placeholder image

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports


Robert Saleh enjoyed the 49ers offense’s production against Bears

Dec 7, 2017 at 1:36 PM--


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Going into this past Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears, the San Francisco 49ers defense was staying on the field for an average of just over 73 snaps per game. At Soldier Field, the defense received a bit of a break and was on the field for just 37 snaps – about half the season average.

The low number was due to a 49ers offense that held the ball for nearly 39 minutes, which is the highest time of possession by the team in a single game since a 2014 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers (42:17).

Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh enjoyed playing the role of a spectator for much of the game.

"It was awesome to be able to sit back and watch the offense go to work," Saleh told reporters on Thursday. "You don't get many opportunities at that. I don't care what team you play for; you just don't get opportunities to be a spectator as much. So it was pretty cool."

Staying off of the football field is the best way to keep your defensive players fresh. The success of the 49ers offense on Sunday was contagious for the defense and encouraged the unit to get off of the field faster.

"It is contagious when the offense is moving the ball," Saleh said. "You could hear our guys on the sideline, the urgency at which they felt they needed to get the ball back for the offense because they're doing so well. It's a team game. It's not different if the defense is getting three-and-outs, the offense is going to feel like they need to get going. If the offense is staying on the field, the defense is going to feel like they need to get them the ball."

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who started his first game since being traded to the 49ers on October 30, has received much of the credit for the offense's ability to move the football on Sunday.

While Saleh's focus is always on the defense, he could not help but notice Garoppolo in command of the 49ers offense. He certainly had the time on the sideline to watch the quarterback as he hit on 26 of his 37 pass attempts for a career-high 293 yards.

"We're in our own cocoon," Saleh said. "You can't help but notice the first few weeks when he was working on 7-on-7, he's got a really cool deminer. He's got a really good arm. I don't know what goes on on the offensive side of the ball. I don't know anything else except for what I see. Guys are excited. Like we talked about earlier, there was an urgency on the sideline to get the offense the ball."

One 49ers player that enjoyed Garoppolo's performance and what it meant for the defense was rookie defensive lineman Solomon Thomas.

"He brought a great energy to the game, and we were riding with him," Thomas said this week on our "No Huddle" podcast. "We loved it. He helped the defense a lot. The offense played well. The offensive line, receivers, running backs, Jimmy, they all played amazing to keep us off the field. We only had 37 snaps, which is extremely low. The offense helped us out a lot.

"Jimmy had great control of the game, great tempo, he's very poised. It was fun to watch. It was pretty amazing. We just have a good energy going on right now."



Gaoppolo wasn't the only one elevating the 49ers offense in Chicago. The offensive line, in combination with Garoppolo's quick release of the football, kept the quarterback clean for much of the day. Garoppolo was under pressure on just nine of his 40 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.

Wide receivers Marquise Goodwin and Trent Taylor were targeted 14 times during the game and came away with 14 catches for a combined 191 receiving yards.

"I get that quarterback is a big deal but the rest of the offense seemed like they were playing really good ball," Saleh said. "The O-line looked like they had their best day. The receivers were making some really good plays and running backs were doing a really good job. It just comes down to team ball, as you guys know."




Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News


placeholder image

Offense or defense? NFL.com's mock drafts predict 49ers' first-round pick

By David Bonilla
16 hrs

Three NFL Media analysts have recently released their mock drafts, projecting the potential moves of each team in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The San Francisco 49ers hold the No. 31 overall pick, marking their first Round 1 selection since 2021. The latest mock draft comes from Charles Davis, who has San Francisco addressing the offensive line, strengthening a unit that showed inconsistency last season. Davis predicts the 49ers will choose former Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton with their first selection. "The 49ers' offense will flourish as long as HC Kyle Shanahan is diagramming plays, and this agile former tight end has a chance to plug in


placeholder image

No Huddle Podcast: What Are The 49ers' Plans For The Future?

By Site Staff
Mar 19

(Episode 322) — Al Sacco and Brian Renick react to the Zach Wilson rumors, what the 49ers should look for in QB2, negative Al speaks up, how the offensive side of the ball is complete for now, replacing all of the superstars will be a challenge, why the 49ers need to draft well this year and next, and more. Note: This episode was recorded before news of Josh Dobbs' signing. The audio for the show is embedded above. Remember to subscribe! You can listen to the latest "No Huddle Podcast" episode above, from our dedicated podcast page, on


placeholder image

Details emerge on 49ers' 1-year deals with Jon Feliciano and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles

By Site Staff
Mar 19

Offensive lineman Jon Feliciano and linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles recently re-signed with the San Francisco 49ers on one-year deals. OverTheCap.com has revealed the contract information for both deals. Feliciano signed a contract that includes the minimum base salary for a player with eight accrued seasons of experience—$1.21 million. Flannigan-Fowles' base salary is slightly higher, at about $1.77 million. Feliciano is scheduled to count about $2.28 million against the 2024 salary cap, while Flannigan-Fowles is slated to consume almost $1.3 million. The linebacker's reduced impact is due to the 49ers using a portion of up to $1.45 million of salary that won't count against the salary cap for veteran players. The 49ers are paying Feliciano a


placeholder image

New Netflix show "Receiver" will feature 49ers' Deebo Samuel and George Kittle

By David Bonilla
Mar 19

After the success of "Quarterback," the NFL has announced a new series on Netflix called "Receiver." This series will follow a similar format but focus on those who haul in passes. San Francisco 49ers fans will be delighted to learn that two popular team players, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle, will be among those featured in the upcoming show. The two 49ers stars are among the most charismatic individuals on the roster, so it's easy to see why they were chosen for the series. The other stars of the show will be Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders, Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings, and Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit


Latest

Trending News

Share 49ersWebzone