San Francisco 49ers

DC Eric Mangini happy to be back on the defensive side of the ball

Published Jun. 18, 2015 11:34 a.m. ET

foxsports

San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Eric Mangini is happy to be back with the defense. Mangini came to the 49ers in 2013 as an offensive consultant. Last season he served as the teams tight end coach. This year Mangini is back where he feels he belongs.

"Offense is a little bit out of my wheelhouse," Mangini said, via ESPN.com. "It had been since, I think '94, since I had coached offense, maybe '95. So I was doing everything I could to make sure I was on top of what we were doing offensively and then helping our guys look good."

Now Mangini is back in his comfort zone. He knows the 49ers lost a great deal of their talent this offseason due to retirements and free agency, but believes the defense that has been ranked in top-5 the last four years can continue to thrive.

Mangini has been impressed with the veterans and newcomers in camp. He thinks the talent level is there, but knows it will be up to him to put it all together.

"Really really impressive outside linebackers," he said. "Good young and veteran defensive linemen. Really enjoyed working with [inside linebacker] NaVorro [Bowman], him coming back from his injury, and Mike Wilhoite has been fantastic in the room and the things that he's done.

"The secondary, another mix of guys where, some are a little bit older, some are sort of in the youngish part of their career. We've got a couple of new young kids that have a ton of talent, which is great, too."

(h/t ESPN)

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