Atticus Jenkins Introduced as the 49ers Next Head CoachAfter going five years without even a hope at reaching the playoffs (6-10, 6-10, 2-14, 2-14, and 5-11), it was about time the 49ers shook up their coaching staff. The former star WR from the Canadian Football League, Atticus Jenkins will become a head coach for the first time in his career. He had previously been the offensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins for 3 years but was fired alongside Fins head coach Tony Sparano. Jenkins was hired that offseason by the Seahawks as their WRs Coach in 2010. He was promoted mid-2012 to Offensive Coordinator and helped make some new schemes that helped lift the Seahawks to the Super Bowl. He continued his duties in 2013 and 2014, which were largely successful years, but they failed to get back to the Super Bowl. The Seahawks have owned the division for a few years now, with the 49ers, Cardinals, and Rams being incredibly dysfunctional.
"It's about time the Seahawks got some competition." said new Head Coach Atticus Jenkins. "We're going to catch up to them and, hopefully, we can be competitive rivals for the next few years."
The 49ers have also hired Ken Whisenhunt as their offensive coordinator. He and Jenkins will be piecing together a brand new playbook that no NFL team has ever seen before. On the other side of the football, San Francisco hired Mike Zimmer as their defensive coordinator. He brings plenty of experience and should help elevate an already average defense to higher levels.
Now, the first question that's probably on most readers' minds is, "Who's gonna be the QB?"
"Teddy Bridgewater is our QB. No questions asked." said coach Jenkins. "It's a real shame that he missed all of last year due to injury, but he's still the guy here. We aren't going to bring in competition for him. It's his job to lose."
Teddy was drafted with the 1st overall pick in the 2014 draft. He had a solid preseason and beat writers and coaches alike praised his performances. But then everything immediately went down in flames. After throwing 126 yards and 2 TDs in Week 1 against the Redskins, Bridgewater got sacked and both the defensive end and the offensive tackle fell on top of Teddy. He was carted off of the field, later to be diagnosed with a torn ACL.
"The whole season went off the rails from that point on." said coach Jenkins. "They could have been much better than 5-11 with Teddy in there."
In his place, E. J. Manuel started the next 14 of 15 games, playing very poorly. After demanding for a trade, the 49ers shipped Manuel off for a 4th round pick.
With Bridgewater healthy and a new coaching staff that appears to be full of competent coaches, there's some positive vibes wafting around the 49ers. What will 2015 hold for the San Francisco team that hasn't tasted the playoffs in over 7 years?
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I've already gone through re-signing and free agency, so here's what the current roster looks like:
I'll do a more in-depth examination of the players when we get to the 90 man roster. I will also continue the Pro Football Focus-style of grading the players, as you can see on the depth charts above.
Once school starts, I am hoping to make weekly updates, probably uploading on each weekend. I hope you enjoy the next season of Atticus Jenkins: Ace Head Coach!
I love the Seahawks journal, but it could also be interesting to see you bulding up a new team, if you have the time for it
