Originally posted by NCommand:
Was waiting for this one. Thanks Marvin!
What we learned:
- No audibles yet. As a result, it appeared to me that both coaches had worked out a deal to bring some heat this game to work on line calls, adjustments and blitz pick-up. Broncos in many case were bringing 5+ defenders to rush and with no audibles, CK was running for his life (he's used to that). We ran one blown-up screen all game as an example.
- The coaches were certainly looking at bubble players this game and used it to evaluate other players such as Martin, Silberman, Brown, TJE, Skov, Carradine & Dockett on base downs, etc.
- This was also an opportunity to see how we fared against another good ZBS OL. This is still an area we need to work on esp. going up against Seattle. This is why we saw Carradine & Dockett in there starting at RDE & LDE respectively, in base downs to evaluate them more. Their 'real' positions will be inside pass rushers.
- Clearly, the coaches wanted to knock off some rust on players such as well in Wilhoite, Hunter, Dockett and Bush in live action. I wouldn't rush to too much judgement on these guys just yet (positive or negative).
The Good:
- No injuries!
- Bowman. Jesus, this man really IS 100% back. I only saw him get blocked out one time (he and Wilhoite) for a huge inside gain.
- Gabbert is legit. How much better does everyone feel about this. His play allows us all to take a deeper breath while also saving a roster spot by not having to have a 3rd QB.
- Acker & Reaser continue to shine and ease fans fear that "we have no CB's." Sorry Peter King but you're wrong on this one. Acker is just a gamer, plain and simple. Johnson, Brock, Acker and Reaser are all starters in this league. This was another piece we needed answered coming into the game.
- Brown. It's obvious to me that both Pears and Brown can get beat by excellent speed rushers with quickness off the line BUT Brown is much more athletic and has those extra long arms to swing pass rushers outside the pocket still. Pears does not. I have yet to see Brown beat inside, in part, b/c of his size. We have found something with this guy! I'd hope this becomes a last minute position battle.
- Reggie Bush, Hayne, White & Ellington - we now have 4 legit threats in the return game.
- Pinion - struggled with one directional punt but overall continues to boom kicks out of the back of the EZ and gets off huge punts with plenty of time for McCray to decapitate someone.
- Tartt - this kid already is special and just flashes every game.
- Ellington - Again, King in wrong here as well. Not only have we solidified the starters in T.Smith (X) - Ellington (Y) - Boldin (Z) but we have legit like-players behind them in Simpson - White - Baby Boldin (after Week 6).
- Purcell has locked down the backup NT spot.
- CK on the ground. You just got a snap shot of how much having VD, T.Smith, J.Simpson and others bring to our overall balanced offense. Defenders are SO preoccupied with them, CK is having 20 yard scramble lanes to hit before anyone even realizes it. Expect more of that in the regular season esp. once we add J.Simpson back into the mix. Ellington is another guy who was stretching the field from the slot and could have had a TD. Defenders HAVE to respect that now.
- Acosta. Dawson survived but with 3 new spots for the PS, will Acosta make it there?
- Mangini isn't a p***y and he certainly isn't passive. That was the most pressure and beat downs Manning has ever faced against us and it was also the fewest points he could muster (6).
- Run blocking. Hyde and Davis are going to be absolute beasts for us. And with Bush and Hayne out of the backfield, we'll be much more balanced. It seems like the line is really understanding the new ZBS and stretch runs. There were times even the young Silberman and M.Martin shined in the run blocking game.
- Bell & Celek. These two are legit in the passing game. Has either dropped a pass all off season?
- AA got a lot more downs against the first string and continues to 'arrow up.'
- Special teams coverage units for the most part. McCray continues to be an MVP.
The Bad:
- OL in pass protection. While the OL continues to excel at run blocking in the new ZBS and stretch runs, they continue to struggle working out the line calls on blitz pickups esp. when more than 4 are rushing the passer. CK barely has time to hit his backdrop.
- Johnson in the slot. Naturally, if you put a 6'2" 200 pound CB in the slot on a 5'10" jitterbug, you're going to get beat if you don't jam-press him at the LOS. We gave him a clean release and played vanilla. You won't see that in the regular season either in personnel or technique.
- Marcus Martin & Ian Silberman. While it was 'good' to start them against a formidable DL, it sort of proved that neither are ready for starting jobs at C and RG, respectively. Lots of blown assignments, mis-snaps on the ground, cement feet at times, etc. They are just too young and need more time to develop IMHO. But Silberman should get consideration for the 53.
- Did we give any snaps to Okoye? That's not a good sign.
- TJE and Dahl should not make this team this year and that speaks to our development and talent level now.
- Wilhoite. He didn't lock down the position just yet. He looked much better in coverage than in run defense. He absolutely got blocked out of the running lane a couple times and that was while playing next to Bowman who had an amazing day. Lots of big runs up the middle. I think this was one spot we didn't get an answer to...yet. He and Moody are still competing in my mind. Whoever is best against the run wins esp. with Tartt's play in nickel and dime.
