The Defense!

I'll tell you what I loved most about the defense yesterday - and it wasn't the turnovers (although God knows those were nice!). I love that early on the 49ers and specifically Mostert were running with impunity on us, regularly gashing us for easy 1st downs. And then, after a quarter or so - they weren't. How often have we seen that with our defense, where the other team is abusing us, or a top tier player can't be stopped and it goes on all game long seemingly an insolvable dilemma. But yesterday, we solved it, and we basically shut down their run game to the point where they put the game in Mullen's hands. And that was the recipe for us to win. I'll also add that in addition to us adjusting and shutting down the run, even prior to that happening, our defenders were absolutely laying the wood to RBs and WRs. There was one hit on Mostert in particular where he got up and you could read on his face 'I'm really not enjoying this game at all'.

Been a long time since we've seen this physical of a D, and one that gets better as the game goes on.
 
Apke to the bench and Collins on IR really fixed the safety play.

Kamren Curl is another member of this already-illustrious 2020 draft class. Damn, hindsight for this year's crop of rookies is going to be "why did we stockpile more picks for that year" for every team in the league.
 
SirClintonPortis said:
Apke to the bench and Collins on IR really fixed the safety play.
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See I don't think Collins leaving was an addition by subtraction... at least I don't agree with it YET. I have been extremely impressed with Curl, but Collins was missing tackles and blowing assignments. He was also in the first handful of games of a brand new defense with no offseason / training camp / OTAs / or in person meetings. I don't think it's a coincidence that the LB play as well as the D-Line play has gotten better as the season has gone along. I think it would be only fair to believe that Collins, and even Apke for that matter, would also have been benefiting in a similar way with more and more experience in comfort with the scheme, as well as the players around them. I have been extremely critical of the Zone coverage we have played, but it looks like the players are getting it more and more each week. Collins very well could be looking more and more like his old self as he progressed as well.

The big question is IF he can truly recover from the Achilles. That is an injury that can be a long term issue, and can hinder speed. Something Collins already wasn't great at. If he can make a full recovery, I think Curl can continue to find his way onto the field in multiple different places, utilizing both of these guys. Collins is a 26 year old All Pro. Curl, who has been excellent and I'm extremely happy with, is still a 7th round rookie. I don't think it's an either / or scenario.
 
Boone said:
I'll tell you what I loved most about the defense yesterday - and it wasn't the turnovers (although God knows those were nice!). I love that early on the 49ers and specifically Mostert were running with impunity on us, regularly gashing us for easy 1st downs. And then, after a quarter or so - they weren't. How often have we seen that with our defense, where the other team is abusing us, or a top tier player can't be stopped and it goes on all game long seemingly an insolvable dilemma. But yesterday, we solved it, and we basically shut down their run game to the point where they put the game in Mullen's hands. And that was the recipe for us to win. I'll also add that in addition to us adjusting and shutting down the run, even prior to that happening, our defenders were absolutely laying the wood to RBs and WRs. There was one hit on Mostert in particular where he got up and you could read on his face 'I'm really not enjoying this game at all'.

Been a long time since we've seen this physical of a D, and one that gets better as the game goes on.
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It's almost like we have coaches that know how to adjust. :)

 
Win4us said:
As good as the D is at the moment just imagine if we could keep Ionadis healthy for 16 games.

JDR is a defensive blessing to this team
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It didn't start that way.. JDR was frustrating as he'll with the death by zone... things have progressed... its what gives me hope that Collins can kick some ass when he returns in 21`.
 
SilentThreat said:
It didn't start that way.. JDR was frustrating as he'll with the death by zone... things have progressed... its what gives me hope that Collins can kick some ass when he returns in 21`.
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The only thing I can get out of the early zones is he’s setting up the opposing team as disguises for later on. Maybe was tying to get in a young qb’s head? IDK honestly, but I sure as hell don’t miss the Hazmat & Dingle-Barry days.
 
Win4us said:
The only thing I can get out of the early zones is he’s setting up the opposing team as disguises for later on. Maybe was tying to get in a young qb’s head? IDK honestly, but I sure as hell don’t miss the Hazmat & Dingle-Barry days.
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Yeah he's far and away a better DC, but to be fair, he's got a hell of a lot more talent than those guys ever had.


I was super frustrated with the zone coverage early on but I think it's all a part of the big picture. Having the pass rush being what appears to be much more effective, and the LB play getting better, the zone coverage doesn't make me want to ram my head into a wall as much.... because it's by design. When you can get the pressure we're attempting to get, you want the defenders to have their eyes looking at the LOS.. we've seen how many batted balls, contested throws, and arrant passes... having the defense looking back is how we create those turnovers. The problem is that early on the LBs were not dropping properly so the intermediate route between 8 and 15 yards was just a gaping hole allowing QBs to just walk down the field. I thought we needed to press at the line, give the d-line and disrupt the WR's routes, giving the D-line an extra second to get after the QB.

NOW you can see the D-line getting home, the LBs biting a lot less on Play Action... though they did it a few times Sunday opening up 1st down passes. Now we're seeing what the designed defense can do when all aspects are working... they just need to keep working together.
 
Chase Young and Kam Curl love from Baldy

 
I don't watch tape, but that first play he talks about with Curl seems pretty impressive. He doesn't plug in the hole right at Davis, but follows him down the line. I assume it's taught that way, but I imagine it's not always done by people.

Also didn't realize it was Curl that produce that 'non-fumble'. I was so angry about that non-call. Such a quick whistle when they swallow the whistle so many other times.
 
That non-fumble eff job of a call could well have cost that game as well as a playoff spot. Inexcusable from professional referees.
 
In an era of replay, it is literally mind-boggling that they don't make a correction on that kind of an errant and obviously wrong call. I don't care what the whistle rule is - when professional referees allow a blown call to stand, knowing that it's highly likely to alter the outcome of the game - that is just unforgiveable.
 
Boone said:
In an era of replay, it is literally mind-boggling that they don't make a correction on that kind of an errant and obviously wrong call. I don't care what the whistle rule is - when professional referees allow a blown call to stand, knowing that it's highly likely to alter the outcome of the game - that is just unforgiveable.
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The problem is that they have egos. They do not want to overturn a call on the field
 
I really thought that at one point they were going to have a centralized overview of calls so blown ones like that one could be averted but it seems like there hasn't really been any improvement in correcting horrifically bad calls.

I'm not even sure we got an apology for that one.
 
Me either


What I don't understand is why they don't have a panic button in New York that will halt the game and adjust the call on the field. Human error should be a part of the game, but it should not be an excuse. You can clearly see on that non fumble that Washington was the only team that had a chance at the ball. It was not a situation that the whistle effected the recovery, it only effected the 'TD' aspect as you could argue that Panthers did not continue to play due to the whistle. With TV and cameras there is no reason to allow a play like that to not get that panic button hit. It's one thing to argue every PI penalty where judgement is the primary factor of the call on the field. A fumble is a fumble is a fumble is a fumble. The judgement part of that call is the whistle.
 
$40M later the truth is Curl and Everett are better open field tacklers than Landon Collins. And Curl is a playmaker in the passing game as well with his ability to anticipate and close on a receiver.

Skills Collins has never learned.

Bruce Allen and Co. never figured out that if you are going to pay a safety a megabucks contract he has to be a FREE safety that can play the run but also excel at the pass.

Without the ability to defend the pass a safety is not worth more than a $4-$5 million contract. Box safeties you can find in the draft.
 
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