Niner News Thread
- Thread starter Chree
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Under the new CBA, Harbaugh was required to give his players four days off during the bye week. He worked a deal with them three weeks ago: If they won their last two games, they would get an additional day off for each victory.Read more: http://blogs.sacbee.com/49ers/archives/2011/10/mike-singletary-sought-to-turn.html#ixzz1bLVqvP5g
http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/6711/draw-it-up-the-49ers-and-the-wham-play
Draw It Up: The 49ers and the 'Wham' Play
While much of the news out of the San Francisco 49ers 25-19 win over the Detroit Lions centers around the Jim Harbaugh-Jim Schwartz handshake-of-doom, there is another storyline to consider: The 49ers' close win. The victory was another step in the resuscitation of 49ers quarterback Alex Smith's career, which is not a complete surprise given that his coach, Harbaugh, was once an NFL quarterback himself. Yet Harbaugh hasn't brought a quarterback-dependent throw-it-around-the-stadium type of offense to San Francisco. Instead, he's doing what he did to rejuvenate Stanford, which seems to be to channel his old college coach Bo Schembechler's tough, physical approach to the game. And against the Lions, Harbaugh's 49ers didn't get their yards by running outside or getting the ball in space. Instead, the game plan was simple: run the ball right at Detroit's vaunted defensive line, led by Ndamukong Suh.
In that effort, Frank Gore paced the 49ers rushing attack with 141 yards, and he earned 102 yards on just two plays — 47- and 55-yard sprints. Indeed, not only were the two plays similar, they were the exact same play. That play is known as a "wham" concept.
Running plays come in different flavors. Some involve straight ahead blocking by the line, while others pull extra linemen to get excessive force at the point of attack. But another tactic is to focus on the leverage offensive players use to make their blocks, which frees up extra blockers to crush extra defenders. In short, while it typically takes two guys to block Suh, with the right tactic, the 49ers were able to use one, thus opening up all sorts of advantages. The most common form of this is known as a "trap," where a defensive lineman is left initially unblocked but is then blocked by an offensive player from the opposite side. Against Suh, the 49ers used the "wham" play, which is the same concept except the blocker comes from the outside.
On Gore's first big run, with just a few seconds left in the first quarter, the 49ers lined up in a "trey" set with a wide receiver to each side and a tight end and wing or "H-back," Delanie Walker, each lined up to the right. The goal of the "wham" blocked run play was to leave Suh unblocked. As shown below, Walker's job was to perform the "wham" block on Suh as he crashed upfield — a surprisingly simple block because Suh would be so focused on getting in the backfield that he wouldn't see it coming. This freed up the other linemen to block Detroit's linebackers, which they did.
wham1
In the image below, you can see the play developing perfectly: Suh, blissfully unaware, flies into the backfield hungry for a tackle for loss. Meanwhile, San Francisco's interior linemen release for the linebackers, each in good position to make a block.
A moment later, the big play is evident. Walker has completely taken Suh out of the play, while the other players have all made their blocks — ether in excellent fashion or simply by getting in the way as Detroit defenders get out of position. The one defender who could make the tackle — the blur in the photo near Gore — is Detroit safety Amari Spievey. He crashes down too quickly, though (to be fair, he undoubtedly expected better help from the inside), and Gore is off and running.
All that is left is for Gore to put a move on the safety, which he does, and he is off to the races. He would be caught at the one, but would score a touchdown one play later.
Because Harbaugh knows you can't have too much of a good thing, he called the exact same play in the third quarter, this time for a 55-yard run for Gore. This play seems to exemplify the theme of the week for Harbaugh: tough, physical, and a little bit unexpected.
Draw It Up: The 49ers and the 'Wham' Play
While much of the news out of the San Francisco 49ers 25-19 win over the Detroit Lions centers around the Jim Harbaugh-Jim Schwartz handshake-of-doom, there is another storyline to consider: The 49ers' close win. The victory was another step in the resuscitation of 49ers quarterback Alex Smith's career, which is not a complete surprise given that his coach, Harbaugh, was once an NFL quarterback himself. Yet Harbaugh hasn't brought a quarterback-dependent throw-it-around-the-stadium type of offense to San Francisco. Instead, he's doing what he did to rejuvenate Stanford, which seems to be to channel his old college coach Bo Schembechler's tough, physical approach to the game. And against the Lions, Harbaugh's 49ers didn't get their yards by running outside or getting the ball in space. Instead, the game plan was simple: run the ball right at Detroit's vaunted defensive line, led by Ndamukong Suh.
In that effort, Frank Gore paced the 49ers rushing attack with 141 yards, and he earned 102 yards on just two plays — 47- and 55-yard sprints. Indeed, not only were the two plays similar, they were the exact same play. That play is known as a "wham" concept.