- Wright continues to drop down the depth chart IMHO not b/c he sucks (good run defender) but b/c the younger players are playing quicker, faster, stronger and smarter. If I were the coaches, I'd return him to the slot where he has had the most success in his career.
- Tackling & penalties. Obviously these are two areas that need to be worked on hard and fixed ASAP. Both are coachable. Misses in the run game and punt coverage.
- Celek sucked in pass protection (better in run blocking).
- Lemonier & Harold. The 'good' was getting these two LOTS of reps. For better evaluation, they kept Lemonier at the SAM where he's been all off season (this is a good thing) and gave a lot of looks to Harold at the WILL. While neither flashed a ton, both were solid and in the regular season, we'll most likely see Lynch starting at the SAM with a combination of Lemonier/Harold at the WILL. To me, the coaches wanted to see Harold more in run support and sealing that edge. I thought he made quite a few really nice plays there.
- Dockett and Carradine. Both were washed out a lot in base running downs. To me, this is another answer...both are best served as interior pass rushers which should be their roles once the season starts. Dorsey - Williams - Dial are your base starters.
- Boldin. WTF? I understand you're a bit frustrated but damn, no need to kill a DB over it! You're a team leader. Act like it!
- Patton. I don't know if he makes the team if not for the Simpson temporary suspension.
- Ian Williams had a poor game by his standards but still flashed in the backfield several times blowing up running plays. OK game.
The Ugly:
- Niner fans in NT in the game day thread. So b/c we don't get the game live down in SoCal, I didn't get to see the game on NFLN until 9PM. BUT, for fun, I read through the game day thread in advance. I was literally laughing so hard at how dramatic we all can get in those threads..."extreme" isn't even the proper word. You'd think we were losing 42-0 at half time. Niner fans REALLY struggle with "context" as it relates to practice games and what the coaches are/were trying to accomplish even though it was relatively obvious esp. this game. As a whole, we need to stop being whiny b!tches and grow a pair and start looking at things in context. The season hasn't even started!
Originally posted by NCommand:
Was waiting for this one. Thanks Marvin!
What we learned:
- No audibles yet. As a result, it appeared to me that both coaches had worked out a deal to bring some heat this game to work on line calls, adjustments and blitz pick-up. Broncos in many case were bringing 5+ defenders to rush and with no audibles, CK was running for his life (he's used to that). We ran one blown-up screen all game as an example.
- The coaches were certainly looking at bubble players this game and used it to evaluate other players such as Martin, Silberman, Brown, TJE, Skov, Carradine & Dockett on base downs, etc.
- This was also an opportunity to see how we fared against another good ZBS OL. This is still an area we need to work on esp. going up against Seattle. This is why we saw Carradine & Dockett in there starting at RDE & LDE respectively, in base downs to evaluate them more. Their 'real' positions will be inside pass rushers.
- Clearly, the coaches wanted to knock off some rust on players such as well in Wilhoite, Hunter, Dockett and Bush in live action. I wouldn't rush to too much judgement on these guys just yet (positive or negative).
The Good:
- No injuries!
- Bowman. Jesus, this man really IS 100% back. I only saw him get blocked out one time (he and Wilhoite) for a huge inside gain.
- Gabbert is legit. How much better does everyone feel about this. His play allows us all to take a deeper breath while also saving a roster spot by not having to have a 3rd QB.
- Acker & Reaser continue to shine and ease fans fear that "we have no CB's." Sorry Peter King but you're wrong on this one. Acker is just a gamer, plain and simple. Johnson, Brock, Acker and Reaser are all starters in this league. This was another piece we needed answered coming into the game.
- Brown. It's obvious to me that both Pears and Brown can get beat by excellent speed rushers with quickness off the line BUT Brown is much more athletic and has those extra long arms to swing pass rushers outside the pocket still. Pears does not. I have yet to see Brown beat inside, in part, b/c of his size. We have found something with this guy! I'd hope this becomes a last minute position battle.
- Reggie Bush, Hayne, White & Ellington - we now have 4 legit threats in the return game.
- Pinion - struggled with one directional punt but overall continues to boom kicks out of the back of the EZ and gets off huge punts with plenty of time for McCray to decapitate someone.
- Tartt - this kid already is special and just flashes every game.
- Ellington - Again, King in wrong here as well. Not only have we solidified the starters in T.Smith (X) - Ellington (Y) - Boldin (Z) but we have legit like-players behind them in Simpson - White - Baby Boldin (after Week 6).
- Purcell has locked down the backup NT spot.
- CK on the ground. You just got a snap shot of how much having VD, T.Smith, J.Simpson and others bring to our overall balanced offense. Defenders are SO preoccupied with them, CK is having 20 yard scramble lanes to hit before anyone even realizes it. Expect more of that in the regular season esp. once we add J.Simpson back into the mix. Ellington is another guy who was stretching the field from the slot and could have had a TD. Defenders HAVE to respect that now.
