49ers OC Jimmy Raye and mixing up the rushing attack

This is a pretty simple topic, but I'm just looking for something to generate some basic conversation at this point. After the jump I've posted Jimmy Raye and Greg Manusky's press conferences following yesterday's walk-thru.  My questions deals specifically with Jimmy Raye.  He spoke about utilizing utilizing four receivers at once (or the lack there of in his offense):

On whether he doesn’t believe in using four receivers:
"I don’t know if it’s a matter of not believing in it. I think what it does at this point, for us, it would stress us tremendously to have double open edges and four wide receivers and no threat to run the ball and put that kind of pass rush burden on our offensive line and on the quarterback. I think we would be entering into foreign territory at a point where we don’t need to. Now if it’s for some cosmetic purpose, to make somebody feel better, we could go spread out everybody and throw it all over the lot, but that’s not what we do. We have the ability to do that if for some reason, injury or a situation dictated that, we have that package. We have OT-1 as we refer to it and we have the four-wide package, but until such time as our development continues and we feel that is something vital to us, we’ll continue on the line we’re on."

I understand the points he's trying to make about the offense, but it still seems a bit odd to basically write-off any 4 receiver formation.  Can't you utilize 4 receivers in a running back draw, or even a traditional running back dive play?  I know Madden and the NCAA games for Playstation are not completely realistic.  Even still I love running the 4-receiver rushing plays.  You spread out the defense and open up holes for your running back.  Should Jimmy Raye be taking some lessons from Madden?

Offensive Coordinator Jimmy Raye

Post- Walk-Thru – October 1, 2009

San Francisco 49ers

On how he feels about putting his offense in the hands of RB Glen Coffee:

"I don’t think I’m putting it in the hands of Glen Coffee, but I think Glen is a good, young player. I think he’ll do his part, and I think he’ll play well. I don’t see this as a Glen Coffee-ism at all. He’s a part of the structure of what we do, and I think he’s prepared to handle that this coming Sunday."

On whether there will be more emphasis on wide receivers this Sunday:

"It’s a defense that dictates that. It won’t have anything to do with Glen Coffee because Glen Coffee is…What I was getting ready to say before the interruption was it won’t have that much to do with the fact that Glen Coffee is in there. How they intend to defend us will dictate more of how we change than the fact that it’s Coffee in there. We’re not going to run away from what our staple is because we have a change in that position. Basically, in this business, if you’re on the team, you’re one snap away from being a starter. Hopefully, from what we’ve seen of him, he will play, and if they do something to dictate that we change, or need to change, strategies, that would be more in line with why we would change, as opposed to the fact that it’s Coffee and not [RB Frank] Gore."

On the perception that when teams stack the box to stop the run dictates the use of the pass:

"I think it’s a matter of visual interpretation. Because they stack the box, so to speak, or have eight men in the box, we have an ability to add on and block the eight element if we so desire. And, if we choose to run the ball into that, the perception that you’ve got to throw it because there are eight people in the box would be, in my opinion, disingenuous to the philosophy that we have and the way we play. And now, you increase the time of possession for the other team, you keep the defense on the field longer. If you can do that, if you can make that decision, you better throw it and catch it at about a 70- or 80-percent rate. Otherwise, you’re going to keep the clock running for the other team’s offense and put your defense in a position where they defend more snaps. At this point, I don’t think that’s what we want to do."

On whether QB Shaun Hill’s high completion percentage in the fourth quarter makes him feel more comfortable to utilize him in four-minute situations:

"No. What you’re listing is this, is that he has been able to do that because we’ve run the ball against eight-man fronts. That’s the reason that his completion percentage is what it is. If we want to change and go 360 degrees away from that, then we’re entering into an arena that I don’t think at this point we want to be in. The ability that he’s had to complete 60 or 70 percent of his passes in the fourth quarter is because of our ‘stick to it-ness’ in terms of running the football. We will take advantage of the opportunities that the defense presents us within the realm and scope of what it is as the game unfolds."

On whether the evolution of this offense is similar to the evolution of the offense that he ran in Kansas City 10 years ago:

"As similar as they are, they are a lot of dissimilarities. We were referred to there as ‘Marty Ball.’ The difference is that the core group of players in Kansas City, the offensive line had three Pro Bowl players on it and a Hall of Fame running back in Marcus Allen and a Hall of Fame tight end in Tony Gonzalez. As similar as they are, the transition and the evolution is different. The quarterback was a more stable and veteran player and had played and started a lot more NFL games than the quarterback we’re playing with now. As we evolve, we’re not trying to be the 1999 Kansas City Chiefs. We’re trying to be the 2009 San Francisco 49ers. As our personnel dictates what we do and how we do and gives us the best chance to win, that’s the evolution I’m most interested in now."

