Will the failure to trade the cornerback come back to haunt the team? – NBC Sports Bay Area and California
The 49ers’ offense is back at 30-plus point levels, so no one with a straight face is calling for the team to bench quarterback Brock Purdy.
And the defense looked a lot more like the defense from before. Their coordinator was on the sideline and the playmakers were running around collecting sacks and takeaways.
The 49ers followed their winning formula on Sunday with a 34-3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, ending a three-game losing streak.
Does their Week 10 win make all right in 49ers land?
Maybe not.
That’s why “49ers Overreactions” exists here.
Let’s see what the good people say as the 49ers improve to 6-3 this season:
Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel are the heart and soul of this team. Without it we are mediocre. With them we can’t be stopped! (Mike F.)
Overreaction? NO.
It’s difficult to argue this point because the facts are the facts.
The last time Williams and Samuel were healthy from start to finish was the Week 5 game against the Dallas Cowboys. In the three games they either didn’t play or were noticeably hampered, the 49ers lost and the offense sputtered.
Williams is an all-timer. He is one of the best to ever play his position. His presence is an important factor in keeping the 49ers’ offensive line together and getting the running game going.
And Samuel’s presence is difficult to quantify based on his catches, carries and yards.
“It’s a different energy, a different burst,” 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey said of Samuel. “Just having him on the field, I’m not a D-coordinator and playing defense, but he’s someone to focus on. And what he can do when the ball is in his hands, whether it’s in the receiving game or the running game, is something special.”
The 49ers still would have had to win at least two of those games without Williams and Samuel. And of course there are other important players in the team.
But we’ve seen the 49ers without Williams and Samuel, and there’s no doubt the atmosphere is completely different.
The offensive line is terrible. No QB protection. (Matthew T.)
Overreaction? Yes.
Purdy was outstanding on Sunday. He completed 19 of 26 passes for 296 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 148.9.
He was sacked twice for minus-9 yards, so it’s not like the pass protection was a complete disaster.
Compare that to the quarterback on the other side. Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, was sacked five times for 28 yards. Lawrence completed 17 of 29 passes for 185 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
Are we supposed to believe that Purdy did this all on his own, without the help of the 49ers offensive line?
Do the 49ers have the best offensive line in football? Of course not. But they’re nowhere near the bottom of the league either.
The 49ers have built solid depth, so there could be some tweaks to the offensive line in the coming weeks.
Veteran Jon Feliciano appears to have earned a starting role on offense, even after left guard Aaron Banks is allowed to return from his toe injury. And perhaps the 49ers will consider finding playing time for backup tackle Jaylon Moore after he fills in well for Trent Williams.
Still, the 49ers offense plays well enough to win a lot of games.
It should be noted that 24 quarterbacks in the NFL have been sacked more times than Purdy, so the 49ers offensive line is doing a lot of good things as well.
I wish they had addressed the cornerback position at the trade deadline. It could come back and haunt us. I think that’s the weak point in our defense. (Mark H.)
Overreaction? Yes and no.
Do you really think the 49ers made a mistake by not pursuing Rasul Douglas at the trade deadline?
Douglas is the only cornerback to change teams last week. Buffalo sent a third-round draft pick to Green Bay to acquire Douglas and a fifth-round draft pick.
We don’t believe the 49ers missed the trade deadline because cornerbacks weren’t available. They checked. And nothing made sense.
However, the 49ers’ biggest problem in the first half of the season was finding an answer at nickel back.
Veteran Isaiah Oliver struggled in coverage early in the bye week and lost his role on defense for the Jacksonville game.
Starting cornerback Deommodore Lenoir moved inside to cover the slot receiver and Ambry Thomas came in from the outside in nickel situations. Thomas had a very good game on Sunday, and that’s how the 49ers should line up for the rest with five defensive backs on the field.
We agree that the cornerbacks are second only to the defensive line and linebackers when it comes to the strengths of the 49ers defense. Let’s also note that opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 70.7 against the 49ers. So the secondary school also does a lot of things right.
It’s no surprise that people are negative about the offensive line and cornerbacks.
Ask any fan base in the league what areas of their team are weakest, and these two positions will likely be mentioned more often than others.
Steve Wilks’ position on the field had something to do with the way the defense played. (Juan C.)
Overreaction: No.
Coach Kyle Shanahan and Wilks tried last week to downplay the significance of Wilks moving from the locker room to the sideline to call up the 49ers’ defense.
But if it wasn’t that big of a deal, then why was the change made?
The 49ers defense wanted to make some changes that could help after three straight losses and shaky performances against the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals.
If everything had gone smoothly, there would have been no reason to bother with Wilks’ venue.
Strategically, the defensive coordinator position doesn’t play a big role on game day. But we strongly believe that the visibility and accessibility of the defensive coordinator gives players more ownership and responsibility.
If Fred Warner, Arik Armstead or anyone else sees a problem developing or wants to make a suggestion, they can approach Wilks on the sideline to provide personal feedback or suggestions.
“It was good to have him down there,” Warner said, “and the communication was flawless.”
It may not seem like a lot, but it’s a big deal when players know their voices are heard.
The other part of this is that Wilks is still learning the scheme and his players. He was hired from outside. He was asked to adapt to the 49ers’ system and work with the returning defensive coaches.
For Wilks, this is a process that will take time. There’s a case to be made that being completely immersed on the sidelines amidst all the action speeds up this process.
Moody needs to be replaced as soon as possible. (Faron B.)
Overreaction? Yes.
Let’s get straight to the stats: Rookie kicker Jake Moody is 14 of 17 on field goal attempts (82.4 percent) and 30 of 30 on extra points (100 percent). Additionally, his leg strength has helped the 49ers improve on kickoffs and increase range on field goal attempts.
Yes, he missed the potentially game-winning kick in Cleveland. And yes, on Sunday against the Jaguars, he barely made his kick over the right post at the end of the half.
So we understand that you may not have complete confidence in Moody at this point, but he certainly doesn’t need to be replaced.
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