Solomon Thomas, DT

Originally posted by NCommand:
Still a 1T right? Not two gapping.

2T

but yep, not two-gapping

Originally posted by thl408:

Originally posted by Heroism:

In a base and snickel wide 9, the 49ers will still use a nose, but he won't play 1tech. He'll play 2tech.

Are either or both of the DTs in a base wide 9 ever asked to two gap?

Yes. The interior guys 2 gap in wide 9.

Originally posted by jonnydel:
Yes. The interior guys 2 gap in wide 9.

Ahh, I didn't know that. There you have it.

Originally posted by jonnydel:

Originally posted by thl408:

Originally posted by Heroism:

In a base and snickel wide 9, the 49ers will still use a nose, but he won't play 1tech. He'll play 2tech.

Are either or both of the DTs in a base wide 9 ever asked to two gap?

Yes. The interior guys 2 gap in wide 9.

Are any of you guys worried about the wide-9? I thought it made you very susceptible to good running teams? Would love a quick comment.

Originally posted by Oakland-Niner:
Are any of you guys worried about the wide-9? I thought it made you very susceptible to good running teams? Would love a quick comment.

It should help against most of the teams within the division, most notably the Rams. Wide 9 is an outside zone killer.

Originally posted by Heroism:

Originally posted by Oakland-Niner:

Are any of you guys worried about the wide-9? I thought it made you very susceptible to good running teams? Would love a quick comment.

It should help against most of the teams within the division, most notably the Rams. Wide 9 is an outside zone killer.

Noted and makes sense, but do you think it's less effective compared to a traditional formations/line against the run. I mean, I guess if we are up against obvious run formations we won't use it. I assume we can jump in and out of it with ease? Like when we ran a base 3-4, but often showed a 4-3 under look?

Originally posted by jonnydel:

Originally posted by thl408:

Originally posted by Heroism:
In a base and snickel wide 9, the 49ers will still use a nose, but he won't play 1tech. He'll play 2tech.

Are either or both of the DTs in a base wide 9 ever asked to two gap?

Yes. The interior guys 2 gap in wide 9.

Does that favor AA over Thomas when the team is in wide 9? I mean does that mean AA is somewhat more likely to line up with Buckner at tackle when they are in wide 9?

Originally posted by Heroism:

Originally posted by jonnydel:

Yes. The interior guys 2 gap in wide 9.

Ahh, I didn't know that. There you have it.

Really? It sounds like all 1 gap attack based on what Chris Wilson noted which is why we're seeing Day in Mitchell's old role. Good spot for him. Shoot the gap and wreck the backfield. At most, the NT is used in 2-gap to free up the 3T and W9's.

At the same time if you have both ends W9, I could see the interior first needing to read before exploding...not just pinning their ears back.

I'm cornfused.

Originally posted by 49erphan:

Does that favor AA over Thomas when the team is in wide 9? I mean does that mean AA is somewhat more likely to line up with Buckner at tackle when they are in wide 9?

He already is. And if true, that would be why.

Originally posted by Heroism:

I got blessed by an angel. We were talking on the last page about the nose, and Saleh basically confirmed what I posted. There's still a nose on the field in base wide 9 fronts as a 2technique. And that man will be DJ Jones!

When you watch practice now there's no one lining up over the center. Do you still use a nose tackle?

There's still a nose. Instead of being over the center, he's over the inside portion of the guard. The wider you put him, the more you're protecting what we call the bubble B gap, the gap. It just makes that more condensed.

Does it require a quicker player, like D.J. Jones, to play there?
Our entire front, because we're a 4-3, you don't have your Vince Wilforks or those big, plodding guys. You needed quick-footed, good-balanced players like a Brandon Mebane. That's kind of who I compare D.J. to. He's not as big yet, but … yeah, you want versatile interior d-linemen, so he's a nose, not a traditional nose in the 3-4, but traditional in the way that we play it.

I remember arguing with people on here who said we barely use a NT... Guess I was right all along?

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by Heroism:

Originally posted by jonnydel:

Yes. The interior guys 2 gap in wide 9.

Ahh, I didn't know that. There you have it.

Really? It sounds like all 1 gap attack based on what Chris Wilson noted which is why we're seeing Day in Mitchell's old role. Good spot for him. Shoot the gap and wreck the backfield. At most, the NT is used in 2-gap to free up the 3T and W9's.

