Offseason All22 Film Study

Show pressure but will only rush 3. Some pattern matching going on.


Red lets the first vertical to go by (#1) knowing orange is behind him.


Red picks up #3.
#2 is also let by so that the safety can match #2.


Pattern matching defeats the concept side, but the QB is able to complete a pass to the backside at the 1v1.

Here the same thing happens as in the play in post #522. Cover 1 robber


Blue safety comes up to rob the weakside Curl, and the CB is playing with trail position. Both blue and orange are taking away the same side of the WR. So the area that isn't being defended is now tested - over the top.


It's kind of odd to have both defenders on the same side. If the safety is going to rob the underneath, then put the CB playing over the top - this brackets the WR.
Or if the CB is to play trail position, then give him safety help over the top. Neither happens on this coverage call and they get burned. JoN probably trying to take something away, anticipating a play from ARI, but it didn't happen.

Here CLE doesn't show pressure, but it's coming. Rushers marked red.


Cover1 blitz
Simple pick play out of a WR stack creates enough room for the quick Out route.


QB gets rocked. Completed.

Added a number of plays from the ARI at CLE game in week 8 of 2015. Starts with this post.

Awesome, thanks THL!

Originally posted by thl408:

Added a number of plays from the ARI at CLE game in week 8 of 2015. Starts with this post.

So overall Thl, you liking the schemes you're seeing on defense or is it a mixed bag for you?

Originally posted by thl408:

X WR split wide.


Cover 1 robber. Orange pattern matches the drag route. Man defenders are colored.


What a throw. CB gets no safety help and is asked to man the island.

This reminds me of the final play in the 2013 NFCCG. Different route on the backside but very similar. I can see why Kaep threw it.

Originally posted by Niners816:

Originally posted by thl408:
Added a number of plays from the ARI at CLE game in week 8 of 2015. Starts with this post.

So overall Thl, you liking the schemes you're seeing on defense or is it a mixed bag for you?

Here's what Nick Saban had to say about Cover1 ("man free"). I consider him a very good defensive coach.
"The simplest and best defense in football is man-free coverage. It covers everything, it stuffs the run, and it defends the middle of the field.
It's the #1 coverage in pro ball ....basically because you can't get away with playing Cover 3." - Nick Saban

I've only looked at the coverages that JoN called, not how the front 7 plays, or the run defense. I think OCs are too smart to not find favorable matchups, isolate them, and exploit it on key downs, if all that a defense does is straight up man coverage. This might be why CLE likes to show blitz, or bring the blitz so that the QB decision process is sped up. CLE did change up how they played man with some instances of pattern matching, or by disguising who is covering which WR.

I need to show another game because if we just go by the SD and ARI games that I cut up a few plays from, some might think all he does is Cover1. In the 49ers game, there were many looks with 2 safeties back in a form of Quarters. They also played more off coverage alignment in that game. So that shows that JoN (or Pettine) will change things up. Also, some have mentioned that now that JoN is away from Pettine, what tweaks will he make?

The scheme is fine, like any scheme in the NFL imo. It seems aggressive, force the action, dictate what the QB does. It's the players that will make it sink or swim. How well does the scheme mask deficiencies and highlight strengths of the defensive roster. I keep going back to Fangio because his scheme fit the personnel at the time so well - strong front 4, average talent at CB. So what does he do? Rush 4 to put the onus on the front 4 to generate QB pressure, play 7 in coverage to mask the average CBs. If JoN wants to be aggressive with his blitz packages, then the CBs need to step up. If the CBs can't, then he needs to adjust accordingly.

Originally posted by thl408:

Originally posted by Niners816:

Originally posted by thl408:
Added a number of plays from the ARI at CLE game in week 8 of 2015. Starts with this post.

So overall Thl, you liking the schemes you're seeing on defense or is it a mixed bag for you?

