team. The growth of their coaches that left and the ones that are being promoted shows a strong core. Best part of all is that the 49ers' schemes should not skip a beat. Ryans assuredly will keep the defensive style intact, while implementing his own wrinkles. As for McDaniel, he is going to give a new perspective with the passing game.
Promoting from within also indicates the culture of the franchise, which I have harped on as being a cohesive one since Shanahan and Lynch took over. There is definitely a lot of things these two could have done differently over the years. But the one thing that they got absolutely right was selecting the right personnel for their staff and front office.
Everything resonates because everyone buys in from the bottom to the top. The players see and feel that. Otherwise, the 49ers would have folded in the final games of the season when everything seemed hopeless.
So when it is time for Ryans and McDaniel to potentially leave down the road, you can trust in Shanahan and Lynch to find the adequate replacements to keep all cylinders clicking.
