Week 2 Pittsburg Steelers coaches film analysis

I'll show most of the larger gains in the passing game to see if PIT let's up coverage. I'll let you guys define 'garbage time' because I think there are varying degrees of garbage time.

3Q 1st & 10 (score 29-3, 7:33 on clock)
Versus Cover 2 zone (I think)


Kap waits for Boldin to enter the passing lane, between the two underneath zone defenders.


There are always passing lanes between underneath zones. This is the frame that makes me think it's cover2 zone.


+13 yards.

Originally posted by SofaKing:
Perhaps Mangini needs to re-evaluate the personnel and figure out what coverage scheme suits these players best. I thought Reid was put in a difficult position so close to the LOS trying to haul ass back into coverage. He's not a player I want running downfield with his back turned trying to track the receiver and the ball. I want him up top so he can diagnose the action in front of him and move accordingly.

However, that would run contrary to what Mangini wants to do with his safeties in disguising coverage and showing blitz. This approach did fluster Bridgewater, but against a deep ball aficionado like Roethlisberger, a standard 2 deep safety look would have been more appropriate. Pattern matching could have prevented those big chunk plays, the priority in coverage is to take away the vertical route.

We hardly blitzed in this game, regularly rushing 4. I'm sure the Steelers recognized the blitz looks were fake very early on, so what was the point? It didn't fool anybody, all it did was make Reid's job more difficult. Roethlisberger simply took the opportunity to chuck it down field with the safeties out of position and young Acker getting schooled by the best WR in the game. One time getting beat like that, fine. But 2, 3, 4, 5 times.....maybe it's time to adjust.

I don't know what the answer is here, other than the players just playing better. I just wonder if they're being used correctly. Seems like Mangini over-estimated what they're capable of doing. Or maybe he over-compensated going into the game, thinking he had to stop Pittsburgh's packaged plays and didn't think he'd get burned deep with this approach.

Agree very much with the bolded. HearstFan made a post suggesting the 49ers in a way baited some of those throws, but the safeties just couldn't get back in time to actually prevent the play they knew was coming. Perhaps if it was any other combo besides Ben and ABrown it would have worked.

After a +6 yard pass to Boldin (not shown)
Credit to Boldin for not getting offsetting penalties. I wouldn't have blamed him.

As fans we look at this thread and critisize...Kaep should of done this.. Reid should have been there...Pears Missed that blitz...What was Martin thinking...But as Fans do we really know what play was called and what "protect" or "scheme" or "progression" reads are supposed to be made??

Originally posted by thl408:
Agree very much with the bolded. HearstFan made a post suggesting the 49ers in a way baited some of those throws, but the safeties just couldn't get back in time to actually prevent the play they knew was coming. Perhaps if it was any other combo besides Ben and ABrown it would have worked.

Perhaps it would work against other teams, it did against Minnesota for the most part. Teddy Checkdown doesn't have the mentality to attack down the field, nor the experience to make the proper adjustments at the line. But looking ahead at the schedule.....AZ, GB, NYG, BAL...these teams have experienced QBs and WRs that can hurt you down the field. Really worried about our pass defense the next several weeks. Hoping the coaches and players make the proper adjustments.

Going forward, if Mangini is going to continue to play his safeties up by the LOS, just go ahead and throw some more blitzes. At least let them know the blitz is a real possibility. Don't show it just to be cute. They successfully got Pittsburgh to max protect with this pre-snap look, but it may have inadvertently compromised our pass rush lol...we had 4 v 6, or 4 v 7 all game. This leads me to believe Mangini was highly confident the secondary would get the job done, and he was dead wrong.

Originally posted by thl408:
After a +6 yard pass to Boldin (not shown)
Credit to Boldin for not getting offsetting penalties. I wouldn't have blamed him.

Yet another cheap shot, at least the refs caught this one.

lol and in this day and age when players complain about safety and long-term health risks, they do that to a fellow player.

Originally posted by sanjo49er:
As fans we look at this thread and critisize...Kaep should of done this.. Reid should have been there...Pears Missed that blitz...What was Martin thinking...But as Fans do we really know what play was called and what "protect" or "scheme" or "progression" reads are supposed to be made??

I have a good idea of the progressions on a passing play, what a running play is trying to achieve, and what a defensive coverage is, but when it comes to protection schemes and what is called at the line of scrimmage, where protection is supposed to slide, I don't know. The progressions on a passing play can be determined by the concept being run. Many of these route combinations have progressions built into them and they are standard, for the most part. If I can't tell, then I look at Kap's head and how it moves as the play develops.

On the sack where Devey and Martin part ways and allow a free rusher up the middle, we can't be sure what's supposed to happen. We only know what happened. When we see Reid retreat back to his deep zone, we know that's what he's supposed to do. So to answer your general question, we do know what's supposed to happen, for the most part.

Originally posted by thl408:
I have a good idea of the progressions on a passing play, what a running play is trying to achieve, and what a defensive coverage is, but when it comes to protection schemes and what is called at the line of scrimmage, where protection is supposed to slide, I don't know. The progressions on a passing play can be determined by the concept being run. Many of these route combinations have progressions built into them and they are standard, for the most part. If I can't tell, then I look at Kap's head and how it moves as the play develops.

