Cards week 3 coaches film analysis

The 49ers came out with a short passing attack and was targeting a certain defender with the short routes: #50 Larry Foote (34 years old)

1st Pass of game
Crabs will push his defender clear for SJ to work on Foote. From the pre-snap alignment, Foote has inside shade on SJ. SJ's route, which breaks to the outside, is a win.




Measly +4 gain, or standard ball control passing?


----------------------------
(not shown) 2nd pass attempt: ARI came with a 5 man blitz and Kap completed a +10 pass to SJ.
-----------------------------

3rd Pass attempt
Crabs will push his defender back, then curl towards #50.


Kap already in throwing motion as Crabs curls his route.


Crabs for +5.

------------------------------

4th Passing attempt
Ellington clears the area for Crabs to work. #50 has inside shade on Crabs. Crabs route breaks outwards. Easy win for Crabs.




#50 has no chance. Gain of +10 for Crabs.



With ARI having strong CBs, the 49ers were clearly targeting the weakness of the ARI pass defense coming out of the gate - a 34 year old LB who has no chance against SJ and Crabs.

Ah damn jonnydel. I was also cutting up the Crabs 10 yard gain (4th passing attempt). Glad we saw the same thing.

Originally posted by thl408:

The 49ers came out with a short passing attack and was targeting a certain defender with the short routes: #50 Larry Foote (34 years old)

1st Pass of game
Crabs will push his defender clear for SJ to work on Foote. From the pre-snap alignment, Foote has inside shade on SJ. SJ's route, which breaks to the outside, is a win.




Measly +4 gain, or standard ball control passing?


----------------------------
(not shown) 2nd pass attempt: ARI came with a 5 man blitz and Kap completed a +10 pass to SJ.
-----------------------------

3rd Pass attempt
Crabs will push his defender back, then curl towards #50.


Kap already in throwing motion as Crabs curls his route.


Crabs for +5.

------------------------------

4th Passing attempt
Ellington clears the area for Crabs to work. #50 has inside shade on Crabs. Crabs route breaks outwards. Easy win for Crabs.




#50 has no chance. Gain of +10 for Crabs.



With ARI having strong CBs, the 49ers were clearly targeting the weakness of the ARI pass defense coming out of the gate - a 34 year old LB who has no chance against SJ and Crabs.

These are all examples of a short passing game we've been wanting since kap took over. This very good game planning and execution. When the OL gets heathy, and our ground attack resembles what it was, this type of controlled passing will be a perfect compliment.

Originally posted by NinerGM:

Originally posted by jonnydel:

Originally posted by NinerGM:

Originally posted by jonnydel:
Well that SUCKED again.


Offense, Greg Roman:
I know there's quite a few people who will disagree with me on this simply because you've already made up your mind about Roman but, I can't fault him for our offensive struggles in this game. He called a good game that consistently put our players in positions to succeed. Players gotta make plays - it's as simple as that. You are more than welcome to disagree with me but I couldn't find the evidence on film; of course I don't see everything, but that's what it looked like to me. We had plays to be made, guys didn't make plays. In our first 5 possessions we should've scored on all of them. But, we had 3 vital miscues that blew good opportunities that stalled drives and then had 30 yards of penalties after getting to the 5 yard line on the 5th.....(Boldin's bad one and then a stupid, bonehead clipping penalty).


The negatives on Offense: Martin and Boone continue to struggle gelling together. Martin played a terrible game, he missed blocks, got beat and had that stupid clipping penalty. Iupati struggled, at times, in space against Campbell; however, you do have to understand that Calais Campbell is Arizona's version of Justin Smith. He's a dominant player that is difficult for anyone to stop every time. But, Iupati does continue to show heavy feet at times.

It's hard to pinpoint what's going on with the offense because it's a lot of "little" things that can blow up plays and they're coming from almost everyone at some point. It's never the same thing over and over again. Which I think is why it's so hard to nail down what needs to be fixed because it's not like you can just say, "well we've got to make a change here".

