Cards week 3 coaches film analysis

Originally posted by jonnydel:

The problem with stunts is that they have to be called on obvious passing situations - 3rd and long kind of thing. Because if you call a stunt and the other team is running at that stunt - you're screwed. Calling a lot of stunts on anything but obvious passing situations is a major gamble - you're much better off blitzing. Also, you can't stunt on every passing down because then it's expected every passing down and it's no longer effective.

That being said, we do call a fair amount of stunts whenever we can and the situation allows. We also blitzed 14 times. Fangio was doing a lot to try and manufacture a rush, but if your stunts are picked up and the other guys can't with their 1-1's, there's nothing a D-Coordinator can do.

as to size: Ray Mac is something like 310, he's over 300 I know that. But, size doesn't always give you an advantage in pass rush. Think of Vince Wilfork - if size mattered(no pun intended......) then he should be one of the most dominant pass rushers in the league. The Giants, last time they won the superbowl, had a "nascar" package where they put 4 DE's in on the D-line to rush the passer and it was a dominant group. None of those guys were over 280.

Honestly, unless someone shows up and starts ballin', I don't see us getting much more of a pass rush until Aldon comes back - which makes his egregious suspension length even worse.

I really wish they had done something more in the offseason to bolster the pass rush. I know they had a lot of areas to work on, but that's one that I think we're going to really have to hit hard next year. A great pass rush can cover a multitude of sins on defense.

Aldon really does seem to make this whole thing go. That suspension was such b******t. However, I'm eager to see how this secondary does with some pass rush. I just feel like it's gonna be better than the ones we've ran out there the last 3 seasons.

Does anyone think the focus on calling 'illegal use of the hands' (hands to the face) has had an effect on the 49er pass rush? I think Brooks and Lemon has been called for this a few times this season. Could it be that Tomsula has been teaching this to the pass rushers, but now that the refs have cracked down on it, it has eliminated a tactic that the 49ers have used?

Now, I don't know if the 49ers have done this in the past, never noticed, but they were hit with this penalty a few times this season and when I think about it, getting that hand into the Olineman's grill can have a huge effect on that Olineman's ability to pass block. Just throwing this out there.

Originally posted by thl408:
Does anyone think the focus on calling 'illegal use of the hands' (hands to the face) has had an effect on the 49er pass rush? I think Brooks and Lemon has been called for this a few times this season. Could it be that Tomsula has been teaching this to the pass rushers, but now that the refs have cracked down on it, it has eliminated a tactic that the 49ers have used?

Now, I don't know if the 49ers have done this in the past, never noticed, but they were hit with this penalty a few times this season and when I think about it, getting that hand into the Olineman's grill can have a huge effect on that Olineman's ability to pass block. Just throwing this out there.

Not sure, I doubt Tomsula would teach it though because it's been a penalty for years, we're just getting called for it a lot more this season. I know when I was taught leverage, it was always getting under the other guys' pads. That's what I see Aldon Smith do all the time on his bull rushes. But Aldon has a great ability to stay low out of his burst. So his bull rush and speed rush look identical - one reason he's so lethal as a rusher.

I've been trying to figure out why Brooks has been called for it so many times though. Not sure what's different about him this season. Might be the added weight - he said he put on some pounds in the offseason and he looks it - and not in a good way. He looks slower off his rush and hasn't been playing as low as he normally did last season.

Originally posted by 49erfaninPA:

Originally posted by jonnydel:

Originally posted by thl408:

Holy crap, I think Lemon got a QB pressure.

2Q 3rd & 10
Line stunt. 3 man rush.


Incomplete pass.

I think he got two in that game - I haven't checked the stats, but I remember seeing him get this one and I thought one other one. Again on a stunt and he came from the other side.

Wait, did that ref pull out the flag and then decide not to throw it?

Amazing how ref can pull the flag out but not throw it. Wow don't see that very often.

Originally posted by jonnydel:

The problem with stunts is that they have to be called on obvious passing situations - 3rd and long kind of thing. Because if you call a stunt and the other team is running at that stunt - you're screwed. Calling a lot of stunts on anything but obvious passing situations is a major gamble - you're much better off blitzing. Also, you can't stunt on every passing down because then it's expected every passing down and it's no longer effective.

That being said, we do call a fair amount of stunts whenever we can and the situation allows. We also blitzed 14 times. Fangio was doing a lot to try and manufacture a rush, but if your stunts are picked up and the other guys can't with their 1-1's, there's nothing a D-Coordinator can do.

as to size: Ray Mac is something like 310, he's over 300 I know that. But, size doesn't always give you an advantage in pass rush. Think of Vince Wilfork - if size mattered(no pun intended......) then he should be one of the most dominant pass rushers in the league. The Giants, last time they won the superbowl, had a "nascar" package where they put 4 DE's in on the D-line to rush the passer and it was a dominant group. None of those guys were over 280.

