As we're all well aware of it's a quarterback driven league, and the rules of the NFL are set up in favor of the offense. Without a franchise quarterback it's extremely difficult to make it to the Super Bowl. The equalizer? An overwhelming pass rush. The 2019 49ers were the last equalizer to make it to the Super Bowl, but came up short against the Chiefs franchise quarterback. The 2021 49ers are looking to be that equalizer again until the franchise is ready. By upgrading the two players behind Ford and Bosa with Ebukam and Key, the 49ers have set themselves up once again to come at quarterbacks in waves.
The interior of this defensive line looks to be stouter than the 2019 version, and this may be by design. The 49ers are set up for trench warfare by adding hogs Kerr and Hurst to their resigning of Jones, insulating themselves from injuries in the most dangerous area of the field. I have a hard time believing any team is going to be able to find much success on the ground against this defense. That plays right into Kocurek's 9 line freight train to the quarterback on 3rd downs. All aboard!
Nice drop, Scooter.
ReplyDeleteI firmly believe that a great football team must start in the trenches. You build from the inside first and foremost.
A strong argument could be made that our SB loses may have had more to do with the defense
While much credit is given (well deserved) to the defense in 2012 and 2019 for getting us to the SB, they did not play to their regular season standard in the Superbowl.
In those two SB games had the defense held Baltimore and the Chiefs to one less score the outcome might have been much different.
If we are going to make a SB run this year our defense will not only need to be strong in the regular season, they will need to carry that strong play over in postseason - especially the Superbowl.
This one is from razor, but definitely agree it's a good read!
DeleteThe DL looks to be stacked.
Thanks Scooter, good read Razor.
DeleteI'd like to see Arden Key go up against the Chiefs 1st team Oline.
He was really good at LSU, but the LSU defense was stocked with very players as well.
Thanks guys. AES, our 2019 defense wore down a little bit there at the end for sure.
DeleteNot sure if an offense that scores just 20 points in a Super Bowl can point the finger at the D.
DeleteI'd still maintain that the main reason that the Niners lost the Super Bowl is that Spagnulo neutralized the Niners' run game for most of the game, exposing the inadequate pass pro to third and long situations where Chris Jones dominated.
That and not calling all the holding on Bosa.
DeleteMy optimism is tempered by taking into consideration how susceptible we are to injuries this season on defense. I mean (Knocking on wood), but if Jason Verett and Nick Bosa go down mid-season, this defense might not be very effective.
ReplyDeleteSo lets wait and watch! :) Go9ers!
Losing a player of that caliber would cripple most defenses. The good thing is on this defense you still have Warner and the surprise, surprise Ford!
DeleteWhat did I tell you guys about my boy - LB JONAS GRIFFITH? He's everywhere! His ceiling is very, very high, and he's clearly got the inside track on this final roster!
DeleteI'd view this preseason game as Lance's GPS game -- especially from the coaches' viewpoint. By playing Lance with the second string offense that will have more rookies and young players, they can check on which rung Lance is currently on the leadership ladder directing the players in and out of the huddle.
ReplyDelete49ers have a LOT of starters sitting this one out, and some key backups. Taking things very carefully.
ReplyDeleteAnd in that first Lance drive we get a nice play ruined by an Aiyuk drop and proof positive of why the team needs Banks to play his way into the starting lineup.
ReplyDeleteI'm not ready to panic about our glaring lack of depth on the OL ... but I'm getting there! Holy Cow, what a mess! In all honesty, it's bad enough to cost us dearly this season, IMO! It could be the difference. That, and our below average Special Teams!
DeleteRICHARD HIGHTOWER better be on the HOT SEAT!
DeleteI DO NOT think Richie James Jr. deserves a roster spot, and that's too bad because I used to root really hard for the kid. I see a serious lack of urgency / effort!
DeleteKyle certainly didn't do Trey Lance any favors tonight. My thing is ... it's OK to have him face some adversity, as long as he doesn't get hurt (knock on wood). The problem is the backup OL is very weak, and they are leaving him exposed!