- Acosta. Dawson survived but with 3 new spots for the PS, will Acosta make it there?
- Mangini isn't a p***y and he certainly isn't passive. That was the most pressure and beat downs Manning has ever faced against us and it was also the fewest points he could muster (6).
- Run blocking. Hyde and Davis are going to be absolute beasts for us. And with Bush and Hayne out of the backfield, we'll be much more balanced. It seems like the line is really understanding the new ZBS and stretch runs. There were times even the young Silberman and M.Martin shined in the run blocking game.
- Bell & Celek. These two are legit in the passing game. Has either dropped a pass all off season?
- AA got a lot more downs against the first string and continues to 'arrow up.'
- Special teams coverage units for the most part. McCray continues to be an MVP.
The Bad:
- OL in pass protection. While the OL continues to excel at run blocking in the new ZBS and stretch runs, they continue to struggle working out the line calls on blitz pickups esp. when more than 4 are rushing the passer. CK barely has time to hit his backdrop.
- Johnson in the slot. Naturally, if you put a 6'2" 200 pound CB in the slot on a 5'10" jitterbug, you're going to get beat if you don't jam-press him at the LOS. We gave him a clean release and played vanilla. You won't see that in the regular season either in personnel or technique.
- Marcus Martin & Ian Silberman. While it was 'good' to start them against a formidable DL, it sort of proved that neither are ready for starting jobs at C and RG, respectively. Lots of blown assignments, mis-snaps on the ground, cement feet at times, etc. They are just too young and need more time to develop IMHO. But Silberman should get consideration for the 53.
- Did we give any snaps to Okoye? That's not a good sign.
- TJE and Dahl should not make this team this year and that speaks to our development and talent level now.
- Wilhoite. He didn't lock down the position just yet. He looked much better in coverage than in run defense. He absolutely got blocked out of the running lane a couple times and that was while playing next to Bowman who had an amazing day. Lots of big runs up the middle. I think this was one spot we didn't get an answer to...yet. He and Moody are still competing in my mind. Whoever is best against the run wins esp. with Tartt's play in nickel and dime.
- Wright continues to drop down the depth chart IMHO not b/c he sucks (good run defender) but b/c the younger players are playing quicker, faster, stronger and smarter. If I were the coaches, I'd return him to the slot where he has had the most success in his career.
- Tackling & penalties. Obviously these are two areas that need to be worked on hard and fixed ASAP. Both are coachable. Misses in the run game and punt coverage.
- Celek sucked in pass protection (better in run blocking).
- Lemonier & Harold. The 'good' was getting these two LOTS of reps. For better evaluation, they kept Lemonier at the SAM where he's been all off season (this is a good thing) and gave a lot of looks to Harold at the WILL. While neither flashed a ton, both were solid and in the regular season, we'll most likely see Lynch starting at the SAM with a combination of Lemonier/Harold at the WILL. To me, the coaches wanted to see Harold more in run support and sealing that edge. I thought he made quite a few really nice plays there.
- Dockett and Carradine. Both were washed out a lot in base running downs. To me, this is another answer...both are best served as interior pass rushers which should be their roles once the season starts. Dorsey - Williams - Dial are your base starters.
- Boldin. WTF? I understand you're a bit frustrated but damn, no need to kill a DB over it! You're a team leader. Act like it!
- Patton. I don't know if he makes the team if not for the Simpson temporary suspension.
- Ian Williams had a poor game by his standards but still flashed in the backfield several times blowing up running plays. OK game.
The Ugly:
- Niner fans in NT in the game day thread. So b/c we don't get the game live down in SoCal, I didn't get to see the game on NFLN until 9PM. BUT, for fun, I read through the game day thread in advance. I was literally laughing so hard at how dramatic we all can get in those threads..."extreme" isn't even the proper word. You'd think we were losing 42-0 at half time. Niner fans REALLY struggle with "context" as it relates to practice games and what the coaches are/were trying to accomplish even though it was relatively obvious esp. this game. As a whole, we need to stop being whiny b!tches and grow a pair and start looking at things in context. The season hasn't even started!
Nice post, NCommand. The over dramatization in the game day thread is exactly why I do not participate in them. I always try to see things in as many perspectives as possible before drawing my conclusions. However, that usually doesn't happen until the next day when I'm not all caught up in the game day hype. If I participated in a game day thread, you would say the name fits.
I have had a problem with boldin's on the field antics for the past couple of years. Stupid penalties late in games because he wants to head butt somebody. That is not how a veteran leader should act. It's ridiculous.
The Bronco offense may have moved the ball but Manning looked a little rattled out there and his ball does not have the velocity that it use to. Good sign for our defense, no doubt.
I was a little worried about the offense but you have put things in a good perspective. But the fans are right, the starters need to hit the ground running or it could be a long season. It seems as though Tomsula is sacrificing the offense finding it's rhythm before the season starts, for finding the best o line combination. Will it payoff? I guess will all just have to give him a bludgeon of a doubt.