Running plays come in different flavors. Some involve straight ahead blocking by the line, while others pull extra linemen to get excessive force at the point of attack. But another tactic is to focus on the leverage offensive players use to make their blocks, which frees up extra blockers to crush extra defenders. In short, while it typically takes two guys to block Suh, with the right tactic, the 49ers were able to use one, thus opening up all sorts of advantages. The most common form of this is known as a "trap," where a defensive lineman is left initially unblocked but is then blocked by an offensive player from the opposite side. Against Suh, the 49ers used the "wham" play, which is the same concept except the blocker comes from the outside.
On Gore's first big run, with just a few seconds left in the first quarter, the 49ers lined up in a "trey" set with a wide receiver to each side and a tight end and wing or "H-back," Delanie Walker, each lined up to the right. The goal of the "wham" blocked run play was to leave Suh unblocked. As shown below, Walker's job was to perform the "wham" block on Suh as he crashed upfield — a surprisingly simple block because Suh would be so focused on getting in the backfield that he wouldn't see it coming. This freed up the other linemen to block Detroit's linebackers, which they did.
wham1
In the image below, you can see the play developing perfectly: Suh, blissfully unaware, flies into the backfield hungry for a tackle for loss. Meanwhile, San Francisco's interior linemen release for the linebackers, each in good position to make a block.
A moment later, the big play is evident. Walker has completely taken Suh out of the play, while the other players have all made their blocks — ether in excellent fashion or simply by getting in the way as Detroit defenders get out of position. The one defender who could make the tackle — the blur in the photo near Gore — is Detroit safety Amari Spievey. He crashes down too quickly, though (to be fair, he undoubtedly expected better help from the inside), and Gore is off and running.
All that is left is for Gore to put a move on the safety, which he does, and he is off to the races. He would be caught at the one, but would score a touchdown one play later.
Because Harbaugh knows you can't have too much of a good thing, he called the exact same play in the third quarter, this time for a 55-yard run for Gore. This play seems to exemplify the theme of the week for Harbaugh: tough, physical, and a little bit unexpected.
Through the years: how the 49ers were built Read more: Through the years: how the 49
The 49ers' turnaround from a year ago has been dramatic. But the team certainly was not built overnight.
Reliable long-snapper Brian Jennings is the last holdover from the days of Terry Donahue as general manager and Steve Mariucci as coach. But there are players on the roster from five other 49ers regimes that included Dennis Erickson, Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary as coaches, as well as Scot McCloughan as the organization's top personnel guy.
And eight players remain from 2010, when current general manager Trent Baalke and Singletary joined forces to set the roster.
Now that the NFL trade deadline has passed and the 49ers made no roster moves, let's take a look at how the team was built.
Listed are all players currently on the 53-man roster and receiver Josh Morgan, who had a large impact this season before sustaining a season-ending injury (includes general manager/head coach, year, and how player was originally acquired):
Terry Donahue/Steve Mariucci (through 2002)
LS Brian Jennings, 2000, seventh round
Terry Donahue/Dennis Erickson (2003-04)
CB Shawntae Spencer, 2004, second round
NT Isaac Sopoaga, 2004, fourth round
P Andy Lee, 2004, sixth round
Scot McCloughan/Mike Nolan (2005-08)
QB Alex Smith, 2005, first round
RB Frank Gore, 2005, third round
G Adam Snyder, 2005, third round
TE Vernon Davis, 2006, first round
TE Delanie Walker, 2006, sixth round
LB Parys Haralson, 2006, fifth round
LB Patrick Willis, 2007, first round
LT Joe Staley, 2007, first round
DE Ray McDonald, 2007, third round
FS Dashon Goldson, 2007, fourth round
CB Tarell Brown, 2007, fifth round
DE Justin Smith, 2008, free agent
G Chilo Rachal, 2008, second round
S Reggie Smith, 2008, third round
WR Joshua Morgan, 2008, sixth round
Scot McCloughan/Mike Singletary (2008-09)
LB Ahmad Brooks, 2008, waiver claim
FB Moran Norris, 2009, free agent
WR Michael Crabtree, 2009, first round
DT Ricky Jean Francois, 2009, seventh round
T Alex Boone, 2009, undrafted rookie
Trent Baalke/Mike Singletary (2010)
WR Ted Ginn, trade
T Anthony Davis, first round
G Mike Iupati, first round
LB NaVorro Bowman, third round
WR Kyle Williams, sixth round
RB Anthony Dixon, sixth round
CB Tramaine Brock, undrafted rookie
DB C.J. Spillman, waiver claim
Trent Baalke/Jim Harbaugh (2011)
LB Aldon Smith, first round
QB Colin Kaepernick, second round
CB Chris Culliver, third round
RB Kendall Hunter, fourth round
G Daniel Kilgore, fifth round
S Colin Jones, sixth round
FB Bruce Miller, seventh round
T Mike Person, seventh round
NT Ian Williams, undrafted rookie
DE Demarcus Dobbs, undrafted rookie
K David Akers, free agent
LB Larry Grant, free agent
CB Carlos Rogers, free agent
S Madieu Williams, free agent
C Jonathan Goodwin, free agent
LB Blake Costanzo, free agent
WR Braylon Edwards, free agent
S Donte Whitner, free agent
QB Scott Tolzien, waiver claim
LB Tavares Gooden, free agent
TE Justin Peelle, free agent
WR Brett Swain, free agent
http://www.csnbayarea.com/blog/niners-talk/post/How-the-49ers-were-built?blockID=579712&feedID=5884
The 49ers' turnaround from a year ago has been dramatic. But the team certainly was not built overnight.
