Fred Warner Explains Why the 49ers Hired Brandon Staley

Warner doesn't know Staley well yet, so it's understandable that Warner would give him measured praise.

SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers seemed to flirt with the idea of making Brandon Staley their defensive coordinator this offseason before ultimately hiring him as their assistant head coach.

Clearly the coaching and staff and front office like Staley, but he might be too much like his predecessor, Steve Wilks, for the players to buy in, considering neither Staley nor Wilks played in the NFL and both failed miserably as head coaches. So instead of running the 49ers defense, Staley will provide ideas and suggestions to defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen.

"You can never have too many smart guys in the room," Fred Warner said on Monday. "I think (Staley) knows a lot of football, and having a guy who has been successful in this league especially on the defensive side of the ball, coaching in different schemes, I think for sure it's too our advantage and can help us a lot."

A decidedly tepid endorsement compared to the one Warner gave to Sorensen in the same press conference. Warner doesn't know Staley well yet, so it's understandable that Warner would give him measured praise. But it seems obvious that Staley would be a disaster as the 49ers defensive coordinator, because the players would look at him with skepticism.

Staley's job is to provide the 49ers' defensive scheme with a few tweaks to keep opposing offenses guessing, but not to make wholesale changes. We'll see how many of his ideas the 49ers truly embrace. And if the defense struggles, we'll see whom the 49ers hold responsible -- Staley or Sorensen.