On the sack where Devey and Martin part ways and allow a free rusher up the middle, we can't be sure what's supposed to happen. We only know what happened. When we see Reid retreat back to his deep zone, we know that's what he's supposed to do. So to answer your general question, we do know what's supposed to happen, for the most part.

I love this threads because its a teaching tool. I guess what im getting at is that i dont know(99.999 of this Zoners) dont know either as to what the "game plan" was or is on any specific play.

Originally posted by sanjo49er:

Originally posted by thl408:
I have a good idea of the progressions on a passing play, what a running play is trying to achieve, and what a defensive coverage is, but when it comes to protection schemes and what is called at the line of scrimmage, where protection is supposed to slide, I don't know. The progressions on a passing play can be determined by the concept being run. Many of these route combinations have progressions built into them and they are standard, for the most part. If I can't tell, then I look at Kap's head and how it moves as the play develops.

On the sack where Devey and Martin part ways and allow a free rusher up the middle, we can't be sure what's supposed to happen. We only know what happened. When we see Reid retreat back to his deep zone, we know that's what he's supposed to do. So to answer your general question, we do know what's supposed to happen, for the most part.

I love this threads because its a teaching tool. I guess what im getting at is that i dont know(99.999 of this Zoners) dont know either as to what the "game plan" was or is on any specific play.

As far as gameplans, I can't put it together either. I don't have that trained an eye, and to figure out the gameplan may require taking notes to chart tendencies and stuff like that. I just focus on the singular play, in a vacuum, and hope that a light bulb goes off in the process. As far as general gameplan, I think we can just watch the game and see what the 49ers are trying to do on a high level view. But low level view, as in 'run this play in the 1st quarter to set up this play later in the game', I can't spot that.

Originally posted by Niners816:
Yuck...I hate these. I assume the design is try to catch a vert breaking free or hope the verts pull coverage off the curl.

Is there also perhaps some thinking that the verts will clear the middle allowing Kap to run for the first down? He only needed 7 yards, and there is space for it, if the O-line holds up.

Originally posted by thl408:
As far as gameplans, I can't put it together either. I don't have that trained an eye, and to figure out the gameplan may require taking notes to chart tendencies and stuff like that. I just focus on the singular play, in a vacuum, and hope that a light bulb goes off in the process. As far as general gameplan, I think we can just watch the game and see what the 49ers are trying to do on a high level view. But low level view, as in 'run this play in the 1st quarter to set up this play later in the game', I can't spot that.

Yeah mane thx for all the insight and info. I cant speak for all the Zoners but i Love it(ur insight and info). Still wanna see what was going on with that Wilhoit play . I blew a head gasket on that one.(couldnt cover recivers 1on1 with DB'S)But they threw an ILB on Him

Originally posted by SofaKing:

Yet another cheap shot, at least the refs caught this one.

lol and in this day and age when players complain about safety and long-term health risks, they do that to a fellow player.

A penalty I believe. But would the player get any suspension for attacking the head? Helmet or no helmet, pretty dangerous stuff.

Originally posted by Niners816:
I agree with this..,,I think in my original answer I failed to see the word MORE. I was responding to seeing a lot of WCO stuff. Seems like we are doing some different WCO from the past couple of years...but now that vast majority is out of gun or pistol sets. For example, I'm pretty sure Miller caught a pass on either a Texas/HB angle route out of a strong pistol form. I'm not entirely sure if is was the Texas concept with the accompanying TE seam route or not. It was though an angle route.

100% right. The concept was a classic "texas". In fact, you can find the exact play in Madden 15 lol. It's just not out of the gun, but the formation and route combo's are exactly the same.

Originally posted by thl408:
Going back in time a bit to the early 2nd quarter. This is probably the closest the 49ers got to making it a close game. After driving down the field using 10 plays, the 49ers find themselves at 1st and 5 (the picture says 1st and Goal, that's wrong. The score is 8-0.

2Q 1st & 5
This is the second time I've seen them try to hit this type of route near the end zone. Versus MIN, it was Bush on a similar route in the same area of the field. That pass was overthrown into a very tight window.
Out of a bunch formation, the 49ers look to get a rub to free up Vance on the wheel route. PIT is in some sort of cover1. They may be pattern matching because watch what the CB lined up over Patton does.


The CB over Patton lets him go free across the formation. Defenders on the strongside of the formation man up. Kap gets the look he wants with a LB on Vance.


The pass is overthrown.


The 49ers will eventually convert a 3rd & 2 to get a new set of downs, then proceed to move backwards, starting with a Pears holding call. Then settle for a FG.

I would've loved to see Ellington get the ball on this play, the inside defenders had turned to go with their man and blown coverage on Ellington, he'd have turned upfield without being touched for at least 5 more yards. The GIF cuts it off right before, but at the end of the play he even turns and does a little jump stomp kind of thing, cause he knew he was open.

Originally posted by sanjo49er:
Good stuff as usal but did JD cover that one play where Wilhoite was "one-one" with the WR. AND HE GAVE UP A BIG PLAY?

I have it cut up, haven't gotten to it yet.