DeleteI am very concerned about our OL guys!
DeleteYah, I'm a little disappointed in Kyle Shanahan tonight, if I'm being honest. Seems like he went out of his way to make things tough on the kid, and I don't think that serves Trey very well, this early in his development. Just poor play calling, IMO, behind an obviously poor backup OL.
DeleteIn fact, if he sticks Lance out there again in the 3rd QTR, behind this poor excuse for a backup OL, I'm done with Kyle for the night! I'd rather watch the Giants, than a sloppy, overmatched OL doing their best to get their new franchise QB killed!
DeleteKyle Shanahan has been outcoached tonight, by Steve Spagnuolo!
DeleteFACT!
Outcoached? Its preseason, get a grip.
DeleteAnd yes, Shanahan intentionally put Lance in difficult situations. They wanted to see how he handled it, and didn't want to give away plans for what they'll do with him during the season. That's what preseason is.
One more thing .... how is TRAVIS BENJAMIN still on this roster? He is washed up, and he was never much good even in his prime!
DeleteFirst preseason game or not, I'm not going to be handing out very good grades tonight, how about you guys?
I am all about putting young players in a position to slowly but steadily build up confidence early on, not making things as difficult as possible from the go, and having my mobile young prized rookie taking hard shots in the pocket. Lance had very few chances to succeed tonight, and nearly got his head knocked off! How many times was he hit tonight? Not particularly good for development, IMO!
DeleteAnd to be clear Scooter, I could care less about the score, or who wins this game. I care about the development of Trey Lance. If Kyle's common sense matched his incredible football knowledge, I'd feel much better about the situation.
DeleteI actually saw Trey start to develop some bad habits tonight. Nothing major, but definitely some minor issues. And who could blame him after being put behind a joke of a OL without first establishing the run.
DeleteI don't have any idea why you would think that's good for his development, Scooter, but I get the feeling you would go down swinging in defense of Kyle, regardless of the situation.
He's getting a D- grade from me tonight. He did nothing to evolve the QB situation tonight. Nothing. Not a single thing productive as far as I could tell.
DeleteThankfully, our defense, including a lot of our backups, look good tonight. DEMECO RYANS is definitely grading out very nicely tonight in my book. B+/A-
DeleteI understand there is very little game-planning going on tonight. But I have no idea what Kyle was trying to accomplish with Trey tonight in terms of play calling. That's how you get a young QB hurt.
DeleteAnd that's how you actually stunt a young QB's growth, IMO.
DeleteAnd if they do the Rams a big favor and cut Jamycal Hasty, I'm going to be upset., because the Rams will claim him for sure, and he's a perfect fit for their team!
DeleteWhy not go for a 2 point conversion there? Kyle, what are you thinking?
DeleteNow the game might go overtime!
DeleteOh that's right, no such thing as preseason overtime anymore.
DeleteDude, you seriously overreact to everything. If this game results in bad habits from Lance, or stunts his growth, he isn't the QB they think he is. Stop being melodramatic.
DeleteYes, it sucks that the OL isn't good. They did keep the starting unit out there for one drive, but after that it was all backups and it showed. But Lance handled himself well until the 2 minute drill. Something he hasn't really done before, and he got two shots at it tonight. Good learning for him.
They didn't incorporate any designed runs, and they didn't move the pocket. Two things they would do if/ when he plays in the regular season. But absolutely no point in putting that on film right now.
And BTW, the Justin Fields talk is coming. Then again, Matt Nagy put his young QB in a much better position today than Kyle did, IMO.
DeleteThat's fine Scooter. You can defend Kyle all you want. I would expect nothing less from you.
DeleteAnd yes, there absolutely is a reason to put those things on film now. If you told me we would would hardly see Kyle call any zone/reads tonight for Lance, especially considering how poorly the backup OL's wetre playing, I would have laughed. But sure enough, Kyle hung his young QB out to dry tonight, IMO.