Here's what Nick Saban had to say about Cover1 ("man free"). I consider him a very good defensive coach.
"The simplest and best defense in football is man-free coverage. It covers everything, it stuffs the run, and it defends the middle of the field.
It's the #1 coverage in pro ball ....basically because you can't get away with playing Cover 3." - Nick Saban

I've only looked at the coverages that JoN called, not how the front 7 plays, or the run defense. I think OCs are too smart to not find favorable matchups, isolate them, and exploit it on key downs, if all that a defense does is straight up man coverage. This might be why CLE likes to show blitz, or bring the blitz so that the QB decision process is sped up. CLE did change up how they played man with some instances of pattern matching, or by disguising who is covering which WR.

I need to show another game because if we just go by the SD and ARI games that I cut up a few plays from, some might think all he does is Cover1. In the 49ers game, there were many looks with 2 safeties back in a form of Quarters. They also played more off coverage alignment in that game. So that shows that JoN (or Pettine) will change things up. Also, some have mentioned that now that JoN is away from Pettine, what tweaks will he make?

The scheme is fine, like any scheme in the NFL imo. It seems aggressive, force the action, dictate what the QB does. It's the players that will make it sink or swim. How well does the scheme mask deficiencies and highlight strengths of the defensive roster. I keep going back to Fangio because his scheme fit the personnel at the time so well - strong front 4, average talent at CB. So what does he do? Rush 4 to put the onus on the front 4 to generate QB pressure, play 7 in coverage to mask the average CBs. If JoN wants to be aggressive with his blitz packages, then the CBs need to step up. If the CBs can't, then he needs to adjust accordingly.

I agree. The coaches can do their best to put players in a position to a make a play on the ball, but it still comes down to player execution on gameday. If they can't rush the passer, or plug the gaps, or cover receivers then you are hooped.

As you've eluded to here, coaching at this level is more of an art. In the case of Fangio, he knew what he had talent-wise and how that translated into scheme. Or, possibly, the other way around. He knew the scheme well and got the players that would fit it.

Originally posted by thl408:

Here's what Nick Saban had to say about Cover1 ("man free"). I consider him a very good defensive coach.
"The simplest and best defense in football is man-free coverage. It covers everything, it stuffs the run, and it defends the middle of the field.
It's the #1 coverage in pro ball ....basically because you can't get away with playing Cover 3." - Nick Saban

I've only looked at the coverages that JoN called, not how the front 7 plays, or the run defense. I think OCs are too smart to not find favorable matchups, isolate them, and exploit it on key downs, if all that a defense does is straight up man coverage. This might be why CLE likes to show blitz, or bring the blitz so that the QB decision process is sped up. CLE did change up how they played man with some instances of pattern matching, or by disguising who is covering which WR.

I need to show another game because if we just go by the SD and ARI games that I cut up a few plays from, some might think all he does is Cover1. In the 49ers game, there were many looks with 2 safeties back in a form of Quarters. They also played more off coverage alignment in that game. So that shows that JoN (or Pettine) will change things up. Also, some have mentioned that now that JoN is away from Pettine, what tweaks will he make?

The scheme is fine, like any scheme in the NFL imo. It seems aggressive, force the action, dictate what the QB does. It's the players that will make it sink or swim. How well does the scheme mask deficiencies and highlight strengths of the defensive roster. I keep going back to Fangio because his scheme fit the personnel at the time so well - strong front 4, average talent at CB. So what does he do? Rush 4 to put the onus on the front 4 to generate QB pressure, play 7 in coverage to mask the average CBs. If JoN wants to be aggressive with his blitz packages, then the CBs need to step up. If the CBs can't, then he needs to adjust accordingly.

I can't wait to see how he calls games. I think we have more talent on the defensive side then we get credit for. I think our front has the potential to be a very nasty and flexible unit.

