Stephen A. Smith is 'Disgusted' By 49ers Firing Steve Wilks

Someone had to take the fall for the San Francisco 49ers' blown lead in Super Bowl LVIII and yesterday proved it would be defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. Kyle Shanahan announced on a conference call yesterday that he had fired Wilks and the reception to that decision has been... mixed, to say the least.

San Fran's defense is loaded with talent yet was prone to truly mind-boggling performances and failures. The first half of the NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions is a tremendous example of how all that talent can be wasted. On the other hand, the second half of the NFC Championship Game showed how dangerous the unit can be when everything is clicking. Wilks was responsible for both halves so you can see how folks might be split on his dismissal.

Above all, though, many are shocked that Wilks is paying the price despite a pretty darn good Super Bowl showing. The Niners kept the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes to only 19 points in regulation despite losing Dre Greenlaw to a devastating, freak injury in the first half. You could blame Wilks for the blitz call on third down when the Chiefs were marching down the field in overtime that gave Mahomes an easy completion to Rashee Rice to move the chains, but otherwise it's hard to knock a performance like that.

But none of that really matters because the 49ers lost and the NFL is all about results. Stephen A. Smith had a very strong stance on Wilks' dismissal, though, and gave voice to it on First Take this morning. In summation: he is disgusted and thinks Wilks got railroaded.

Well, it is certainly difficult to deny Smith's points about Shanahan. He does need to look in the mirror after blowing three Super Bowl leads as the offensive play-caller and failing to capitalize in this most recent Super Bowl on his defense holding the best quarterback alive to 19 points in four quarters.

However, the Wilks stuff is a little bit of an eye test situation. Statstically the 49ers were very good defensively. But some games the unit would just... collapse. They'd play like garbage for no discernible reason. The talent was there but the dominance was not. So it's fair to believe the unit was capable of more consistent play and blame Wilks for the lack thereof, but firing a coordinator after one year is always tricky. Guys need time to settle into the schemes and the terminology.

But such thoughts don't really apply when a Super Bowl is lost. Someone needed to take the fall. It was Wilks this time. Next time it might be Shanahan himself.