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Todd Bowles has second interview with the 49ers

By Ethan Finkelstein

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According to reports, Todd Bowles will have a second interview with the San Francisco 49ers regarding the team’s head coaching position.

The San Francisco 49ers are in the midst of a transitional period in the head coaching department. After the recent departure of Jim Harbaugh, the franchise is looking for a new face to lead a squad that is just one season removed from its third consecutive NFC Championship game appearance.

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The good news for the Niners is that the NFL‘s coaching free agency pool seems to be rather deep this off-season.

One guy benefiting from the sheer amount of coaching openings this year is Todd Bowles.

In fact, according to reports via CBS NFL insider Jason La Canfora on Twitter, Bowles has a second interview with the aforementioned 49ers for their head coaching vacancy, in addition to remaining interest from the Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons.

Bowles, the current defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals, was a driving force behind the team’s 11-5 playoff run this season, which nearly concluded with a divisional title, yet abruptly ended in a 27-16 road loss in the wild card round to the Carolina Panthers. He has previous head coaching experience with the Miami Dolphins.

Following the team’s firing of Tony Sparano towards the end of the 2011 NFL season, Bowles took over the team as the interim head coach, going 2-1 over the team’s final three games.

The 49ers will be looking to improve upon a disappointing 8-8 finish to this past season, which saw them miss the playoffs for the first time since Mike Singletary’s last season in San Francisco, back in 2010. The team’s defense, a previous fixture that had led to the team’s success in recent years was solid once again. They finished the season ranked 10th in points per game (21.2), 5th in total offense (321.4), 5th in passing yards (220.7), and 7th in rushing yards (100.8). Should Bowles be hired as the team’s next head coach, he would be given a team that could play directly into his strengths on that side of the ball.

It would be the 49ers offense, that needs improvement. Outside of an elite running game that posted the 4th highest average rushing yardage total (136.0), the Niners offense was rather anemic. They were 25th in points per game (19.1), 20th in total offense (327.4), and 30th in passing (191.4).

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick has already gone on record stating that he will likely work with a QB coach in the off-season, however, the team might lose running back Frank Gore, and wide receiver Michael Crabtree to free agency. And if such is the case, there is a ton of rebuilding to do, for any potential head coaching hire.

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