As I was watching film it seemed, to me at least, that the biggest deficiency on that side of the ball is solid leadership to make each player better and consistently execute well. Michael Jordan made all those who played with him better and play at their best. We're not seeing that with our guys. We're seeing supremely talented players, guys who will dominate at times, have mental lapses, technique lapses and just get beat at times.

The plays are there to be made - we're just not making them.

Here's the problem I have with the argument that it's player execution .....

If this is true then let's say we lost because our players suck, and let's make the argument that we don't have the right players on offense on this team. I'm more than willing to hear that argument. The 49ers lost because our players simply don't execute Roman's offense. I guess my next question is are we talking about breaking down each play at a time, or are we also breaking down the context of each play. For example, is it a 3rd and 7 in the 4th quarter while trailing or is it 3rd down and 10 in the 1st and the game in tied 3-3. I'm just making that point that sometimes film study slows the game down and removes other important factors like rhythm, momentum, the impact of the play just previously, or the impact of the plays in the previous quarter. I just want to make sure the argument defending Roman via FILM is correct here.

Secondly, I'll say this; if our players consistently have trouble executing the plays they're asked who's at fault? If my boss continues to ask me to do work I fail at, at what point am I either asked to do something else or fired? In this case it's a little too late to "fire" players so what's the alternative? That's my problem. I'm not saying Roman's isn't calling play that could work, I'm asking if Roman is calling plays that most likely will work given the players he has. As others have said, you fight with the army you have TODAY and not fight with the army you'd like to have.

So we then have an impasse; either we ask the players to do something they will have a propensity to accomplish (whatever that might be and that's why we have an offensive "guru" in Harbaugh/Roman), or we continue to fail at what we would like to do.

If Martin and Boone continue to fail together and this is now documented over 2 games, why aren't we adjusting in game 3? If Solari, Roman and Harbaugh can't put there heads together to either coach these guys, help them OR think about alternative players/formations/etc., then I'd like to know what a coach does? Again, the offense might be great if everyone does their job perfectly, but when are the coaches going to start asking "maybe there's something different we can do when people aren't executing our plan perfectly."

But, I tried to point this out but I made not have said it clearly - I can write a little cluttered at times. The problem isn't that it's ONE or TWO players who consistently give us problems. It's one guy here, another guy here, another guy here and sometimes it's not in execution in: run the right route, block the right guy, make the right read, it's the little things that great players and great teams get that edge on. It's looking at the vertical release on an underneath out route to keep the corner from jumping the route, it's keeping good balance when trying to block a guy, it's throwing the ball from a good platform, it's knowing when a defender has taken himself out of a play and not doing something stupid to that guy to draw a penalty.

Those are the things that we have seen each of these guys do - so they've been coached, it's a matter of the player going out and doing it consistently. There's only so much you can coach and reiterate. If you've already taught it and the player has already learned it, then there's not much more the coach can do. The onus is on the players to do what they've been coached to do.

I'm also talking from a schematic point: From what I see in our route combo's/concepts and our defensive adjustments - adjustments were made and we were doing things to counter what Arizona was doing. It's really easy to see a lack of production as equaling a lack of adjustments - but, adjustments were made and the plays were there, we just didn't get it done.

Also, bear in mind that I watch the game about 3 times and most of the key plays 3-4 times, some up to 10 times before a lot of the stuff I'll make conclusions about and I always look at the down and distance, score and time on the clock(the game film shows that before every play, the camera shows the scoreboard for a couple seconds so you know the context of the play). Also, because the game film is one play after another with only the 2 seconds of the scoreboard in between you actually get a really good feel of plays in sequence. You see the plays immediately after one another so you see how the teams are, "punch, counter-punch" from play to play really well.

Hear you loud and clear bud ..... and this seems to, at least from my perspective, only further identify it's a coaching issue.... not simply player execution if ALL the players are half-assing it and not executing properly. Offensive quality control - this is what people pay coaches to do.... I don't know. Again, the adjustments were made but again there has still been no explanation as to why we left a successful approach as was seen in the first half.

