The last two Sundays, Tim Ryan has had the pleasure of interviewing GM Trent Baalke on the KNBR 49ers pregame show.
Ryan reversed his role Monday on Tolbert and Lund, and played the role of interviewee. He was asked why the 49ers’ defensive backs played so poorly in Sunday’s 26-6 loss to the Bears.
While NFL Films’ Greg Cosell said Jimmie Ward had a really poor game, Ryan went in a different direction. He’s not a big fan of how defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil has devised coverage schemes in San Francisco.
“I can usually watch safeties and read leverages and read the postures of the defensive backs and look at the weak-side linebackers and I can get a pretty good idea of what the coverage is,” Ryan said. “It’s hard to diagnose the 49ers coverage. It is. I guess that’s one of the conceptual talents of a Rex Ryan defense.
“But man, it looks like there are so many big plays where a guy is in a trail position expecting help deep — and I guess they realize whether they are in man or are in zone — but it looks like sometimes they drop to a landmark and wait for a guy to get there, and then (the WR) makes a break, he’s going full-speed, they have their feet almost stopped. (The WR) makes a break at the top of his route and now they’ve got to turn and play man and try and catch up. A lot of it is challenging to look at and figure out what they are in.”
Why are these comments from Ryan pertinent? Because Baalke himself said the defense had some changes to make, “we’ve tightened things down” last week. The 49ers front office is trying to make this argument: our players are talented, it’s this particular defense that’s tripping them up.
But statistically, the pass defense has been a strength of this 1-11 football team. Heading into Monday Night Football, the 49ers rank 14th in the league in pass yards allowed per game (246.9). The 49ers have allowed eight passing plays for 40 yards or more, ranking 21st in the NFL.
Ryan carried the message that it’s not the players Baalke picked in the secondary, it’s the scheme.
“Jimmie Ward’s had a good year. Guys have made highlight reel catches on Tramaine Brock,” Ryan said. “But there has also been a lot of separation for big plays and big play opportunities. I think they are giving up five a game when you look at it. When you look at explosives, and you’re giving up that many and not getting any on the other side, it’s hard to generate points and it’s hard to keep people off the board.”
So how would you change things, Tim?
“There’s so much where I’d just love to see them play football,” Ryan said. “Just line up and play. And whether that’s sitting in a shell zone and coming up and tackling, it’s doing that. Win the geometry game. And that’s all coverage is. It’s geometry.”