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49ers Notebook: Jimmie Ward really, really likes to play football, Saleh (sort of) responds to Michigan lawmakers

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Photo by Harry How/Getty Images


Jimmie Ward serves as something of a barometer for the 49ers.

In a win over the Los Angeles Rams to keep the season afloat, the safety played in any and every role. He was largely used inside the box in the way Jaquiski Tartt often is, but also took over duties in the slot, played single high, and even had his safety job borrowed by Richard Sherman. He forced a pair of fumbles, sealed off Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods in coverage and was unquestionably dominant.

The 49ers won 23-20, and now have a bit of the buzz back that they’d been missing for so long. Ward clearly never lost it.

‘Feeling that fire,’ Jimmie Ward is at his best

Ward has been praised without fail by Richard Sherman and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. On Friday, Saleh again rang the bell for Ward, explaining what makes him such a dominant coverage defender.

“From a man coverage standpoint, and it’s why he doesn’t get a lot of plays, it’s why he doesn’t get a lot of stats, I mean the guy absolutely eliminates whoever he has in man coverage,” Saleh said. “If you just go back through the history of him playing all his man coverage reps, he doesn’t get action because, it’s done. His press coverage skills are unbelievable. His off catch technique is unbelievable. His foot speed is unbelievable, so it doesn’t matter. Tight ends, jitterbugs, big receivers he handles all of them, and so he’s been a victim of his dominance.”

Saleh said Ward has “rewritten the book” on what the 49ers look for in a safety. When you watch him on film, Ward shows an ability to effectively cover every type of route pattern from every type of receiver, from tight ends, to slot guys, to, as Saleh called them, the “jitterbugs.”

Before the Rams game, Ward wanted to see more out of himself and recalled the 49ers’ Divisional Round playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings. After that game, Emmanuel Sanders came up to him with a message: “Do that shit again.”

Ward said that got stuck in his head and eschewed praise for his two fumbles, falling into the classic football motif of “on to the next.

“We can talk about the turnovers, but man, who cares now,” Ward said. “That was last week, you know I got to do it again.”

Ward joked that he didn’t get any interceptions so he couldn’t, “see what the big deal is about.” He spoke of feeling like he’s still disrespected, but in a way that he feeds off of. Talking about that criticism got him into a hyped-up state where he was fidgeting in his chair, exuding an energy like he maybe could have run through a brick wall.

“That’s cool because that’s better for me,” Ward said. It gives me that fire. It makes me go out there and give it my all. Even though I got paid, that’s cool, and all that, but that’s not all I want. I want everything. And that’s how I play too, like I play like how I talk, I talk like how I play. It all starts in practice. Even just thinking about football right now, I’m starting to feel that fire inside of me but other than that, just get to the next question cause it’s feeling like game day right now.”

Robert Saleh not so interested in letter of support from Michigan lawmakers

On Friday morning, a bipartisan group of Michigan lawmakers called for the Detroit Lions, in Robert Saleh’s home state of Michigan, to make him the franchise’s next head coach. It was a bizarre news item. Defector’s Ray Ratto had a classically scathing, hilarious review of that prospect, which he categorized as hellish, asking in the headline, “Why Would You Wish The Lion’s Job On Anyone?”

Saleh said he heard of the news as he was exiting the practice field.

“I don’t know what to make of it or anything like that. So it’s just whatever, I guess,” Saleh said.

He continued to pour cold water on head coaching talk as he has since last season.

“It’s really a non-issue for me,” Saleh said. “I don’t talk about it. I don’t really even see it. I don’t have social media, I don’t look into the news, so it’s probably more for family and friends to enjoy and get a kick out of than it is for me.”

In classically Saleh fashion, he deferred to the brilliance and intelligence of his players when asked about the success of his defense. After Fred Warner described the defense as not doing a lot, but doing it well, Saleh pinpointed the success as lying with players like Warner, Sherman, Ward and Arik Armstead.

He said those players study offense almost religiously, so there’s something of instinct created by knowledge once they’re actually in a game setting. There were a few other notes from Saleh on Friday:

  • He feels confident in Emmanuel Moseley playing nickel, which is no surprise, given that Moseley has generally fared better in tight situations and was used as the boundary corner, limiting the amount of space he was responsible for. He’s physical, especially at the line of scrimmage, can blitz effectively, and has had reps since training camp at the position. Saleh said: “We’re very comfortable with Mosley in there.”
  • Kevin Givens has stood out on the interior, especially against the Rams, when he was given his first career start. In a squatty frame nearly identical to Aaron Donald (Givens is five pounds heavier, but listed at the same 6’1″ figure), he’s frequently split double teams and become reliable in the run game. His consistency as a pass rusher also seems to be improving. Saleh concurred, and identified him as a player to keep tabs on:

“He is explosive off the line of scrimmage,” Saleh said. When he’s attacking and getting vertical and using, and penetrating and on the move. We had him on the move a little bit, he’s hard to deal with. His pass rush ability is improving. His feel for run-pass past diagnosis on first and second down is improving his strain… He’s got chance to be special. It’s just a matter of how much, how much more work he’s willing to put in.”

Sherman says he’s sorted out calf, laments being unable to support Santa Clara County

He wasn’t supposed to be sidelined for 12 weeks, but Richard Sherman found a bright side to a calf injury which stole most of his season. He said the issue found some underlying problems, which are now sorted.

“In situations like this, I mean we’re getting to do what we love, regardless of the circumstances,” Sherman said of the move to Arizona. “There are people out there losing jobs, losing houses, having huge issues. We just feel sorry for the county of Santa Clara that we can’t do more. When you get kicked out, there are so many guys that are active in the community and the holidays are coming up and we can’t go back and give away gifts and be able to help the people in need, you know. That’s the unfortunate part of this situation.”

Practice participation report

Did not practice:

  • CB K’Waun Williams

Limited:

  • CB Emmanuel Moseley (hamstring)

Full:

  • WR Brandon Aiyuk (not injury related)
  • DT D.J. Jones (not injury related)
  • WR Deebo Samuel (hamstring) –
  • DE Jordan Willis (not injury related)