Coach - Steve Wilks thread | Page 28

Aug 1, 2023 at 9:14 AM

thl408
Moderator
Posts: 32,811

Originally posted by lamontb:
I like the slot CB blitzes a lot better than safety blitz. Seems like the safety is always coming from so far away that the qb has time to read the blitz and make the correct read. Where ass the slot cb usually catches the qb by surprise. Or A gap blitzes that put immediate pressure right in the qb's face. Gonna be interesting. Sounds like our corners will see more man to man.

It does seem like the slot CB blitz is a easily disguised area to blitz from. Blitzing an off the ball LB is tricky because the LB has to time it correctly, not creep up too early, to not give away the blitz. QBs are taught to key the safeties postsnap so QBs may see the safety coming. But blitzing the slot CB that is in a press alignment can be well hidden, and coming from the slot, is close to the QB in distance.

Wilks is known to back up his blitz with zone coverage (fire zones). There are a few articles from 3+ years ago charting this. But that was over 3 years ago so we'll have to see for ourselves how he plans on using this 49er defense.

Aug 1, 2023 at 9:18 AM

#407

OnTheClock
Hall of Fame
Posts: 36,686

Originally posted by thl408:
Originally posted by lamontb:
I like the slot CB blitzes a lot better than safety blitz. Seems like the safety is always coming from so far away that the qb has time to read the blitz and make the correct read. Where ass the slot cb usually catches the qb by surprise. Or A gap blitzes that put immediate pressure right in the qb's face. Gonna be interesting. Sounds like our corners will see more man to man.

It does seem like the slot CB blitz is a easily disguised area to blitz from. Blitzing an off the ball LB is tricky because the LB has to time it correctly, not creep up too early, to not give away the blitz. QBs are taught to key the safeties postsnap so QBs may see the safety coming. But blitzing the slot CB that is in a press alignment can be well hidden, and coming from the slot, is close to the QB in distance.

Wilks is known to back up his blitz with zone coverage (fire zones). There are a few articles from 3+ years ago charting this. But that was over 3 years ago so we'll have to see for ourselves how he plans on using this 49er defense.

I'm a big fan of fire zones. I think they're super effective if it's an instance where you know things are condensed and the QB has to get it out fast but you hope that giving him a lot of moving pieces to think about in that short span can lead to a turnover or at minimum an incompletion. I think that's what Wilks has been referencing when he says there's instances where you don't want to just sit back and where you want to use your resources on D to dictate the play.

Aug 1, 2023 at 7:13 PM

#408

plummerfan
Veteran
Posts: 575

Lets Go! I read reports that hes hands on and I hope this is the missing piece to the coaching.... This is the 49ers YEAR! Lets Go!

[ Edited by plummerfan on Aug 1, 2023 at 7:14 PM ]

Aug 1, 2023 at 9:14 PM

#409

ritz126
Veteran
Posts: 3,876

Originally posted by plummerfan:
Lets Go! I read reports that hes hands on and I hope this is the missing piece to the coaching.... This is the 49ers YEAR! Lets Go!

i dont think we've really had missing pieces in coaching

Aug 2, 2023 at 3:21 PM

#410

thl408
Moderator
Posts: 32,811

Originally posted by OnTheClock:

Originally posted by thl408:

Originally posted by lamontb:
I like the slot CB blitzes a lot better than safety blitz. Seems like the safety is always coming from so far away that the qb has time to read the blitz and make the correct read. Where ass the slot cb usually catches the qb by surprise. Or A gap blitzes that put immediate pressure right in the qb's face. Gonna be interesting. Sounds like our corners will see more man to man.

It does seem like the slot CB blitz is a easily disguised area to blitz from. Blitzing an off the ball LB is tricky because the LB has to time it correctly, not creep up too early, to not give away the blitz. QBs are taught to key the safeties postsnap so QBs may see the safety coming. But blitzing the slot CB that is in a press alignment can be well hidden, and coming from the slot, is close to the QB in distance.

Wilks is known to back up his blitz with zone coverage (fire zones). There are a few articles from 3+ years ago charting this. But that was over 3 years ago so we'll have to see for ourselves how he plans on using this 49er defense.

I'm a big fan of fire zones. I think they're super effective if it's an instance where you know things are condensed and the QB has to get it out fast but you hope that giving him a lot of moving pieces to think about in that short span can lead to a turnover or at minimum an incompletion. I think that's what Wilks has been referencing when he says there's instances where you don't want to just sit back and where you want to use your resources on D to dictate the play.

This is about what coverage Wilks plays when blitzing. I went back to chart the blitzes that Wilks dialed up vs the 49ers in 2022 when he was DC for CAR. I counted 8 blitzes when the 49ers went back to pass - 3 were backed with zone, 5 were backed with man coverage (three times Cover1 blitz, two times Cover0).
Very small sample since it's just a game, but I suppose the takeaway is he's fairly balanced - man and zone when blitzing. Below are the three fire zones. To your bolded point, all three of these fire zones occurred when the 49ers were in condensed formations (no WRs aligned outside the numbers).

*this is about Wilks' coverages. If anyone talks about QBs, it's banhammer time.

Aug 2, 2023 at 3:26 PM

#411

49erFaithful6
Veteran
Posts: 32,898

Originally posted by ritz126:

Originally posted by plummerfan:
Lets Go! I read reports that hes hands on and I hope this is the missing piece to the coaching.... This is the 49ers YEAR! Lets Go!

i dont think we've really had missing pieces in coaching

Yup, but Wilks is gonna take it to new heights. I think he's the best of an elite bunch, just a hunch. You see how he teaches, how he talks to guys, it's impressive. He can help where we need it the most, the back end. The front seven, is already locked and loaded. We are giving him a lot of young talent, at DB, and he's one of the best, at working with those guys.

Aug 2, 2023 at 3:32 PM

#412

49erFaithful6
Veteran
Posts: 32,898

Originally posted by thl408:
This is about what coverage Wilks plays when blitzing. I went back to chart the blitzes that Wilks dialed up vs the 49ers in 2022 when he was DC for CAR. I counted 8 blitzes when the 49ers went back to pass - 3 were backed with zone, 5 were backed with man coverage (three times Cover1 blitz, two times Cover0).
Very small sample since it's just a game, but I suppose the takeaway is he's fairly balanced - man and zone when blitzing. Below are the three fire zones. To your bolded point, all three of these fire zones occurred when the 49ers were in condensed formations (no WRs aligned outside the numbers).

*this is about Wilks' coverages. If anyone talks about QBs, it's banhammer time.

This is it, thl. If we pull a 2000 Ravens, it doesn't matter who the QB is

Aug 2, 2023 at 3:42 PM

#413

thl408
Moderator
Posts: 32,811

One aspect of having a blitzing reputation is that creeper blitzes will be more effective because the defense can give a presnap pressure look, make the offense genuienly fear the blitz, then drop 7 while rushing a LB and dropping a DE into coverage. This forces the RB to stay in for blitz pickup since he sees a LB blitzing, and now there are 20% less routes for 7 defenders to cover.
#98 dropping to the strongside hook in this Cover2 is a DE. There was a camp report that Drake was seen dropping back to cover on a simulated blitz (creeper blitz).