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New York Times
10 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Brant Boyer wants to build a new era — and better aura — for 49ers' special teams
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — What allowed Brant Boyer, the San Francisco 49ers' new special teams coordinator, to play 10 seasons in the NFL? He must have been fast, right? 'No, not at all,' Boyer says with a chuckle. Was he smart? 'I don't know. You'll have to ask other people.' Did he have a prototypical physique? Advertisement 'I was a real late bloomer.' What about feistiness? Ah, now we're starting to get somewhere. His first college coach, Paul Tidwell, remembers Boyer arriving at Snow Junior College in Ephraim, Utah, as a 180-pound walk-on linebacker with no college offers and no fanfare. He also had no fear of the team's upperclassmen. 'It seemed like every week I was breaking up some kind of scuffle that he was involved in,' Tidwell said in a phone interview. 'He was playing scout team and our starters were going against him. He wanted to prove that he could play at that level. That's just the kind of guy he was. He wouldn't back down from anybody.' The 49ers have been lacking that type of intensity on their special teams for years. While the offense and defense have been excellent at times under head coach Kyle Shanahan, the special teams has languished at the bottom half of the NFL the last five seasons, with last year's mistake-prone unit ranking 31st in DVOA. Kicker Jake Moody missed nine field goals over the last nine games in 2024. The kick coverage has been a sieve for the past four years. And no team has gone longer without a punt-return touchdown. The last 49er with one of those was Ted Ginn Jr., who scored on a 55-yard return in Jim Harbaugh's first game as head coach in 2011. Many point to the 49ers' 'don't-mess-it-up' philosophy under Shanahan. He's said he doesn't want the special teams causing game-altering blunders, and the units have become risk-averse, and perhaps uninspiring, as a result. That's not Boyer's nature. He wants big plays. He wants special teams to make a difference. He wants competition at just about every spot he oversees. And, perhaps signaling a shift in attitude, Shanahan and the 49ers have given their new coordinator license to rebuild the unit as he sees fit. Boyer, 53, brought in coverage specialists like Luke Gifford, Siran Neal, Chazz Surratt and Jason Pinnock in free agency with Surratt and Pinnock having played for him with the New York Jets. He said goodbye to punter Mitch Wishnowsky and long snapper Taybor Pepper, replacing them with Thomas Morstead — another ex-Jet — and Jon Weeks, respectively. Advertisement He added a veteran kicker, Greg Joseph, to compete with Moody. And he even was allowed to choose a draft pick, seventh-rounder Junior Bergen, who excelled on returns at Montana. Bergen, Jacob Cowing and rookie Jordan Watkins handled punts this spring, and Ricky Pearsall (hamstring) likely will be added to the mix next month when he's healthy. 'We're trying to put them in the best spots so we can succeed and be a weapon for this team, not just a, 'Hey, man, just don't screw this up,'' Boyer said of his returners. 'That's not what we're here for. We're here to try to make a difference.' Boyer credits his grandfather, a former Marine who fought at Iwo Jima, for the grit he showed that first season at Snow College. Boyer had a difficult childhood and his grandparents took him in at their farm located in a small town in northeast Utah. How small? There were no stoplights and only 42 kids in Boyer's high school graduating class. 'He would tell me that his grandparents lived out in the country and his grandfather was an old-school kind of guy: 'Yeah, you can play football, but you're also going to do your chores and you're gonna do your work and you're gonna keep your nose clean,'' Tidwell said. 'So his grandpa was hard on him in a good way. And I think it helped develop Brant.' Boyer did his share of farm work and also took on odd jobs around town — jackhammer operator, cement crewman, trainer of hunting dogs. And then there were the endless rows of hay bales that needed hauling. The work toughened the teenager, but he still wasn't all that imposing upon graduation. He stood 5-foot-10 and debated whether to become an Air Force pilot or try to play football. His high school coach had a strong opinion on which route he should choose. 'He'd told (Boyer) that he's too small, nobody's recruiting you and you should just go on and get your education and not play football anymore,' Tidwell said. 'Knowing Brant now, that comment from his high school coach fired him up, made him say, 'Look, I can play. And I'm gonna show you I can play.'' Advertisement Boyer took it out on Snow's offensive starters during his walk-on season. 'I kind of saw something then,' Tidwell recalled. 'I knew if the other players were getting upset with him, it meant he was playing hard and was beating them or making them look bad. Then his aggressive play spilled over to the team.' A year later — and following a growth spurt — he was a starter and team captain, and a year and a half after that he transferred to Arizona where the process repeated itself. Early on he got into a scrap when an older player cut in and tried to steal some of Boyer's practice repetitions. As was the case at Snow, the pugnacious Boyer grabbed the attention of the Arizona coaches, and he soon was starting in the middle of the school's famed 'Desert Swarm' defenses of the early 1990s. In 1994, the Miami Dolphins drafted him in the sixth round and he spent the next decade as a core special teams player in Miami, Jacksonville and Cleveland. In 2009, he got into coaching as a training camp intern with the Browns. And for the past nine seasons, he's been the Jets special teams coordinator, which means he survived several head-coaching changes while in New York. 'I think that's a real compliment and tribute to him and the type of coach that he is,' Tidwell said. 