SANTA CLARA — If poring over the 2021 recreation movie wasn’t sufficient for 49ers particular groups coordinator Brian Schneider to comprehend he’s acquired a giant job forward of him, one of many first questions despatched his method Wednesday served as a painful reminder.
Q: Do you bear in mind the final time the 49ers had a punt return for a landing?
Schneider: No. Hopefully we’ll get one quickly.
Schneider was knowledgeable it hadn’t occurred since 2011, when Ted Ginn Jr. returned a punt 55 yards for a landing towards the Seattle Seahawks at Candlestick Park. The Seahawks’ particular groups coordinator that day was Brian Schneider.
“Thanks for reminding me,” Schneider mentioned. “We’ve all had video games like that and that was one of many all-time worst.”
Schneider was not exaggerating. The punt return closed out the scoring in a 33-17 win for the 49ers. Earlier than the punt return, Ginn returned a kickoff 102 yards for a landing when the Seahawks trailed 19-17.
For a particular groups coach, that’s as unhealthy because it will get.
The 49ers know all about particular groups points after a 2021 season the place it was clearly the weakest of the staff’s three items. Schneider, 51, takes over for Richard Hightower. Hightower left for the Chicago Bears when it was clear the 49ers had no intention of rehiring him even after a special-teams-fueled divisional playoff win over Inexperienced Bay.
Schneider’s credentials are strong. Seattle ranked within the high 5 in particular groups 4 instances in a six-season span earlier than fading at about the identical charge because the expertise on the roster. He stepped away from soccer earlier than the 2020 season, after which was employed by Jacksonville for the 2021 season. He by no means made it to the beginning line of the catastrophe orchestrated by City Meyer, stepping away once more earlier than the season began.
Neither time did Schneider specify something aside from “private causes,” and it was no totally different on Wednesday.
“All of us have issues to undergo in life,” Schneider mentioned. “It gave me new perspective to have the ability to step again. I used to be lucky to have the ability to try this. You will have 4 youngsters and a spouse. It’s simply life. I do know that’s made me a greater coach, with the ability to step away and really feel how vital that is to me.”
Schneider visited a son who was teaching soccer in Montana and one other son who lived in Colorado. Visited along with his daughter in San Diego.
“Typically we are able to get misplaced on this,” Schneider mentioned of the teaching grind. “I’ve been doing this since ’94. You miss numerous highschool video games, which drove me loopy. You attempt to get to every little thing you possibly can, after which as your youngster goes to varsity it’s like, ‘What occurred?’ ”
Coincidentally, that’s the identical query 49ers followers had final season in watching their particular groups beneath Hightower.
What occurred on the 73-yard run for a landing on a pretend punt in Seattle by up-back Travis Homer?
What occurred when Trenton Cannon, Travis Benjamin and JaMycal Hasty fumbled and misplaced kickoff returns and Brandon Aiyuk by no means acquired on observe returning punts?
What occurred when Robbie Gould went via a chilly spell throughout the common season and punter Mitch Wishnowsky started to lose distance on his kickoffs?
What occurred within the playoffs towards Dallas when Josh Norman overlooked C.J. Goodwin for a 16-yard completion out of punt formation on fourth-and-5?
These had been solely a few of the lowlights. Deciphering the price of particular groups of their entirety is hard, however Soccer Outsiders had the 49ers ranked twenty sixth and Professional Soccer Focus positioned them twenty first. Longtime NFL author Rick Gosselin, whose evaluations are thought of by many coaches to be an trade normal, ranked the 49ers twenty fifth.
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was a graduate assistant briefly at UCLA when Schneider was on employees there. The 2 had been conversant in one another though not shut. However Shanahan beloved his vitality, and all the time revered the way in which the Seahawks performed on particular groups.
“I all the time thought they had been the perfect staff that we performed in that space, probably the most ready and really bodily,” Shanahan mentioned. “I believed it was an ideal match and it’s been nice thus far.”
Schneider wasn’t the one particular groups transaction. The 49ers signed three free brokers anticipated to offer a right away increase — security George Odum from Indianapolis, linebacker Oren Burks from Inexperienced Bay and receiver/return specialist Ray-Ray McCloud from Pittsburgh.
In the course of the minicamp apply Wednesday, Schneider was hands-on and in the course of issues, positioning gamers for blocking place to create lanes for return specialists. A type of blockers was fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
“He’s very upbeat, up-tempo, optimistic and aggressive and I feel that’s going to hold over,” Juszczyk mentioned. “I really feel like we’re going to be far more aggressive, we’re going to be attacking extra and actually be bringing it to groups as a substitute of the opposite method round.”
Schneider is satisfied watching issues from afar the final two seasons will make him a greater coach.
“There’s little doubt in my thoughts I’m the perfect I’ve ever been,” Schneider mentioned. “I like being across the gamers and coaches, and to have this group, the kind of folks they're, it simply reinforces that. There’s no query I’m higher.”
Schneider should be all that. Whereas Shanahan runs the offense and works along with DeMeco Ryans on defensive technique, the particular groups coordinator has extra autonomy by way of scheme however little management of who is definitely on the roster.
Talking with conviction, Schneider believes he's the best man for the job. And that Shanahan is aware of it.
“I do know what (Kyle) is about,” Schneider mentioned. “It was actually vital for him to know what I used to be about too.”