Shanahan on Josh Norman: I did not want him to be benched the whole game

The 49ers looked like a playoff team with their win over the Chicago Bears. That changed Sunday as the 49ers were demolished by the Arizona Cardinals. San Francisco’s playoff hopes dropped to 20% after the loss, and Josh Norman’s penalty could be viewed as the biggest letdown of the day.

Kyle Shanahan spoke about Norman here:

In regards to Josh Norman, aside from his injury status, what’s his situation with you? Did you guys talk about his taunting penalty? And did you consider cutting ties with him?

“No, actually I did not want him to be benched the whole game for that reason. I wanted him out of there to cool it down, so I was totally cool with that. We came back into the third quarter and I noticed Dre was still out there. I asked if that was because it was the same thing and they just kept going with Dre, which I’m okay with them making that decision. Josh has made some mistakes and stuff this year. I also like that he’s caused some turnovers and I like the way that he plays, but they wanted to roll with Dre. And I fully supported that for that second half.”

Josh Norman has seen plenty of ups and downs as a 49er. He has forced four fumbles and broken up three passes. On the other hand, he’s committed seven penalties in six games, hasn’t covered particularly well and has a broken tackle percentage near 15%.

Norman’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the second quarter gave the Cardinals offense a fresh set of downs. Last week, Norman was celebrated for putting the game away against the Chicago Bears.

His melt-down was uncalled for, and he did not re-enter the game because of it. San Francisco is short-handed in the secondary, leaving minimal replacements for Norman. Deommodre Lenoir flashed in the earlier weeks of the season. He needs reps now as half of these corners will not be here next year.

The 49ers will be in big trouble If the defense continues to fall apart. Is it time to make a change at cornerback?