Originally posted by SFrush:
Originally posted by Giedi:
Originally posted by Hoovtrain:
Originally posted by FL9er:
Gotta have the corners to play more man. Don't think we do at the moment.
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I think TH has been mentioning that and wanting to see it. Need to get some guys that can do both .
Even if you had the DB's, once a QB scrambles, with a talent like Mahomes, I don't know if even great DB's could have stopped those plays. I think it has to start with the DLine and that DLine has to contain and get to Mahomes, because once those kinds of QB's escape the pocket - they become very dangerous. I saw Steve Young, by himself, win games because he could do it all - run or pass. It's also the way the rules are set up too. The QB is pretty much protected and has the advantage, in my opinion, once he escapes the pocket. I think you almost have to blitz one way or the other (by guessing) to stop those plays - because if you sit back and play conventional defense - those mobile QB's will escape time and time again and burn the DB's.
Yeah some people may want more man coverage but then you'll have more defenders with their backs turned against mobile QB's. Then what?
Originally posted by Giedi:
Originally posted by NCommand:
Originally posted by thl408:
Originally posted by NCommand:
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I agree with the premise of the article, although I don't think using that 3rd & 15 is a good example of why the defense needs to be able to play man more effectively. Like Geidi mentioned, playing man against elusive QBs is playing with fire. If an elusive QB escapes the pocket, then man coverage can get you in trouble since it's difficult to play man for over 4 seconds.
I had suggested the defense be capable of playing man coverage better, but the foundation of this defense is zone. And it makes a lot of sense to be this way with the strength of the defense being the DL. I do think that with better man CBs, mixed with creative blitz packages, it can be a good way to change things up against mobile QBs at certain points within a game. If the 49ers do some honest self scouting, I think they will see that playing man coverage more effectively would add a new dimension that they can go to in key situations.
With Sherman probably slowing down physically, asking him to play more man wouldn't be playing to his strength. So the 2020 defense could be more of the same (very zone heavy). Perhaps start keeping an eye out for more athletic CBs so that once Sherman hangs them up, there's a new crop of 49er CBs that can play both man and zone reasonably well. Like Hero said, the really good man CB prospects go round 1. It would be a big commitment of draft capital to go that route, but I think it's possible to get a couple CBs that can do a little bit of both well enough that the front 4 makes them better than they actually are.
Well said thl...fully agree here.
Excellent post THL, I agree, and share in agreement with the Article's premise also but your point is very good. I also wanted DB help in this years draft, but unfortunately the draft wasn't apparently very deep in DB's. I remember Walsh in 81 just loading up on DB's and getting Fred Dean in the regular season, and that really sealed the deal and our first super bowl win.
I think John Lynch has a bit of a bias against DB's, and it's a bit of a worry. He's stated time and time again, that if you have a great D LIne, you don't need excellent DB athletes back there. I think this bias revealed it's weaknesses in the super bowl where once the QB escapes and buys time, you now need the DB's to hold up in pass coverage (as impossible as that sounds vs Mahomes).
We couldn't have won the first two super bowls without great DB's in Ronnie Lott and Eric Wright. I think John has to revisit his defensive philosophy to include drafting better DB athletes that can keep up with the Tyreeks and the Julio's that are out there. Otherwise, we'll be in the same spot as last time if we meet the Chiefs again in the playoffs.
Originally posted by NCommand:
Originally posted by thl408:
Originally posted by NCommand:
I agree with the premise of the article, although I don't think using that 3rd & 15 is a good example of why the defense needs to be able to play man more effectively. Like Geidi mentioned, playing man against elusive QBs is playing with fire. If an elusive QB escapes the pocket, then man coverage can get you in trouble since it's difficult to play man for over 4 seconds.
I had suggested the defense be capable of playing man coverage better, but the foundation of this defense is zone. And it makes a lot of sense to be this way with the strength of the defense being the DL. I do think that with better man CBs, mixed with creative blitz packages, it can be a good way to change things up against mobile QBs at certain points within a game. If the 49ers do some honest self scouting, I think they will see that playing man coverage more effectively would add a new dimension that they can go to in key situations.
With Sherman probably slowing down physically, asking him to play more man wouldn't be playing to his strength. So the 2020 defense could be more of the same (very zone heavy). Perhaps start keeping an eye out for more athletic CBs so that once Sherman hangs them up, there's a new crop of 49er CBs that can play both man and zone reasonably well. Like Hero said, the really good man CB prospects go round 1. It would be a big commitment of draft capital to go that route, but I think it's possible to get a couple CBs that can do a little bit of both well enough that the front 4 makes them better than they actually are.
Well said thl...fully agree here.
Altho i didnt make a big deal out of it pre draft, one of the 4 obvious needs was a cover corner. Perhaps i knew but never really acknowledged that if you really want a cover corner you are talking about a top 3-5 pick . Otherwise you are just getting a corner. But man or cover corner....entirely different animal and no way in Hades were we going to come up with a #3-5 pick, let alone burn that pick on a cover corner when we just lost the heart of our DL and desperately needed IOL help...and altho 4th on my list, yes, we needed one of the 3 top WRs, or as it turned out, Aiyuc. Well our guys did pretty dam well with both Kinlaw and Aiyuc, somehow getting two of their top 2 wants and needs.
Wishing for a cover corner was just nutty, because that is a rarity , and requiring a pick we didn't have....top 3. Also our other needs were so much greater. Still KS/JL knocked it out of th park, getting two of our 4 biggest needs and then with Joe's retirement, used trades to bring big Trent here to make up for Joe's loss. That is a lot of doing, and i am grateful for it.
Any talk about a cover corner, however, is limited by the fact there rarely is one there and if so, we are talking prime draft real estate. In that instance, a very very good DT to Fill in the huge hole left by DeFo, is way more important than a cover corner. BEsides, there was barely one cover corner there. And was he good enough? Probabaly not. So we just do without and let the front end of the D determine how good our D is. Front 7 is truly superb. But for it to excel we have to have 4 STUDS on the DL, and Kinlaw will have to take some time to somewhat resemble what Buck did. So my wanting a cover corner wasn't realistic, it was more a desire than a true want...because we just didin't have the chips for the cover corner, and even then, was he good enough.
I am just delighted with the way things played out, and realize now wishing for a Cover corner prior to draft was just pure folly.. ...and who ever thot of TW ending up here with Joe's retirement which we ended up knowing post facto.? When you add that into our first two picks, our guys did fantastic. Job well done! Cover corner ? Fuggedaboudit. That's for another day (or yr).