'I think he's fair and tough and loves his players and they love him.' The 49ers' special teams sessions had a different, more intense aura this spring. For one thing, Boyer is one of the few NFL coaches who still uses a whistle, which he blasts to gather or organize his players. Loud music, meanwhile, is a hallmark of Shanahan's practices. He likes the energy it provides and wants his players accustomed to noisy environments. During an OTA session earlier this month, however, Boyer turned the volume down when the special teams were on the field. Advertisement 'They're learning a whole new system,' he said. 'So I think it's critical for the team communication and everything to be on point. Once we get that communication and everyone talking to each other and being on the same page, I have no problem with the music being on.' Surratt, who had 10 special teams tackles for the Jets last year, said Boyer's a stickler for crisp communication. After all, no two returns or coverage plays are exactly alike and players must be able to adjust on the fly. 'I'd compare it to playing basketball,' Surratt said. 'They talk all the time during a play. We're going full speed but at the same time we have to know who's beside you, to the right of you, who's doing what. I think communication during a play is a big thing, and the really good units are able to do that.' Mostly, Boyer said, he wants to instill pride among the 49ers' special teamers. 'I'm here to do the best job I can, create a culture that it shouldn't be, like, punishment to play special teams,' he said. 'And I think teams around the league, (it) comes out like, 'Oh man, I don't want to play special teams.' It shouldn't be like that. That's how I made a living. That's how a lot of people make a living in this league. And if you can create a culture that the guys know you give a damn about them, they're going to play for you.'
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Robert Saleh Builds San Francisco 49ers Defense With Ex New York Jets Players
Robert Saleh Builds San Francisco 49ers Defense With Ex New York Jets Players originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The San Francisco 49ers cannot stop adding players that have previous playing experience with the New York Jets. Advertisement It starts with the re-hiring of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. General manager John Lynch brought Saleh back to the Bay Area to assume the position he previously held with the 49ers from 2017-2020. The fours years since his first 49ers stint have mainly been in the Big Apple as the head coach of the New York Jets from 2021-2024. Saleh was fired by the Jets last year after a 2-3 start to the season. He then spent some time as an offensive consultant with the Green Bay Packers. Now Saleh and new 49ers special teams coordinator Brant Boyer (the Jets special teams coordinator from 2016-2024) have gone back to the well and swiped multiple players from their former team. The duo started by acquiring former New Orleans Saints Super Bowl hero and NFL veteran punter Thomas Morstead, who spent the last two seasons with the Jets. Advertisement The signing came after the 49ers made a surprising cut of punter Mitch Wishnowsky who reportedly had no injury issues. "You don't know how those things go, and you've got to take the risk-reward and something that to me wasn't a big risk or worth the risk until someone like Morstead becomes available," head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "And that put us on where we needed to make a decision.' The next former Jet to travel west is linebacker Chazz Surratt who has spent the last three of his four NFL seasons in New York. Surratt, a former third-round pick in 2021, played in all 17 games last season and made the first five starts of his career. He mostly played on special teams, finishing the season with 28 total tackles (two for loss). Advertisement He projects as a swiss army knife on special teams because of his undersized build and great speed as a linebacker. Last but certainly not least comes edge rusher Bryce Huff. Huff was acquired by the Niners in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles this week. Philly's investment in Huff is often looked at as one of their team's worst moves in recent memory after an underwhelming 2024 season. However, back in 2023 as a member of, you guessed it, the New York Jets, Huff registered 10.0 sacks for his head coach Saleh. Adding Huff for just $8 million on this year's cap should do wonders for a defensive line that also features star Nick Bosa and first-round rookie Mykel Williams ... if he can return to top form. Advertisement Saleh is proving that he still has confidence in the un-drafted defensive end can. Under Saleh, the 49ers defense reached a peak of third-best in the NFL in points and yards differential in 2019. With Saleh as a head coach, the Jets defense was ranked as high as No. 18 and No. 14 in those respective stats in 2022. They may have a bunch of their former players, but 49ers fans better hope Robert Saleh's defense in San Francisco plays better than his did in New York. Related: 49ers Receive Early Grade for Bryce Huff Trade Related: Mykel Williams Excited to Learn From Two 49ers Mentors This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
49ers' Jake Moody aims to trade distance for accuracy with new kicking approach
Jake Moody can't just pretend that last year didn't happen. In what was a frustrating season for the San Francisco 49ers, whose Super Bowl hangover consisted of 11 losses and even more injuries, Moody was the exclamation mark, as the kicker missed kick after kick down the stretch following his return from a high ankle sprain. Advertisement But Moody can erase a key step as he looks to regain his footing for the team that drafted him in the third round two years ago. He wasn't comfortable just blaming the ankle injury for his struggle, so he changed his approach from taking three steps before a kick to two steps. 'It's been going great,' Moody said in a phone interview. 'Obviously, when you have been doing something since the sixth grade, it was definitely challenging at the start. I had to keep telling myself to stick with it.' That was back in March, but Moody got the hang of it after a couple of weeks and is ready for the 49ers' offseason workouts. After watching Moody miss nine of 20 field-goal attempts the last nine games, the 49ers have brought in veteran kicker Greg Joseph to compete against Moody. New 49ers special teams coordinator Brant Boyer, though, is expecting Moody to bounce back. 