Again if this is just an issue of the 49ers playing sloppy in second halves of games, you're right it could be my added focus/questions need to be asked of Harbaugh as to why his team can no longer hold their composure to close games they're winning....

Well, I don't want to sound like I'm saying our guys are playing half-heartedly. They are playing well, on MOST downs. A lot of these plays it's 1 guy out of 11 dropping the ball on their job and it's not consistent. We'll move the ball well for several plays in a row - then we'll have 1 guy blow his job, then we'll move the ball well, then a different guy will drop the ball. Most of our players are playing well on 95% of their snaps. It's the 5% that's killing us and it's almost always different guys on different plays and it's a lot of little things. That's why it's hard for me to just say, "well the coaches are on the hook for that".

Honestly, I'm not saying this to be antagonistic or rude, but, it's sometimes easier to try and blame the coaches and want a scapegoat, so, you'll go looking for one. When one does that, as Sherlock Holmes would say, "insensibly, one starts to twist facts to suite theories instead of theories to suite facts". I'm not saying that I know everything for a "fact" here, or that we really can have all the facts - because we're not in the meeting rooms and we don't know all the things involved for sure. What I'm saying is, sometimes we want a drumhead trial of someone to make us feel like the culprit has been found and dealt with.

...

Originally posted by thl408:
Ah damn jonnydel. I was also cutting up the Crabs 10 yard gain (4th passing attempt). Glad we saw the same thing.

Haha, yup, but it's always reassuring to me that I'm not seeing something I'm not lol.

Originally posted by Niners816:
These are all examples of a short passing game we've been wanting since kap took over. This very good game planning and execution. When the OL gets heathy, and our ground attack resembles what it was, this type of controlled passing will be a perfect compliment.

This isn't what I wanted to happen with us cutting up identical plays. We are seeing the same things though so I'll just leave it up.

Agreed, the short passing game is what many wanted to see. We know he can sling it downfield, but does he have the patience and pre-snap ability to make the short decisive throws. This is what happens when accurate pre-snap reading of the defense meets rhythm throws. Pre-snap reads such as the things you mentioned like matchups (Crabs/SJ vs MLB) and leverage are signs of a confident QB when it comes to the short passing game.

(edit)

Here's one of those J Martin fails that really cost us big. It was 2nd and 9 - we had scored on our previous 2 possessions and were driving. If we score wer're up 17 or 21-6.

Great call - one guys fails on his job.


We had been burning Arizona with our short curl passing, so Arizona was starting to try and load the underneath zones to take these away. So, we try and run a little swing pass a la, Bill Walsh. We're going to clear out that side of the field and move the TE into a hook zone to pick off the MLB.


CK take a short drop and pump fakes towards the left. This moves the LB's towards that side of the field. Martin releases from his RT spot out into the flat to block for Hyde - this is a designed play, it's not really a "screen" pass, it's "swing" pass.


You see the corner on that side of the field has his back turned away so he never see's what's developing. Carrier is in position to block the LB, all we need is to have our RT block a DB. That's a big guy on a little guy, just get in his way! This should be a win all day.


There's a huge lane for Hyde to run in if Martin makes this block - it's the key to the play. That's 1st down yardage and then some - especially with an explosive player like Hyde.


Martin FAIL, whiffs on the block. He never squared his hips to the defender so he wasn't able to block from a stable platform and overran the block.


The play was there - we had two other guys blocking well on their men and 1st down yardage easily with much more to be gained. But, nope.....


Hyde tries to break a tackle with a spin move but only gets a couple more yards after contact so it's a 1 yard gain to set up 3rd and long - which we don't get because it allows Arizona to pin their ears back and come with a hard blitz. Hugely critical point in the game. We were in rhythm, moving the ball and scoring up until this point in the game.

double post

Originally posted by jonnydel:


It's hard to pinpoint what's going on with the offense because it's a lot of "little" things that can blow up plays and they're coming from almost everyone at some point. It's never the same thing over and over again. Which I think is why it's so hard to nail down what needs to be fixed because it's not like you can just say, "well we've got to make a change here".