Originally posted by Niners816:

Originally posted by thl408:

Here's what Nick Saban had to say about Cover1 ("man free"). I consider him a very good defensive coach.
"The simplest and best defense in football is man-free coverage. It covers everything, it stuffs the run, and it defends the middle of the field.
It's the #1 coverage in pro ball ....basically because you can't get away with playing Cover 3." - Nick Saban

I've only looked at the coverages that JoN called, not how the front 7 plays, or the run defense. I think OCs are too smart to not find favorable matchups, isolate them, and exploit it on key downs, if all that a defense does is straight up man coverage. This might be why CLE likes to show blitz, or bring the blitz so that the QB decision process is sped up. CLE did change up how they played man with some instances of pattern matching, or by disguising who is covering which WR.

I need to show another game because if we just go by the SD and ARI games that I cut up a few plays from, some might think all he does is Cover1. In the 49ers game, there were many looks with 2 safeties back in a form of Quarters. They also played more off coverage alignment in that game. So that shows that JoN (or Pettine) will change things up. Also, some have mentioned that now that JoN is away from Pettine, what tweaks will he make?

The scheme is fine, like any scheme in the NFL imo. It seems aggressive, force the action, dictate what the QB does. It's the players that will make it sink or swim. How well does the scheme mask deficiencies and highlight strengths of the defensive roster. I keep going back to Fangio because his scheme fit the personnel at the time so well - strong front 4, average talent at CB. So what does he do? Rush 4 to put the onus on the front 4 to generate QB pressure, play 7 in coverage to mask the average CBs. If JoN wants to be aggressive with his blitz packages, then the CBs need to step up. If the CBs can't, then he needs to adjust accordingly.

I can't wait to see how he calls games. I think we have more talent on the defensive side then we get credit for. I think our front has the potential to be a very nasty and flexible unit.

Same here. Flexible moving parts on the backend too. So like thl said, he should be able to adjust his schemes accordingly and not have to be pigeon holed by personnel.

Originally posted by Niners816:
I can't wait to see how he calls games. I think we have more talent on the defensive side then we get credit for. I think our front has the potential to be a very nasty and flexible unit.

I think the pass rush should be better with Lynch having one more season under his belt, AA playing more snaps, and Buckner in. I did not think much of Dial/Dorsey as pass rushers. The pass rush is arrow up to me, but Pettine/JoN defense in CLE was horrible against the run (32nd in 2014, 30th in 2015) and I think the 49ers run defense next season will be suspect going in, especially with Ian injured. I know AA graded out well in PFF run defense, but how will he do with more snaps? Many think Buckner will step in and be good, but who knows? He's an unproven to me.

Many have said that base isn't as important than the nickel/dime subpackages, and that may be true, but I still think that any defense worth a darn must stop the run first. Whether it's from base or nickel, it must stop the run to be considered a good defense imo. Otherwise the offense can playaction, or a safety must be brought into the box and things can unravel from there. Someone here said it well when they posted that, "it isn't a passing league, it's a playaction passing league". There's only a few QBs that can handle 40 dropbacks with no run game to support them so all the other teams will look to run the ball even if they end up passing more than running in the game. I'm a bit more interested in seeing how the 49er run defense can improve upon its 29th ranked rush defense from 2015.

^^^ Good point about the potential for arrow up in the pass rush department especially when you include Carradine and Blair to that mix you already mentioned. But you're right...if Armstead, Dial and Buckner can't stop the run in base, it throws everything out the window. And we've struggled against power run teams or teams committed to the run.

Here you go thl

"We going to stop the run on early downs and then we want to confuse and hit your quarterback" ~ Jon O'Neil (on his defensive mantra)

Really great question @ 12:08 and answer. Something to really consider and remember.

Another interesting tidbit from NW's Chris Biderman: http://ninerswire.usatoday.com/2016/05/25/news-and-notes-from-week-2-of-49ers-otas/

-As we pointed out, the rotations along the defensive front in sub packages are interesting. We aren't allowed to report the specifics, but the 49ers vary their looks with the front seven more in O'Neil's defense than they did under Eric Mangini and Vic Fangio. Those defenses typically replaced the nose tackle with an extra defensive back in those situations. But that's not always the case with this new defense O'Neil is installing.