'There isn't a special teams coach in this league that didn't have him rated number one coming out (of college),' Boyer said two weeks ago. 'He's as talented of a kid as it gets. The injury issue had a lot to do with it. If the kid gets his mind right, which I think he's doing, I think he'll do a heck of a job for us. I really do.' Moody connected on 13 of his first 14 field-goal attempts before he tried to make a tackle on a kickoff in a Week 5 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. He instead sprained his ankle, missed the next three games and was never the same. 'I felt like I was kicking the ball the best I have in my entire life,' Moody said. 'And then … it sucks, but that's how the NFL goes — you try to make a tackle and get a high ankle sprain. After that injury, I lost that rhythm I was in. And once you lose the rhythm, it's tough to get back into it.' Much like Shakira's hips, Moody's feet didn't lie. He missed three kicks in his first game back, two out of three attempts in Week 13 and then hit rock bottom in a 40-34 Week 17 loss to the Detroit Lions — when Moody missed two field goals and an extra point. Yeah, do the math… 'It's unacceptable to be kicking the way I was the second half of the year,' Moody said. 'I don't know if I lost any confidence, but stuff always creeps into your head, especially after missing a bunch of kicks. Advertisement 'But those kicks are irrelevant now. It's in the past, and I like to have a one-kick mentality, as in the next kick. Right now, I've been kicking the ball really well, so I feel like I'm in a good head space.' That started back in March, when Moody hit a practice field in Naples, Fla., with longtime kicking coach Brandon Kornblue. They have been together since Moody was in middle school and the usual ball-contact drills soon turned to something else. They started tweaking his stance and how far back he was from the ball and then got rid of the third jab step. 'You have to be careful when you change something like that, because he had been so successful for so long with the three steps,' Kornblue said in a phone interview. Kornblue thinks that while most young kickers use three steps, about half of the NFL's kickers use two because they have strong legs and can afford to trade in a little power for better accuracy. 'Jake and I had talked about doing this in the past, but because he was kicking so well, I didn't feel like it was smart,' Kornblue said. 'But then with the injury and all that, he felt comfortable with the change.' Moody also turned to former 49ers kicker Robbie Gould, who agreed that the change made sense. 'I felt like I've had some inconsistencies with my first jab step,' Moody said. 'So I figured if I just get rid of that step altogether and I just take two steps instead of the three, it's less room for error.' There are fewer worries about planting his foot in a different spot, which will help his consistency. 'There are some things that, technically, you have to adjust,' Kornblue said. 'You do lose a little bit of power — how much varies from guy to guy — but you're trying to improve your consistency and accuracy. That being said, he is still hitting the ball 65 to 70 yards.' Moody has more time to see the ball after it's snapped because there is less running to do, and he thinks he is only losing a yard or two in distance. 'The goal is more consistency because at the end of the day, that's what keeps you in the NFL,' Moody said. 'Plus, it was nice to have a bit of a change, something to set my mind to. Not to distract me, but to have a new focus, I guess. Something to put all my energy and focus into.' Advertisement While Kornblue doesn't think Moody has ever struggled before last year's injury — 'he has been so mentally strong for so long' — Moody points to the 2020 COVID-shortened season where he missed three of four attempts for Michigan. 'Last season is just something to build off of,' Moody said. 'In college, I had my worst season the year prior to me winning the Lou Groza Award, so I'm hoping it'll be similar to that. That year, Moody made 22 of 24 field goals, including some in bad weather, and didn't miss one of his 56 extra-point attempts to win the nation's top kicker honors. Bring on Joseph, who has played for six teams in six NFL seasons and made 116 of 141 field-goal attempts. 'He's been in the league for a little bit — obviously for a reason,' Moody said. 'I got to meet him (last) week. He's a good dude and I think the competition is going to bring out the best in both of us, and hopefully we'll both be on a roster this season.' Kornblue knows Joseph well and said he is 'talented.' 'That will be a battle, but Jake is one of the best kickers I have ever been around and I have been around a lot of guys,' he said. 'Both strength-wise and consistency-wise, he is as good and as even-keeled as they come. I feel that when Jake is on, he can't be beat. He has all the tools.' One more thing that will come in handy is new long snapper Jon Weeks, who is coming off a 15-year run with the Houston Texans. 'Adding Weeks is a big deal for (Moody) — that total operation being smooth and everything like that will certainly help the kid for sure,' Boyer said. Signing Weeks was an under-the-radar move in an offseason that saw the 49ers lose eight starters in free agency, use their first five draft picks on defense and then sign tight end George Kittle, linebacker Fred Warner and quarterback Brock Purdy to long-term deals. Advertisement 'Those guys are like the main glue that holds the team together and they're all the best at their respective positions in the entire league,' Moody said. 'It's been a little hectic offseason, but at the same time, it's been pretty cool.' Now, the 49ers would love to see what a healthy Moody — only the second kicker drafted in the first three rounds in the last 19 years — can do. 'I'm excited to see what the new two-step approach can bring me this year,' Moody said. 'Hopefully, I won't miss a single kick.'
