NFL Replay

by jfainsf49 on Nov 28, 2007 1:13 PM PST

As I mentioned in another post, I saw the game again last night, the Cardinals v. Niners game that is. And like a said in the same post, I got to focus on aspects of the game that I could not focus on the first time. My main focus on offense, among other things, was the o-line play.

For the most part the line did a solid job. The Cards got pressure when they blitzed. Who hasn't? Right? I mean that is expected.

The Niners have had breakdowns when facing the outside blitz(see Giants game). What else is new?

It is clear that when teams want to blitz they are going to come right up the middle--between the center and left/right guards. The Cards had success with it and we all remember the blitz that took A. Smith out of action. Rocky Bernard came right up the middle, unblocked. Problem is that the Niners are still allowing it to happen. To me, that has to fall on the o-line coach.

To wrap up about the line play from last game. Again, they did a solid job. But when there was pressure(outside of the blitz)it came from the left side(see L. Allen, A. Snyder). And when there was pressure T. Dilfer did an awesome job
of moving in the pocket(with both hands on the ball unlike A. Smith).

We all know the Niners D gave up some big yards. And at first it looked as if the defense was just going to lie down. But they didn't. They managed to make big plays which is what is needed when your offense is struggling.

One thing I have picked up on is this. Teams are taking advantage of P. Willis, at least in pass coverage. Week after week Willis has been beat. It is totally understandable. Afterall, he is only a rookie. In time his coverage skills will improve, and that will probably be sooner than later. But, still, teams are attacking that weakness.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors.

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Interesting takes.

I think that teams like blitzing the middle because of two main reasons: they are harder to contain, and they are the quickest route to the QB.

To elaborate on the first reason, it falls down to line/blocking audibles. On an inside blitz, it's hard to send a running back up to pick up the blitzer, because the QB is pulling out of the middle as well. Likewise, you can't just collapse your interior linemen, as that shrinks the working space (the pocket) the QB has to work in, not to mention opens the door for delayed blitzes. On outside blitzes, you can roll your linemen one way or the other, having the running back pick up the open end, which makes defending it a little easier. This is why I think this is one of the main reasons defenses like to rush the middle: it just harder to defend.

As for the second reason, this may be the biggest reason. If the blitz up the middle is left unattended (or mis-read), you get to the QB before he even has a chance to complete his first read. On outside blitzes, it takes time for DEs, OLBs, and CBs to make it to the QB, so the offense can leave a running back there or even leave it wide open, as the QB will have some time to make reads.

I think the 49ers are struggling with the interior blitz primarily because of lack of cohesion and execution. Baas is now only in his 4th (or maybe 3rd) week as a starter in there. So Heitmann may not have a total grasp for what Baas does on certain situations and vice versa. The lack of execution part comes primarily on the shoulders of Allen and Heitmann. Allen has shown, not just to the 49ers faithful, but to the world that he's not the same guy he was less than 12 months ago. Heitmann, until recently, was being beat rather easily. So yes, you can possibly blame the coaching, but I think it also lies more heavily on the players themselves.

Shifting focus to the defense now, they really did give up a lot of yards. Against passing offenses (like the Rams, Seahawks and Cardinals), the 49ers have played softer. They go into a bend but don't break type of defense. Which is why they've given up quite a bit of rushing yards lately to guys like Morris and Jackson. For the most part, though, it has worked fairly well. In past weeks, the defense has played that bend-but-don't-break to where the offense was the reason the team lost. The defense kept the team close enough, but the offense never scored.

This past week, the offense finally stepped up and the team ended up with the win. Would I (or any fan) have preferred they didn't give up that many passing yards? Sure, of course. However, the one encouraging thing is that the defense KNOWS when it needs to step up, and for the most part, they have.

by sfgfan on Nov 28, 2007 1:58 PM PST 0 recs

Re. Interesting takes

I like the insight.

As far as the inside blitz, I just think teams are picking on the Niners. It seems like the Niners can't stop it. And when they see it coming it only makes it worse.

I agree with what you said about the o-line coach and the players sharing responsibilty. They have got to improve the lines of communication, yes?

To talk a bit more about the coaching, whats with the special teams coach. How could he allow 3 roughing the kicker penalties? I know I have harped on this issue since the second penalty happened but the game comes down to paying attention to details. Also Parys Haralson, he has played well, but he has also been flagged twice, once for helmet to helmet on the QB(even though he clearly let up on the play)and then last game he pushed another player after the whistle. I feel that coaches should address all these issues before they arise.

Hostler the Horrible

by jfainsf49 on Nov 28, 2007 2:30 PM PST up 0 recs

Penalties + coaching

That's the thing, all the coaching in the world won't fix inexperience and "stupid" mistakes. A coach can say "don't shoot yourself in the foot" as many times as he wants in the foot (Mike Nolan seems to say it every Sunday evening), and the players will still do it? Why is this so?

Mistakes are often made in the heat of "battle." A split second here or a split second there, and the "mistake" wouldn't have been a mistake at all. A younger player (or an inexperienced player) will make these mistakes, it's not quite expected, but it's almost there.

For example, Haralson is really only in his first full year of action. He'll make mistakes like running into the QB. He'll also make the mistake of getting too into a tussle and playing after the whistle. He'll learn over time.

Brandon Moore's running into the kicker and roughing the QB are similar. For as many years as he's been in the league, he's really inexperienced. He also may have some inferiority complex, because he was benched and he feels he has to constantly prove himself.

Basically, a coach can say or do all he wants. A player, in the end, has to execute and learn from his mistakes.

by sfgfan on Nov 28, 2007 3:07 PM PST up 0 recs