On whether he believes QB Shaun Hill cannot be successful completing a high percentage of passes unless the defense believes the 49ers will run the ball:

"No, I didn’t say that. I don’t think I ever said that at all. I said, philosophically, the way we play allows him to be successful completing the ball at a high percentage because we’ve been able to run the ball and account for the eighth element in the box and continue to run the ball. I think that’s what I said."

On TE Vernon Davis’ maturation and progression:

"First of all, I think it would be disingenuous for me to comment on something that I wasn’t a part of or wasn’t around. I don’t know anything about that. But, what he had displayed to me since I came in here in February is a guy who’s willing to work and who wanted to get better as a player – demonstrated that through his work ethic in the weight room, the training room and the offseason and was rewarded for that change, if you will, being voted captain by his teammates. I can’t get into the other part of it, but what he has displayed to me is the kind of developing maturity that a young player needs going forward to be successful in this league. That’s what I’ve seen out of him. Going forward, I would think that would continue."

On what variables he will consider in which wide receivers will be active:

"What variables?"

On what he will be looking for on the practice field:

"No. 1, the number of reps they get and how they handle the implementation of the game plan, in terms of the mental aspect of it. And, as we go forward, because we have a little bit of a void at the running spot, then that will factor into it. There are some things we’ll look for. The common denominator is how they work this week and how they learn the game plan and what situations we think they would be of some use to us."

On WR Isaac Bruce’s play this season:

"I’ve been happy and pleased and pleasantly surprised because I didn’t really know what to expect because I hadn’t seen that much of him. He’s a different player on game day. He knows how to play. He can make plays, and he’s provided the up-the-field plays for us that surprisingly have come from him. I wouldn’t have – I was hoping for that, but I wasn’t sure that would happen going in based on what I had seen or not seen up until this point."

On whether he expected someone at WR Isaac Bruce’s age to be able to do that much:

"I don’t think age has anything to do with it. I think the fact that over his career, the little bit that I know about watching him play, he has been somewhere between 14-16 yard average completion guy in his career. He had a plus-50 yard play over in Arizona, he had a plus-30 yard play the other night in Minnesota. He has made plays up the field that he has done, by the design of what we were trying to do and going into it, I just didn’t have enough information. I’ve had a feeling he could do that because he’s such a good player, but I’ve had no evidence to substantiate that."

On TE Vernon Davis’s good start and why he thinks TE Delanie Walker hasn’t been able to contribute as much in this offense:

"I think you are accurate that Vernon has gotten off to a good start and that position is far different than the position that Delanie plays, which is the F position. Though they both have the title of tight end, they both don’t play the tight end position. One is more of an H-Back or an F-Back and the other is an in-line tight end player, which is what Vernon is. So Delanie’s snaps are determined, basically by the personnel groups that we use and we’ve been more 21 personnel which is two backs, two wide receivers and a tight end, than we have been in the other personnel groups which leaves one back in the game and two tight ends and two wide receivers. So it’s a combination of personnel and it’s a combination of what we do in the game, in terms of what we think is best to win."

On how he would evaluate FB Moran Norris’s performance so far:

"He’s been very good. He is the one guy, and there are some others, but he is the one guy that we can count on, that I can count on and the team can count on to bring physicality to the game. He will run into people and hit them hard and aside from the fact that he has been a tempo-setter for us in terms of the physicality, he has made a couple plays in the passing game for us and he has one rush. I think he averages 15 or 16 yards a carry on one rush. He made a play coming out of the back of the end zone a couple of weeks ago against Seattle on a pass play. He made a play at Minnesota on a pass play. So those are bonuses for us with the other things that he does."

On whether he doesn’t believe in using four receivers:

"I don’t know if it’s a matter of not believing in it. I think what it does at this point, for us, it would stress us tremendously to have double open edges and four wide receivers and no threat to run the ball and put that kind of pass rush burden on our offensive line and on the quarterback. I think we would be entering into foreign territory at a point where we don’t need to. Now if it’s for some cosmetic purpose, to make somebody feel better, we could go spread out everybody and throw it all over the lot, but that’s not what we do. We have the ability to do that if for some reason, injury or a situation dictated that, we have that package. We have OT-1 as we refer to it and we have the four-wide package, but until such time as our development continues and we feel that is something vital to us, we’ll continue on the line we’re on."

