Are We Going to be the Number 1 Defense this Season?

The main thing that is sticking out for me at the moment from pre-season games and practice camp reports is how good our defense is looking. We had a great defense last season that kind of eroded in post-season due to injuries and lack of rotation and it looks as if we have drafted to address this.

However I think what has taken me by surprise is quite how good the defense is looking. Ian Williams has stepped up into straight up beast mode at NT and is looking like a lock. We signed Dorsey who has been good in the pre-season games, though perhaps not spectacular, and looks more than capable of contributing and spelling RayMAc and Justin. Dobbs is looking like a solid backup as well, so the D Line looks very good so far with potential to rotate as needed to keep people strength.

Then I look at the Linebackers... it's embarrassing and I imagine there's a letter getting sent to the UN requesting that they are dispersed to the rest of the league as they are too dangerous to be allowed to remain on one squad. I mean we have one of the best rushers in the league in Aldon (arguably the best), Brooks who makes critical plays and then we go out and draft Lemonier who is looking like an absolute beast, I think he will be a starter for pass rushing downs - he has 2 (or is it 3) sacks in 2 games and added so much pressure that he facilitated 2 others. We have Haralson who is looking very solid with something to prove and Johnson who has developed leaps and bounds and Skuta who has a couple of sacks. This group as a whole is looking exceptional and would be the strongest on the team until you look at the ILBs...

We have the 2 best ILBs in the game right now, and their backups are looking almost as good. Wilhoite and Moody have been making plays to the extent that there seems to be no drop-off when they are on the field.

In the secondary, Reid is looking like a pro already. Solid, makes plays, directs the defense well, very clever and makes big hits and tackles. I know he was a Harbaugh choice and I can see why. Whitner is solid though I do worry about him, but Spillman and Robinson are looking like they can contribute as well. In the CBs, Cox has really stepped up, Rogers and Brown are playing well and Nnamdi is looking excellent. I've gone from really worrying about our secondary to thinking they will actually be a strength.


We look like we're going to get excellent pressure with a 4 man rush, I notice we're doing very well with cross dog blitzes, and I am strongly expecting that our front 7 is going to be incredibly disruptive. What that will mean is that our improved secondary is likely going to see more interceptions with hastily thrown balls. We look like we're going to have very good coverage, incredible pass rush and the ability to collapse the pocket along with an incredibly strong run defense.

In short, it's looking awesome

We should dominate this year on D. Top 5, book it.

Damn right.

Pass rush upgraded with the return of Haralson, additions of Lemonier and Skuta. Smith bros still clowning fools.

D-line rotation means fresher legs. Williams an upgrade at the nose. Dorsey a quality, versatile reserve.

No more Goldson freelancing. Bring in Reid, a more cerebral and equally physical player. Corners fortified with addition of Asomugha.

"No more Goldson freelancing. Bring in Reid, a more cerebral and equally physical player". Reid has been great against second/first string players. Still not sure how he plays against top players and how he defends the pass.

Originally posted by LBSI9ers:

"No more Goldson freelancing. Bring in Reid, a more cerebral and equally physical player". Reid has been great against second/first string players. Still not sure how he plays against top players and how he defends the pass.

I think Reid will be fine. He was a "centerfield" type safety in college and that was considered a strength of his, especially junior year. There may be a few growing pains, but so far he looks like a natural out there. I think it's possible he could be a better pass defender than Goldson. Goldson was not good against the pass despite his measurables. He was a wildly undisciplined player.

Our pash rush is the KEY to our season and I LOVE Smith brothers, Lemonier, Haralson, Cam man when tank comes back who knows plus Eric Reid needs to start already Dahl blows.

The defense can be top 5 at least, the pass rush already looking great, just wait till TANK carradine joins the party. I might be going a little too far, but the addition of Asomugha could be reminiscent of when Deion Sanders was added to the niner squad that lead to a you know what...i don't want to jinx it.

Better back ups = better long term defense! Really like the additions and keeping all the major players, other than Dashon, should keep them in sync. Speaking of Dashon, Reid seems to be very good and the back ups at CB are better, so the backfield may be better. At least they will be penalized less for dumb after the whistle hits.

The key will be speed. Can the pass rush get to the QB while the DBs are covering tightly...as they did two years ago? Or will the DBs have to move back and give a cushion?

And lastly, HEALTH!! Stay healthy guys!

How will it shake up when the cuts come? How about our rookie DBs - Cooper and Morris?

Culliver is hurt. We have a rookie Safety. No way we are #1.

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
Culliver is hurt. We have a rookie Safety. No way we are #1.

The strength of the D has always been in the front 7...Asomugha is a decent insurance policy for losing Culliver. I don't think Free Safety is a high enough impact position to matter if there's a dropoff from Goldson to Reid.

Healthy: "Damn Right"
Not Healthy: "Hell Naw"

Our ability to sustain drives and score points on offense as well as effective special teams play will be crucial to our defenses placement.

Originally posted by Imfasterthanur:
Healthy: "Damn Right"
Not Healthy: "Hell Naw"

Also it depends on Fangio's agressivness.

parrish cox is looking great, I'm not too worried about culliver out.. especially with veterans like asomugha and whitner back there. not to mention that our pass rush is looking AMAZING. lemonier will somehow be the difference maker. he simply just pressures the QB consistantly in a way i've never seen a rookie do.. seems like every snap the QB lets go of the ball maybe half a second early, which really makes a difference.