SANTA CLARA — It must have been awkward for Nick Sorensen when the 49ers hired Brandon Staley to be their assistant head coach.
Sorensen is entering his first season as a defensive coordinator, so technically he’s in charge of the 49ers defense. But Staley also is a defensive coach, and he actually has experience — he was a defensive coordinator AND a head coach. So what will Staley’s role be?
He sees things holistically,” Sorensen said. “He knows how to build plans. Just getting him in here and talking football with him, he’s very bright. Really a humble guy who’s smart and knows football. He has been really awesome and helpful for me.”
So what exactly is Staley’s role?
“It’s more holistic,” Sorensen reiterated. “He has been helping me overall. He has been involved with pretty much everything. I’ve been talking him through how we play certain things. Watching stuff throughout the league and what other teams do, some of the things he did, would they fit? Would they not fit in our defense? Some things I was already familiar with from just watching different defenses. He has been more connected with the DBs and the nickels, but he also has experience with D-ends and outside linebackers. It’s going to be really helpful that he has done it before and had success and has been a head coach as well.”
TRANSLATION: Staley is running the defense. He’s mentoring Sorensen, who knows the 49ers system but doesn’t know nearly as much about football in general as Staley does. Staley is holding Sorensen’s hand when it comes to picking the players, evolving the scheme and building game plans. Seems like Sorensen’s main responsibility will be calling plays and communicating with players. Otherwise, Staley is the architect.
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