I was poking around the Internet last night and I came across a Mike Sando post from a couple days ago over at ESPN. In the article, Sando mentions how new 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio stated that he hasn't watched a lot of tape of the 49ers defensive players. Sando followed up on that with Jim Harbaugh, and Coach Harbaugh said:
"Vic's point is a truism in that you don't know how they were always coached," Harbaugh said. "You can see them react on a play, you can see them do a technique, but you don't know exactly how that technique was coached, you don't know exactly what they were coached to do. So, you can watch the tape, but you can't make a permanent judgment on somebody because you don't exactly know what they were supposed to do."
It's nice to want to form opinions on your own, but does the 2011 NFL Lockout pt a crimp in those plans? I realize we seem to be considering the impact of the lockout on just about every topic here, but it really does have a far-reaching impact. In the case of Coach Fangio's comments, what if the lockout drags into August? Even if the season starts on time, how quickly can Fangio accurately forge opinions on the various defensive players?
I'm sure Fangio's veteran coaching experience puts him in a better position than a rookie defensive coordinator. Nonetheless, I'm curious how he can best assess this team in these unique circumstances. I know some folks here have done a little coaching at the high school level. It's not quite the same as preparing for an NFL season, but those kinds of somewhat informed opinions could provide some needed clarity.