San Francisco 49ers Latest News and Rumors: Jim O'Neil Hired as Defensive Coordinator
Chip Kelly is singing all the right tunes in San Francisco these days. This time, he made another improvement for the team's coaching staff by adding former Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil, officially replacing the recently fired Eric Mangini.
The hiring of O'Neil means that the 49ers defense, which was relatively weak last season, will see tons of improvements in the next season. As a matter of fact, the team was one of the worst in the entire league, having been ranked 29th in total defense and 18th in points allowed. They also ended the season 27th in pass defense and 29th in rushing defense.
And in the middle of the defensive struggle, the team had to endure several changes in personnel. Top defensive tackle Justin Smith called it a career after 14 seasons, while linebacker Patrick Willis was forced to retire due to recurring problems in his feet. Also, the team let go of defensive end Aldon Smith due to his off-court issues.
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Perhaps one of the reasons why Kelly took interest in hiring O'Neil was because of how his Cleveland Browns performed defensively two seasons ago, when the team took the ninth spot in points allowed and eight in pass defense. However, it should be noted as well that Cleveland was coached by Mike Pettine, a defense-oriented mentor himself. When Pettine decided to give O'Neil more responsibility in play-calling last season, the results weren't so admirable.
With that in mind, O'Neil has a lot of work to do in San Francisco if he wants to keep his job. Obviously, everyone responsible in playing defense will be prompted to perform better. The question is how will the offense, especially the up-tempo style, be affected? Also, it's interesting to learn that O'Neil was actually a second choice because the 49ers first offered the job to Mike Vrabel, who declined the offer after deciding to remain with the Texans.
