The San Francisco 49ers have found their new DC without having to leave the building - former tight ends coach Eric Mangini will be the team's new defensive coordinator.
Jim Tomsula can now turn his attention to the offensive coaching positions that need to be filled, and Mangini will begin completing his defensive staff immediately (only one defensive assistant - linebackers coach Jason Tarver - is already in place). Prior to spending 2013-14 as San Francisco's tight ends coach, Mangini was a head coach for the Cleveland Browns and New York jets and a defensive coordinator with the New England Patriots.
Mangini, 44, is a Bill Belichick disciple who spent nine seasons working closely with the New England Patriots HC. The relationship was strained, however, when Mangini accused the Patriots of filming signals when Mangini was coach of the New York Jets, and the Spygate scandal (which would become the biggest landmark of Mangini's head coaching career) dominated headlines in 2007. Mangini has a 33-47 overall record as a head coach - 23-25 with the Jets and 10-22 with the Browns.
The 49ers recently hired former Oakland Raiders DC Tarver as a linebackers coach, former Youngstown State HC Eric Wolford was brought in as an assistant OL coach, and the team is pursuing former Raiders interim HC Tony Sparano as a tight ends coach. Clearly, Jed York and GM Trent Baalke are interested in finding Tomsula assistants with plenty of coaching experience - a move similar to what the Golden State Warriors did by surrounding rookie HC Steve Kerr with experienced veterans. The 49ers knew that promoting Tomsula would cost them DC Vic Fangio, who also wanted the head coaching job, and Fangio quickly a job with the Chicago Bears as their new defensive coordinator.
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