At the same time if you have both ends W9, I could see the interior first needing to read before exploding...not just pinning their ears back.

I'm cornfused.

Remember, we're not rolling this out as our new base, but a wrinkle in our base. This is all, really, to get ford and bosa on the field in base more. You're not going to put Ford at LEO in a 4-3 under/over.

I dont see us doing it vs Seattle hardly at all. But LA? All that wide zone and passing, yep.

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by Heroism:

Originally posted by jonnydel:
Yes. The interior guys 2 gap in wide 9.

Ahh, I didn't know that. There you have it.

Really? It sounds like all 1 gap attack based on what Chris Wilson noted which is why we're seeing Day in Mitchell's old role. Good spot for him. Shoot the gap and wreck the backfield. At most, the NT is used in 2-gap to free up the 3T and W9's.

At the same time if you have both ends W9, I could see the interior first needing to read before exploding...not just pinning their ears back.

I'm cornfused.

Are there stunts with a tackle and an LB where they can each take a gap? Probably a little risky, but with, say, AA two gapping one side and Buckner and Alexander or Warner stunting, I could see where one of them could have a fair chance of getting to the backfield quick. Which would be a good thing - as long as they get to the right part of the backfield really quick.

Originally posted by 49erphan:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by Heroism:

Originally posted by jonnydel:

Yes. The interior guys 2 gap in wide 9.

Ahh, I didn't know that. There you have it.

Really? It sounds like all 1 gap attack based on what Chris Wilson noted which is why we're seeing Day in Mitchell's old role. Good spot for him. Shoot the gap and wreck the backfield. At most, the NT is used in 2-gap to free up the 3T and W9's.

At the same time if you have both ends W9, I could see the interior first needing to read before exploding...not just pinning their ears back.

I'm cornfused.

Are there stunts with a tackle and an LB where they can each take a gap? Probably a little risky, but with, say, AA two gapping one side and Buckner and Alexander or Warner stunting, I could see where one of them could have a fair chance of getting to the backfield quick. Which would be a good thing - as long as they get to the right part of the backfield really quick.

I genuinely don't know. From what Chris said, Kocurek comes from the lineage of using 2 W9's to give his ER's more space and angles to funnel runs back inside esp. against OZ runs and to stress the T's in pass protection. He doesn't do it just on predictable 3rd down passing plays like Saleh did. He likes to use it on base downs too which lends to Saleh's comments about being less predictable (thank God). My guess is he has at least 1 ER on the field at all times in case of a pass call.

As far as stunts? I don't see why not. Loops just start out wider or crash down to give the edge to a looping interior rusher on the edge. Buckner and the team of interior players will be crucial as will the 3 off ball LB's filling the correct gaps early.

This is from an article by Cam Inman in the newsfeed about today's camp: "Defensive tackle Solomon Thomas looks as great as he says he's feeling. "I'm mentally free, physically free and ready to go," said Thomas, who was "deep in the middle of a grieving phase" last season after losing his sister to suicide.
Helping Thomas restore his mental health was general manager John Lynch. "He's meant the world to me, from being in my first class at Stanford, drafting me and reaching out at the hardest time in my life," Thomas said. "I can't thank him enough.".

I suspect that like every other business the NFL has a lot to do with personal relationships. Given their background together and the 49ers need to improve their defense after the 2016 season I imagine that, in spite of what all the wannabee GM's in here say, that there is almost no way that Lynch doesn't make this pick. One of the things he often mentioned in his first season was the need to reinvent the culture in the locker room. I can't help but think he believed Thomas was exactly the type of player he had in mind for that purpose. Lynch went on record last year saying that Thomas would need to start stepping up this year and show that he can be the player they drafted him to be. Hopefully, with some time behind him now to process what happened in his personal life and with the addition of a couple of pass rushing ends he will be able to maximize his snaps this year.

I suspect he and Armstead are both playing for their careers as 49ers this season. Armstead didn't get extended and is playing on his fifth year option. Thomas still has a couple of years left on his rookie deal but with Buckner due for a big payday, and money already spent on Ford I suspect the team will be looking really closely at all of their D-lineman this year, trying to figure out who they may want to pay down the road.

Just woke up from a two year coma. How's our number 3 pick solly doing ?!!