DeleteIt seemed obvious to me that Kyle was more interested in putting the breaks on the Lance hype train tonight, than actually putting his young QB into a position to succeed. And it worked so well, the he almost got his young QB's head knocked off in the process.
DeleteAnd the narrative after tonight is probably this: Trey Lance flashes, but ultimately has a lot of growing to do. And that's a bunch of BS, IMO. I doubt even Tom Brady could have done much with those play calls and lack of protection from the Niners' OL tonight.
DeleteI want Trey to be the Niners' starter beginning week 1. But I get the feeling Kyle's planning on going a different direction because this was not how you get him ready to start week 1, IMO. The biggest argument in favor of Trey Lance over Justin Fields, should be that Trey is more prepared to start and succeed early in his career, be cause of the drastic difference in the offenses they ran in college. However, today we saw Matt Nagy do a better job of putting Fields in a position to succeed, and to me, that's a good thing. That's what you want to do if you truly believe he gives your team the best chance to win. Meanwhile, Kyle is still protecting Jimmy G at the expense of preparing Trey to start week 1, IMO. And I find that to be troubling!
One more observation: Aaron Banks has to be a MAJOR disappointment at this point. I truly believe ShanaLynch expected Banks to come in and at least compete with Brunskill at RG early on. However, Banks is currently an absolute non-factor, and he certainly won't be pushing Brunskill anytime soon, and that has to be a major disappointment for the 49ers braintrust.
DeleteOn the flip side, how about the rookie Safety - Talanoa Hufanga? Now that's a hungry football player who simply won't be denied! All of the reports of Hufanga being the first guy in in the building and the last guy out in the evening, are obviously true. He is a brilliant DB from the neck up and it's really paying off already.
It's not defending Shanahan. It's pointing out that this is preseason. What they do in practice is waaaaay more important. This was just an opportunity to get Lance some live action in real game situations. But vanilla offense, and unfortunately some poor OL play and a lot of drops.
DeleteWhat we saw was exciting. But he struggled with the two minute drills. And he he got fooled by some coverages. Rookie stuff he needs to see and learn.
Spags figured out very early on that Kyle wasn't going to utilize Lance's mobility, so Spags dialed up pressure on every play. Trey played rushed because he was rushed. His average time to throw was not sufficient and he got rattled because of it. This happens to QB's of all levels of experience. If you don't protect your young QB, he's not going to get better. Kyle would have served Trey much better tonight by allowing him to use his mobility to force the Chiefs defense to respect it, rather than just pinning their ears back and rushing extra guys on every snap.
DeleteAs for putting it on tape? As if defensive coordinators haven't seen it before? Do you think the Detroit Lions are going to find more success against the Niners if the Niners ran a few zone/reads tonight? Lol. FYI, the zone)read has been featured in the NFL for years now, and DC's already understand the concept of defending against it. By putting it on tape, you're actually forcing them to prepare for it. In fact, the earlier you put it on tape in the preseason, the tougher it is for opponents to prepare for it come opening day.
Playing to Trey's strengths accomplishes multiple things. It helps him avoid Taking unnecessary hits, so your not exposing him to blindsided hits. It also allows him to dictate the way defenses are trying to defend him, which is a key to any QB's success. Kyle may as well have been calling plays for Mac Jones tonight.
In terms of Trey Lance's development, this was a waste of a preseason game, IMO. And that's a shame because there are less of them this season, and Kyle's young QB needs all the positive real game experience he can get. Tonight's preseason game was successful in many ways, just not very successful in terms of developing the QB position, IMO.
DeleteYeah... Lance can throw that rock!
ReplyDeleteMan, the WRs are really struggling to bring in some very catchable balls here. That throw to James couldn't be any better.
ReplyDeleteThought they should have done it this year, but next year Hightower has to be upgraded.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Jennings and Sherfield gained some good ground for themselves in the roster race.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like how the Oline was getting pushed around. The defense was a little to weak up the middle. And the special teams downfield coverage was lacking.
It's the first preseason game and only a glorified practice. The practices against the Chargers this coming week will add better clarity from the player and coaches perspective.