Film analysis of the NFCCG

...just a general question: What was it with all the missed connection fake handoffs this season? I think I must have seen at least 1 per game. I'm being conservative. What is up with that? It might be beneficial actually because the d hesitates for a 1/2 second thinking its going to be a busted play. It's weird. I just wondered if anyone noticed this or had comments about it.

jonydel too?

What will always bother me is that Kap decided where to throw that last pass before he let it develop. To me we just aren't, much of a downfield strike team. We had 30 seconds and TWO timeouts. Davis got open on his 7-yard out pattern. It was an easy catch and run and Vernon does break some tackles. At worst we are 2nd and short from the 11. To me this opens up more of the playbook and makes the run/scramble viable at that point too. I think we had them and Kap let them off the hook. I understand believing in your guy but Kap made a very, VERY poor choice. The similarities between this play and the Super Bowl's last few plays make me want to puke. We got Boldin to give us more options and we were suppose to have learned from that mistake, yet we put all the eggs in one basket again and came up short. I love Kap, and this isn't a bash, its just frustration with his choice on this play and the play call.

Originally posted by BadgerHawk:
What will always bother me is that Kap decided where to throw that last pass before he let it develop. To me we just aren't, much of a downfield strike team. We had 30 seconds and TWO timeouts. Davis got open on his 7-yard out pattern. It was an easy catch and run and Vernon does break some tackles. At worst we are 2nd and short from the 11. To me this opens up more of the playbook and makes the run/scramble viable at that point too. I think we had them and Kap let them off the hook. I understand believing in your guy but Kap made a very, VERY poor choice. The similarities between this play and the Super Bowl's last few plays make me want to puke. We got Boldin to give us more options and we were suppose to have learned from that mistake, yet we put all the eggs in one basket again and came up short. I love Kap, and this isn't a bash, its just frustration with his choice on this play and the play call.

Got to believe it is Kap's inexperience. He will develop, I am convinced he is our QB of the future.

Originally posted by BadgerHawk:
What will always bother me is that Kap decided where to throw that last pass before he let it develop. To me we just aren't, much of a downfield strike team. We had 30 seconds and TWO timeouts. Davis got open on his 7-yard out pattern. It was an easy catch and run and Vernon does break some tackles. At worst we are 2nd and short from the 11. To me this opens up more of the playbook and makes the run/scramble viable at that point too. I think we had them and Kap let them off the hook. I understand believing in your guy but Kap made a very, VERY poor choice. The similarities between this play and the Super Bowl's last few plays make me want to puke. We got Boldin to give us more options and we were suppose to have learned from that mistake, yet we put all the eggs in one basket again and came up short. I love Kap, and this isn't a bash, its just frustration with his choice on this play and the play call.

That's the thing, VD was not open, nor was anyone to Kap's left except QP. They played zone on that side of the field and man coverage on the other. Every QB in the league is gonna take the man coverage with their #1. Also...most QB's know where they are throwing the football before they actually snap it. The biggest issue was that he didn't put it far enough to the outside or over the top.

Originally posted by JDMathews49ers:

Originally posted by BadgerHawk:

What will always bother me is that Kap decided where to throw that last pass before he let it develop. To me we just aren't, much of a downfield strike team. We had 30 seconds and TWO timeouts. Davis got open on his 7-yard out pattern. It was an easy catch and run and Vernon does break some tackles. At worst we are 2nd and short from the 11. To me this opens up more of the playbook and makes the run/scramble viable at that point too. I think we had them and Kap let them off the hook. I understand believing in your guy but Kap made a very, VERY poor choice. The similarities between this play and the Super Bowl's last few plays make me want to puke. We got Boldin to give us more options and we were suppose to have learned from that mistake, yet we put all the eggs in one basket again and came up short. I love Kap, and this isn't a bash, its just frustration with his choice on this play and the play call.

That's the thing, VD was not open, nor was anyone to Kap's left except QP. They played zone on that side of the field and man coverage on the other. Every QB in the league is gonna take the man coverage with their #1. Also...most QB's know where they are throwing the football before they actually snap it. The biggest issue was that he didn't put it far enough to the outside or over the top.

Agreed. The play sucked but not because Kap had open receivers to the left and missed them. He never would have been able to connect with them because Cliff Avril was about two steps from him when he hit his plant leg in the drop back.

The only thing I wish he would have done differently on that play was just throw it out of the back of the endzone. Live to fight another day so to speak.

He should have seen that Sherman gave Crabtree nothing and that the DE was coming.

Originally posted by JDMathews49ers:
That's the thing, VD was not open, nor was anyone to Kap's left except QP. They played zone on that side of the field and man coverage on the other. Every QB in the league is gonna take the man coverage with their #1. Also...most QB's know where they are throwing the football before they actually snap it. The biggest issue was that he didn't put it far enough to the outside or over the top.

I dunno, Boldin looked like he found a seem. Sort of reminded me of the Alex to Vernon play but this time Vernon ran the out route.

Originally posted by Stanley:

Originally posted by JDMathews49ers:
That's the thing, VD was not open, nor was anyone to Kap's left except QP. They played zone on that side of the field and man coverage on the other. Every QB in the league is gonna take the man coverage with their #1. Also...most QB's know where they are throwing the football before they actually snap it. The biggest issue was that he didn't put it far enough to the outside or over the top.

I dunno, Boldin looked like he found a seem. Sort of reminded me of the Alex to Vernon play but this time Vernon ran the out route.