As I was watching film it seemed, to me at least, that the biggest deficiency on that side of the ball is solid leadership to make each player better and consistently execute well. Michael Jordan made all those who played with him better and play at their best. We're not seeing that with our guys. We're seeing supremely talented players, guys who will dominate at times, have mental lapses, technique lapses and just get beat at times.

I agree, and I think your Michael Jordan comparison is worth noting. Jordan was the best player on that team, and until he began involving everyone in the game, the Bulls were a disappointment.

The 49ers don't have a Michael Jordan on the team at this point. No one is clearly a dominant player that can take over leadership just by a small change in their game. In football, the quarterback is clearly the team leader but he must be put in a position to be that leader. I don't think HaRo allow Kaepernick to be that leader. The staff either does not trust him to call his own plays or spread the ball around to a wide range of receivers, or Kaepernick is not yet capable of doing that. Chicken/egg.

While teams must have quality receivers, if the QB is allowed to do so, even when some of your keys guys are injured, you can still move the ball around. One example, KC, an underdog with a ton of injuries against Miami, came out moving the ball around. Alex Smith completed passes to 7 different receivers, some of them third stringers, to keep the chains moving and dominate the game. I cite this not to start the Smith controversy all over but to show that if the coaching staff is committed to making the QB the leader of the team and allowing him to involve the rest of the team, the QB can do it.

I just don't see any kind of consistent philosophy from Harbaugh's offense this year. The run game has a very narrow base: This is a gap running team that makes almost no attempt to run outside the tackles even when they had/have guys who could do that. Consequently when teams like AZ and Chicago scout that tendency and take it away, there is no running game.

A good passing game that utilizes a range of passes can pull a defense out of that "stop the run" mentality but after AZ adjusted to the very vanilla spread offense Harbaugh threw out there, there were no counter adjustments to use a short passing game to open up the run game again.

As you said, there are multiple things that seem to be wrong but the biggest thing seems to be that the offense really has no theme or personality this year. It isn't just that Gore is a year older. He is but that does not explain why Hyde gets stuffed on the same plays Gore has run well in the past.

Players have to play but coaches have to coach, and sometimes good coaching means putting players in positions to make execution easy. The clipping penalty on Martin was a dumb play but asking the off-side tackle to come all the way back inside to block a defender is a play design issue as much as an execution issue. Often times simpler is better. When things break down, a return to basics rather than some new strategy is generally the best fix. That doesn't mean simple or narrow. It means putting players in positions where they can succeed.

dj - the only thing about that play about Martin's clipping - is that they weren't asking him to come from the backside to make a key block. Arizona had run several "A" gap blitzes and so we were trying to outflank them in one of those blitzes - which we did. We got a 7 yard gain to set us up for a much shorter field goal, the defender Martin clipped was the backside "a" gap blitzer who wasn't going to make the play anyways. That's just a silly penalty.

I'm not saying the coaching staff doesn't have any responsibility - don't get me wrong. What I'm saying is it seams like the overwhelming majority think that if we simply had a different guy calling the plays or running the offense that we would miraculously transform into a team that never blows assignments. There's a reason these players are paid so much more than our coaches - because they're supposed to be able to execute these things at a very high level - and they're not. You're expecting a coach who gets paid a few hundred thousand to have more responsibility in making players, who earn millions, do their jobs right than the players themselves. These guys have to find a way to be mentally tough enough to be sharp and edgy on every play - you can't coach that all the time. Coaches can put players in positions to succeed, but those players have to go be great.

Harbaugh's job right now is to find out how you make these guys do this - which is different for every team and each player - great leaders recognize that. It's not a "one size fits all" solution. What worked for Baltimore 2 years ago won't necessarily work for us this year.

In 94 the 49ers were dealing with similar issues - injuries to the line, lack of execution on plays, but they didn't fire Shanahan, the players themselves turned things around and put the onus on their shoulders to be great. That's what our guys have to do and what will be the difference between this being a letdown season or being a great season.