New York Times
27-01-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
49ers hire Jets' Brant Boyer as special teams coordinator: What he brings to San Francisco
It turns out that Robert Saleh isn't the only ex-New York Jets coach the San Francisco 49ers are bringing out west. The team announced Monday that it hired Brant Boyer to run its special teams, the same role he's held with the Jets since 2016. Boyer, who played 10 seasons in the NFL, will replace Brian Schneider. The 49ers let Schneider go following a season in which they had several costly special teams lapses and kicker Jake Moody struggled down the stretch. The San Francisco 49ers name Brant Boyer Special Teams Coordinator 📰: — San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 27, 2025 One of Boyer's first tasks will be deciding on the two kicker positions. Moody, a third-round draft pick in 2023, missed 10 field goals during the 2024 season and his 70.6 percent rate was the second worst among full-time kickers. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky, meanwhile, missed half the season with a back issue and is due to count $2.3 million against the salary cap in 2025. Advertisement The 49ers also allowed a blocked punt, surrendered a fake punt and got very little pop from their punt-return game, a trend that goes back to when coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch first arrived in San Francisco in 2017. The 49ers have not had a punt return for a touchdown since 2011. Their last kick-return touchdown was turned in by Richie James during the 2018 season. The 49ers special teams DVOA ranked 11th in 2017 under then-coordinator Richard Hightower but has been headed in the wrong direction since. Though the Jets' special teams dipped a bit in 2024, Boyers' units have been consistently strong over the last decade, especially in kickoff coverage, something at which the 49ers have struggled in recent seasons. While being coached by Boyer, two Jets players — Braxton Berrios in 2022 and Andre Roberts in 2018 — were named AP All-Pros as returners while three others, Justin Hardee (2023), Roberts (2019) and kicker Jason Myers (2019), made Pro Bowl appearances.
CBS News
27-01-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
San Francisco 49ers hire Brant Boyer as special teams coordinator
The San Francisco 49ers on Monday announced that longtime New York Jets coordinator Brant Boyer has been hired to helm the Niner's special teams unit. The move comes after the team fired special teams coach Brian Schneider early this month. The 49ers -- who struggled to a 6-11 record and missed the playoffs this season, just a year after making it to the Super Bowl -- had a particularly bad year on the special teams front. The Niners finished last in the league in expected points added on special teams and near the bottom of nearly all efficiency stats involved with the kicking game. The 53-year-old Boyer comes to San Francisco following nine seasons as special teams coordinator for the New York Jets. During his tenure with the team from 2016 to last season, Boyer led a special teams unit that ranked tied-for-second in total touchdowns (nine), second in blocked punts (eight) and tied-for-fifth in special teams points scored (63) and opponent kickoff return average (21.8). Under his guidance, two players -- WR Braxton Berrios in 2022 and WR Andre Roberts in 2018 -- earned Associated Press First-Team All-Pro honors as kick returners, with three players (CB Justin Hardee in 2023, Roberts in 2019 and K Jason Myers in 2019) making Pro Bowl appearances. Prior to his time with the Jets, Boyer spent four seasons starting in 2012 as an assistant special teams coach for the Indianapolis Colts. In terms of his NFL experience as a player, Boyer was originally drafted in the sixth-round (177th overall) by the Miami Dolphins in the 1994 NFL Draft. After his first year in Miami, Boyer played linebacker and special teams for the Jacksonville Jaguars (1995-2000) and the Cleveland Browns (2001-04).