Had Kap open up to his left where Vernon and Q were, those defenders would have also open up to them. Plus most folks are thinking these guys were open after the ball was released on replay, but if you watch it from the beginning, you will see they weren't. The best thing to do in that situation that's going un-talked about is that they should have taken a timeout but that's on Harbaugh and the coaching staff.

Originally posted by JDMathews49ers:

Had Kap open up to his left where Vernon and Q were, those defenders would have also open up to them. Plus most folks are thinking these guys were open after the ball was released on replay, but if you watch it from the beginning, you will see they weren't. The best thing to do in that situation that's going un-talked about is that they should have taken a timeout but that's on Harbaugh and the coaching staff.

Put Kap on the move and let him make a play like he did on both TDs vs CAR or try a read option like we did vs GB when Gore scored. Anything but go for broke vs Sherman there. Yes. The timeout to put Kap on the move or in a run action fake could have been the safer play. Hate that it ended for us this way but I pray we make less mistakes next time out in SEA

Keeping RW from rolling right is a key to limiting him. Here is the first big pass play for them.

SEA: They are trying to attack the deep safety here with two vertical routes at Whitner. He is the defensive target of the route combination being ran as whichever he chooses will be the wrong one. The WR on the weakside running the go route is to occupy Reid.
49ers: cover3

Below:49ers show cover2 with Reid and Whitner back. 49ers will come with a line stunt as well.


Below: After the snap, Reid stays right where he is, to play the weakside curl zone. Brock and Brown drop back to a deep zone to form a cover3 as Whitner slides to the middle of the field. Whitner now has help on defending the deep corner route (Brown).


Below: If Whitner is in cover2, he has two routes coming at him. The cover 3 reveals itself and the deep corner route is defeated by Brown. Reid is in a deep curl zone to take away the intermediate crosser.


Below: Take this back to the trenches. The 49ers come with a stunt to get Justin around RT. This looked similar to the stunt they ran when they forced Cam to throw the clinching INT. Brooks crashes inwards while Justin loops around RayMac and Brooks to go against the RT. It is snuffed out, but even worse, there is a gap in the pocket. Keeping RW in the pocket and not letting him roll right is key and the 49ers know this.


Below: RW takes advantage and steps up into the pocket and places the pass right over Reid. 22 yards.


Focusing on the coverage and Reid.


The bad discipline in rush lanes.

That ball hung in the air, and Reid jump JUST early enough to allow it to slide past him. Sonofa...

This play ended SEA's third drive of the game with no points and was the last play of the 1st quarter.

49ers will come with a 7 man blitz to force the issue. SEA will keep 2 additional blockers in to help buy some time. Notice the cushion the CBs are playing with. Brock is at the top of the screen.


Below: RW knows he doesn't have much time and looks to his quickest breaking route, the quick out to the WR at the top of the screen. Brock's eyes are on RW. If that back shoulder dips, break on the route.


Below: Same moment in time as pic above. Damn score graphic is covering Brock. Brock is hoping RW targets this route.


Notice Brock's feet as they are firmly planted and is ready to jump any short route, knowing RW has little time for a long developing route. This is the opposite coverage technique to playing pressman while blitzing.


-11 yard sack by Bowman

In the 1st quarter, Kap had an 8 yard scramble against man coverage by SEA. I'm differentiating between scrambles and designed runs.

This is the first scramble that went for over 10 yards.

49ers: Smash concept on the right with VD and Vance (zone buster) + Mesh (rub) concept on the left with Boldin and Crabs (man buster).
SEA: Cover1 Man (man coverage all around, 1 deep safety)

Below: If Kap reads the defense correctly pre-snap, he should look to his left towards the mesh concept to beat man coverage.


Below: The ball is snapped and Kap looks to his left. The pick has not yet been set in this picture.


Below: The pick has now been set and Maxwell has his hands all over Crabs. It's within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage.


Below: Kap moves off his read because Maxwell wins on the coverage of Crabs, while Sherman has Boldin's vertical route defeated. Kap looks over just in time to see that ADavis has let his man by.


Below: Kap evades the rush and takes off, but there is a LB spy watching (KJ Wright).


Below: Kap versus Wright (the spy). This is when Kap has decided to scramble and there is no more desire to throw the ball. No one is open as the smash concept didn't have a chance against the good man coverage.


All good, 12 yard scramble.

In post #1081 of the Kap thread, an excerpt from a blog written by Earl Thomas (SEA safety) was posted:
http://www.49erswebzone.com/forum/niners/176786-kaepernick-thread-2014-15-season/page73/

"They were running phantom routes like they were trying to get open, but they were just decoys so Kaepernick could run, almost like it was a draw. It makes it tougher to get to him because you have to deal with blockers already down the field. It's always going to be a mismatch. When he gets into that second level with the linebackers, he's going to out run them nine times out of 10."


On the very next play from the one in post #28, a play like what Thomas described was used.

Below:


Below: SEA is in zone coverage. As the "routes" develop downfield, I noticed that the route runners never turned around for a pass. It was a QB run all the way.


Due to size limitations of the site I host the pics/GIFs, I had to split it up into two parts.

Focus on how the route runners are looking to block the whole way, not looking back for a pass. Boldin is the one that is trying to sell 'pass' the whole way. He has to keep up the charades to fool the LB level defenders.

Speed in the open field.


Below: Thanks to Furlow for posting this one in the Kap thread. 58 yard run

guess Jonnydel isn't over the loss yet, lol