Honestly, unless someone shows up and starts ballin', I don't see us getting much more of a pass rush until Aldon comes back - which makes his egregious suspension length even worse.

I really wish they had done something more in the offseason to bolster the pass rush. I know they had a lot of areas to work on, but that's one that I think we're going to really have to hit hard next year. A great pass rush can cover a multitude of sins on defens e.

thanks for the observations. I think the staff is obligated to do whatever takes to get a rush. we are that irrelevant right now. I couldn't agree with you more about the pass rush off season. that's one reason I was irate over he draft.

Thumbnails of passing plays are posted. With ARI having a tendency to blitz right up the middle, and very good CBs, the 49ers went to work in the middle of the field. Short, high percentage throws looking to attack the LBs in coverage between the numbers on the field. With Kap's arm, these throws were easy to complete provided Kap was decisive, which he was.

http://www.49erswebzone.com/forum/niners/179704-cards-week-coaches-film-analysis/#post2

Originally posted by thl408:

Thumbnails of passing plays are posted. With ARI having a tendency to blitz right up the middle, and very good CBs, the 49ers went to work in the middle of the field. Short, high percentage throws looking to attack the LBs in coverage between the numbers on the field. With Kap's arm, these throws were easy to complete provided Kap was decisive, which he was.

http://www.49erswebzone.com/forum/niners/179704-cards-week-coaches-film-analysis/#post2

Looking at the pass cut ups, we really loved the smash, double slant, and the all curls concept this game. Also if looks like the out route from the slot was a go to play this game also.

Originally posted by Niners816:

Originally posted by thl408:
Thumbnails of passing plays are posted. With ARI having a tendency to blitz right up the middle, and very good CBs, the 49ers went to work in the middle of the field. Short, high percentage throws looking to attack the LBs in coverage between the numbers on the field. With Kap's arm, these throws were easy to complete provided Kap was decisive, which he was.

http://www.49erswebzone.com/forum/niners/179704-cards-week-coaches-film-analysis/#post2

Looking at the pass cut ups, we really loved the smash, double slant, and the all curls concept this game. Also if looks like the out route from the slot was a go to play this game also.

Agreed with all that. Those were the 4 common things I saw as well.

It seems odd that the Smash concept was being ran against ARI, who plays mostly man coverage, but I think the 49ers were conceding defeat to the outside coverage of the ARI CBs (hitch route), while trying to hit the corner route. They only threw at Patrick Peterson once (#10, incomplete to Lloyd). #13 was the bad play design mentioned in post #100. It looked like PPeterson was targeted, but Kap just threw the ball away in that direction. What I mean by conceding defeat was they tried to use the hitch route as bait to bring up the CB, which frees up space behind the outside CB for the corner route, which does well against man coverage.


jonnydel cut this play up in post#15 (this pic is from the cut up with added arrows). He focused on the route over the middle to SJ, but I want to focus on the Smash being ran to each side of the formation. This is play #2 from the thumbnails.
The outside WRs are Gore and Lloyd running a quick hitch. Here, the hitches to each are used to bait the outside CBs up to earn room for the corner routes being ran by Crabs and Boldin. The CB on Boldin has outside leverage, so Boldin is defeated. The CB (blue) on Gore is not going to respect Gore so he is able to sag off of Gore to provide help on Crabs.


Crabs actually turns his man inside out, but with a 5 man rush, Kap will take the safer throw to SJ over the middle. The corner routes are also used to give SJ room to work the middle as jonnydel mentioned in his cut up.


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This is play #25 from the thumbnails. Outside hitches used to try and earn room for the corner routes to work. ARI, not falling for it. The corner route to Kap's right (top of screen) has a slim chance, but Kap takes the safer throw over the middle. Versus single high safety, attack the sidelines. Really missed VD running these corner routes.

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This is play #28. ARI knows what's up by now. Just take the hitch.

Originally posted by Niners816:
Looking at the pass cut ups, we really loved the smash, double slant, and the all curls concept this game. Also if looks like the out route from the slot was a go to play this game also.

This is the out route from the slot WR. A safe and easy hot route when facing a blitz with man coverage. It's the same route combo (last season) where Boldin had a huge 60+ yard catch and run when Patton came from across the field to throw a block. On that play, ARI came with cover0 and got burned.

Play #11. Cover1, ARI with a 5 man rush, man coverage all around. The outside vertical clears the area for the slot's out route to work. Quick throw to SJ (slot WR) on the out route.