Originally posted by jonnydel:

dj - the only thing about that play about Martin's clipping - is that they weren't asking him to come from the backside to make a key block. Arizona had run several "A" gap blitzes and so we were trying to outflank them in one of those blitzes - which we did. We got a 7 yard gain to set us up for a much shorter field goal, the defender Martin clipped was the backside "a" gap blitzer who wasn't going to make the play anyways. That's just a silly penalty.

I'm not saying the coaching staff doesn't have any responsibility - don't get me wrong. What I'm saying is it seams like the overwhelming majority think that if we simply had a different guy calling the plays or running the offense that we would miraculously transform into a team that never blows assignments. There's a reason these players are paid so much more than our coaches - because they're supposed to be able to execute these things at a very high level - and they're not. You're expecting a coach who gets paid a few hundred thousand to have more responsibility in making players, who earn millions, do their jobs right than the players themselves. These guys have to find a way to be mentally tough enough to be sharp and edgy on every play - you can't coach that all the time. Coaches can put players in positions to succeed, but those players have to go be great.

Harbaugh's job right now is to find out how you make these guys do this - which is different for every team and each player - great leaders recognize that. It's not a "one size fits all" solution. What worked for Baltimore 2 years ago won't necessarily work for us this year.

In 94 the 49ers were dealing with similar issues - injuries to the line, lack of execution on plays, but they didn't fire Shanahan, the players themselves turned things around and put the onus on their shoulders to be great. That's what our guys have to do and what will be the difference between this being a letdown season or being a great season.

That is why 94 has always been one of my favorite seasons of football. You had a bunch of injuries, a host of new free agents, a team that had lost the prior two title games, and it really didn't start clicking til the road game at Atlanta. Outside of joe's 89 season, I've never seen QBing as good as Steve's post Philly play in 1994.

The story of the 2014 niners is still there to be written. This team can be dominate and get really hot, but I wouldn't expect it to happen til mid November.

Thanks johnnyd and tbl. I am reluctant tp let fangio off tje hook. Imo he should have gi en a much higher priority to pressure stanton very early q2 or q1. With our bench we can be very effective sending five. Pr usimg inorthodox packages here and there like minud wilhoite add lynch. We dod.t press til much later it seemed. Ill edit this later

Here's another key blown screen pass, this was on 1st and 10 in the 2nd half.


Arizona stacks the box - they're looking to stop the run and to take away the short routes that were beating them so badly in the 1st half - so we make an adjustment to try and knock them off this game. We're going to try and run a screen pass to hyde on the wide side of the field.


we run play action to get the LB to bite, then drop hurridly into their zones. This is to try and keep them from reading the screen as easily. They'll be more focused on dropping into their zones than looking for the screen - it's a double fake.


The double fake works as you see 9 defenders flowing to away from the screen side of the field and and play side corner with his back turned. All we gotta do is get Iupati out on the safety(sound familiar?)


You see Iupati - for some reason, looks back inside to try and find a defender to block. If he goes after the safety, Hyde has a TON of room to work.


He turns back inside to help on Campbell(that's not his job!) which leaves the safety with a free run at Hyde.

Hyde is hit right as he's catching the ball - Iupati just had to dive at the guys legs and move him off his attack just a little bit and Hyde would've been sprung for a huge gain.


You see Iupati does well to help give Kilgore a hold on Campbell at the start.


At this point, he should be sprinting out towards the safety. It's no longer his job to help on Campbell.


For some reason, he doesn't identify the safety to block and starts to turn back in. Why? Why?

He turns to take on Campbell - even though campbell had gotten loose from Kilgore a little bit - I highly doubt he would've made the play with all that open space. At worst, it would've been a 3-4 yard gain. At best, a huge gain - what resulted - a 3 yard loss......

Hyde gets tackled right as he catches the ball. If we hit this play - even if only for 3 or 4 yards - it keeps us on schedule and loosens up the defense to get back to our passing and run game more. These are the types of plays you HAVE to make. How is Roman supposed to make adjustments if he makes em and players don't execute. He changed up what he was doing in reaction to what Arizona did, but we didn't take advantage.

So......Roman isn't completely incompetent?

Madness.