Defensive Coordinator Greg Manusky

Post-Walk-Thru – October 1, 2009

San Francisco 49ers

On whether he will change his preparation based upon who will quarterback the Rams:

"I think you might prepare a little bit different based upon the quarterback you see from week to week. [QB Kyle] Boller is a good quarterback. He has played in this league a decent amount of years. You have to go back and watch the tape from when he performed in the preseason and judge him even when he played back there in Baltimore. Week to week, it is always different on different quarterbacks you play. So yeah, I think you do."

On whether uncertainty about the opponent’s quarterback creates more work for him:
"I think you go in there with your plan. You set the plan and then you have to adjust if certain situations arise in regards to another quarterback going in there and playing. I think you have to do that for any particular players out there, running back, wide receiver or whoever it might be. You have to adjust it from week to week and from first half to second half. You have to adjust it each and every week."

On who will match up against Rams T Jason Smith:

"A majority of the time, it will probably be [LB] Manny [Lawson]. A little bit of the time it will be [LB] Parys [Haralson]. We will get those guys in and [LB] Ahmad Brooks as well. We will try to get as much pressure on that side as well as the other side as well."

On whether Brooks’ performance last week has earned him more playing time:

"Sure. He was kind of hurt and banged up in the beginning of the year, but he seems to be healthy now with his knee. We are excited about him. The more pass rushers you have, the better off you are going to be, and that is what I’m excited about."

On the Rams offense:

"Spags [Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo] is trying to put it together. Over the years, he was with the Giants. They are working hard. It is the first year for them, and I think they are just trying to get their feet underneath them and do the West Coast offense like they know it. We are going to go in there and try to defend them."

On Rams RB Steven Jackson:

"He is a big plus. He is a good runner in this league. He has been for a couple of years now. It is the same thing like our offense, we focus it around [RB] Frank Gore and I think they do the same thing with Steven Jackson."

On whether the Rams run a true West Coast offense:

"I think they are. They are a West Coast offense. That is what I have seen on film."

On Boller’s ability to make the downfield pass:

"Across the board, I think any downfield passing game is highly important. You always want them to hit the check downs and things of that nature during the game. We always have our safeties back there and we always prepare for that deep ball because he can throw it. We have to take everything underneath that we have, and take that away as well."

On the force out rule in the NFL:

"That is the rule now and that is the way they turned it over this past year. If you force a guy out, we had an opportunity to force him out. [Vikings QB] Brett [Favre] made a hell of a play. The other kid made a heck of a catch. We will just move forward and move on."

On whether he instructs his players to play the man instead of the ball near the sidelines:

"It depends. I think from play to play, if you have the chance and ability to pick the ball off you would like to do that. At other times, if you have a chance to drive them out of bounds, I think that would be a good play too. So it is back and forth depending upon the play. When you see it during training camp, OTAs and preseason, and even during the regular season, you talk about those points."

On who was supposed to guard Vikings WR Greg Lewis on his touchdown reception:

"I think it was just the whole defense. We have to make sure we get pressure on the quarterback and get him down and not have the guy run back there like he did. Any blame that is going to be put on is from a team aspect and even from myself. We have to do a better job of it."

On what the defense could have done differently on the Vikings late touchdown:

"Sack Brett. That would have been better, make him fumble or something. It is a situation where Brett made a heck of a throw. The kid made a heck of a catch on the back side of the end zone. We are moving forward. We are moving on. We have a divisional opponent this week and we are looking forward to it."

On what he can learn from the Vikings late touchdown:

"You just have to try to get better. If that means a better call, or better something else, we try to do that."

On limiting big plays:

"The big thing is we don’t want any explosives. Over 25 yards, I think that is an explosive play. We are trying to limit them as much as we can from week to week."

On the defense’s ability to take away big passes so far this season:

"We have done okay."

On combating the opponent’s speed underneath:

"I think every week we focus on not giving up any deep balls then letting them hit the check downs. That is what you want to do as a defensive unit. You want to give them limited ability to hit the deep balls. We have kind of limited some teams to it, and sometimes we haven’t. We are just going to try to keep playing better."

On the defense’s play last week:

"We played hard, physical up front. There were a lot of great performances by a decent amount of players up front, the secondary as well as the linebackers. We had some chances to put our hands on some balls. We have to make those plays when they come to us. That is what we have to do."