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This is play #26. Cover0, ARI with a 6 man rush. Boldin in the slot.

Originally posted by thl408:

Agreed with all that. Those were the 4 common things I saw as well.

It seems odd that the Smash concept was being ran against ARI, who plays mostly man coverage, but I think the 49ers were conceding defeat to the outside coverage of the ARI CBs (hitch route), while trying to hit the corner route. They only threw at Patrick Peterson once (#10, incomplete to Lloyd). #13 was the bad play design mentioned in post #100. It looked like PPeterson was targeted, but Kap just threw the ball away in that direction. What I mean by conceding defeat was they tried to use the hitch route as bait to bring up the CB, which frees up space behind the outside CB for the corner route, which does well against man coverage.


jonnydel cut this play up in post#15 (this pic is from the cut up with added arrows). He focused on the route over the middle to SJ, but I want to focus on the Smash being ran to each side of the formation. This is play #2 from the thumbnails.
The outside WRs are Gore and Lloyd running a quick hitch. Here, the hitches to each are used to bait the outside CBs up to earn room for the corner routes being ran by Crabs and Boldin. The CB on Boldin has outside leverage, so Boldin is defeated. The CB (blue) on Gore is not going to respect Gore so he is able to sag off of Gore to provide help on Crabs.


Crabs actually turns his man inside out, but with a 5 man rush, Kap will take the safer throw to SJ over the middle. The corner routes are also used to give SJ room to work the middle as jonnydel mentioned in his cut up.


----------------------------------
This is play #25 from the thumbnails. Outside hitches used to try and earn room for the corner routes to work. ARI, not falling for it. The corner route to Kap's right (top of screen) has a slim chance, but Kap takes the safer throw over the middle. Versus single high safety, attack the sidelines. Really missed VD running these corner routes.

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This is play #28. ARI knows what's up by now. Just take the hitch.

It's kinda interesting the way we are using smash. We seen to mirror the smash on each side and then have the inner most WR run a curl/in. Therefore which ever half of the field is taken you still half 3 targets, the middle guy just might moving away from the chosen side or towards it depending on which side is looked at.

Originally posted by Niners816:
Looking at the pass cut ups, we really loved the smash, double slant, and the all curls concept this game. Also if looks like the out route from the slot was a go to play this game also.

A number of double slants were ran, but this is the only time Kap actually targeted that concept.
This play (#32) is also an example of the funky coverage ARI sometimes came with. Man coverage on the outside, zone over the middle. I wondered why the 49ers didn't attack this coverage with flare outs to the flats. Easy way to get Ellington in space. The outside WR clears the area for the flat to work. Check out the RB flaring out and how he had room to run if Kap looked that direction. Actually, they almost hit a big play with the swing passes (screen passes) to Hyde, but the blocking failed.

Originally posted by tohara3:

Originally posted by 49erfaninPA:

Originally posted by jonnydel:

Originally posted by thl408:

Holy crap, I think Lemon got a QB pressure.

2Q 3rd & 10
Line stunt. 3 man rush.


Incomplete pass.

I think he got two in that game - I haven't checked the stats, but I remember seeing him get this one and I thought one other one. Again on a stunt and he came from the other side.

Wait, did that ref pull out the flag and then decide not to throw it?

Amazing how ref can pull the flag out but not throw it. Wow don't see that very often.

He did throw the flag for illegal hands to the face. But, it should have been holding. I was yelling holding at the tv. One of the many questionable calls

Originally posted by Bay2Bay9erAllday:
He did throw the flag for illegal hands to the face. But, it should have been holding. I was yelling holding at the tv. One of the many questionable calls

That's correct. I forgot to clarify when posters were saying no flag was thrown. It was illegal hands called on the offense. Declined and ARI punted. And yes, there was offensive holding on the play - not called.

#74 is holding Lemon.

Originally posted by thl408:

A number of double slants were ran, but this is the only time Kap actually targeted that concept.
This play (#32) is also an example of the funky coverage ARI sometimes came with. Man coverage on the outside, zone over the middle. I wondered why the 49ers didn't attack this coverage with flare outs to the flats. Easy way to get Ellington in space. The outside WR clears the area for the flat to work. Check out the RB flaring out and how he had room to run if Kap looked that direction. Actually, they almost hit a big play with the swing passes (screen passes) to Hyde, but the blocking failed.

Wow, the flat doesn't get much more open than that. We just don't emphasisize the backs enough in the passing game. And that just kills the WCO guy in me

A flare out would take too long to read. There was a hell of a pass rush and he was near the goal line. It would have to be his first read in that situation.