Originally posted by kem99:
Originally posted by nyc49erking:
For how many years are going to keep saying this defense is good ? They never stop a good passing team, never get any pass rush on the opposing qb, and THEY CANT EVER STOP A TEAM IN THE FOURTH QUARTER, EVER.
This defense has let us down, time after time, after time. Everybody loves Willis, but the brother cant even recognize a simply screen pass play. The heat needs to be put on the defensive players and Manusky, his job should not be safe either. They dont produce in the future, send them all home.
Relax...the defense has been, could be and probably will be better. It certainly has not been as bad as you make out. The pass rush could be more consistent but they were tied for 3rd in sacks last year with 44. They have stopped teams in games where the offense was of little help and the defense kept them in or won the game (e.g. Indy and the Bears last year). They have had good games against passing teams (e.g. Indy and the Cardinals twice last year, Saints this year). By yards, they were in the top 10 of defenses last year and they gave up the least number of points in the division. They're also generally a young defense that should get better as some of the older players are transitioned out for the younger players (e.g. Bowman, Mays)
With that said, there are deficiencies that seem to repeat themselves....
Defending screen passes was a problem that hurt them last year and has again this year.
This is clearly a different defense at home. They play faster, have fewer mistakes, etc. They just don't seem to play the same on the road or be able to stop a team's momentum as well as they do at home.
The sacks and turnovers seem to come in bunches.
One would like to see them be more consistent. Against Seattle, they dominated the first quarter and a half and then it snowballed on them. KC was only 10-3 at halftime with little help from the offense but then it snowballed again.
So I'm all done talking about the offense for this week.
What I don't understand is; where is this "tough guy" defense that was supposed to smack people in the mouth?
Teams have learned the 49ers try to shield blockers away from Willis so he can make tackles. So they run screens and picks so he can't pursue and Manusky has not countered with anything to take advantage of that. The 49er defense lacks speed and when Willis gets screened off the play, no one steps up to make plays. Clements was the leading tackler in KC. That fact alone should tell us a lot. Anytime a corner back is you leading tackler you are going to lose...BIG!
Justin Smith is the only guy that has played with any consistency in the front line. Franklin has not had the same impact he had last year and Sopoaga has been inconsistent as well. Ray McDonald isn't seeing the field as much as he had last year and that is a problem because he does get some push on the passer.
This team STILL needs a pass rusher or a scheme that puts pressure on the QB. Seattle killed the 49ers with blitz packages but Sing/Manusky apparently didn't learn anything from them because they put little pressure on Cassel. If you don't have stud pass rushers, you have to do it with scheme...and that isn't happening.
If the defense had done its job on NO's final drive, this team would be 1-2 and the mood would be much better...but they didn't. Singletary and Manusky should be getting as much heat about the defense as he got about the offense. As bad as the offense has been, it was good enough to have won one game. The defense lost the NO game and got blown out in the other two.
Where is the vinegar about the defense? Alex Smith doesn't play defense. We can't blame him. Who takes the heat for the worst defense in the league?
[ Edited by dj43 on Sep 29, 2010 at 4:43 PM ]
. . . I can't believe Patrick Willis survived his onslaught.