Reliable long-snapper Brian Jennings is the last holdover from the days of Terry Donahue as general manager and Steve Mariucci as coach. But there are players on the roster from five other 49ers regimes that included Dennis Erickson, Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary as coaches, as well as Scot McCloughan as the organization's top personnel guy.
And eight players remain from 2010, when current general manager Trent Baalke and Singletary joined forces to set the roster.
Now that the NFL trade deadline has passed and the 49ers made no roster moves, let's take a look at how the team was built.
Listed are all players currently on the 53-man roster and receiver Josh Morgan, who had a large impact this season before sustaining a season-ending injury (includes general manager/head coach, year, and how player was originally acquired):
Terry Donahue/Steve Mariucci (through 2002)
LS Brian Jennings, 2000, seventh round
Terry Donahue/Dennis Erickson (2003-04)
CB Shawntae Spencer, 2004, second round
NT Isaac Sopoaga, 2004, fourth round
P Andy Lee, 2004, sixth round
Scot McCloughan/Mike Nolan (2005-08)
QB Alex Smith, 2005, first round
RB Frank Gore, 2005, third round
G Adam Snyder, 2005, third round
TE Vernon Davis, 2006, first round
TE Delanie Walker, 2006, sixth round
LB Parys Haralson, 2006, fifth round
LB Patrick Willis, 2007, first round
LT Joe Staley, 2007, first round
DE Ray McDonald, 2007, third round
FS Dashon Goldson, 2007, fourth round
CB Tarell Brown, 2007, fifth round
DE Justin Smith, 2008, free agent
G Chilo Rachal, 2008, second round
S Reggie Smith, 2008, third round
WR Joshua Morgan, 2008, sixth round
Scot McCloughan/Mike Singletary (2008-09)
LB Ahmad Brooks, 2008, waiver claim
FB Moran Norris, 2009, free agent
WR Michael Crabtree, 2009, first round
DT Ricky Jean Francois, 2009, seventh round
T Alex Boone, 2009, undrafted rookie
Trent Baalke/Mike Singletary (2010)
WR Ted Ginn, trade
T Anthony Davis, first round
G Mike Iupati, first round
LB NaVorro Bowman, third round
WR Kyle Williams, sixth round
RB Anthony Dixon, sixth round
CB Tramaine Brock, undrafted rookie
DB C.J. Spillman, waiver claim
Trent Baalke/Jim Harbaugh (2011)
LB Aldon Smith, first round
QB Colin Kaepernick, second round
CB Chris Culliver, third round
RB Kendall Hunter, fourth round
G Daniel Kilgore, fifth round
S Colin Jones, sixth round
FB Bruce Miller, seventh round
T Mike Person, seventh round
NT Ian Williams, undrafted rookie
DE Demarcus Dobbs, undrafted rookie
K David Akers, free agent
LB Larry Grant, free agent
CB Carlos Rogers, free agent
S Madieu Williams, free agent
C Jonathan Goodwin, free agent
LB Blake Costanzo, free agent
WR Braylon Edwards, free agent
S Donte Whitner, free agent
QB Scott Tolzien, waiver claim
LB Tavares Gooden, free agent
TE Justin Peelle, free agent
WR Brett Swain, free agent
http://www.csnbayarea.com/blog/niners-talk/post/How-the-49ers-were-built?blockID=579712&feedID=5884
its cuz we are punishing opponents rbs, u can tell from watching the games the whole "the other team gave up" talk really is true, we are pounding opponents players and playing true smash mouth, and harbaugh is giving em great plays and great motivation
i think the longest streak of not allowing 100 yard rusher was tampa bay and ended a few years ago in the high 30 game range....
i think the longest streak of not allowing 100 yard rusher was tampa bay and ended a few years ago in the high 30 game range....
49ers' run defense hazardous to health
Beware, opposing running backs. The San Francisco 49ers are coming to hurt you -- not with overly aggressive handshakes, either.
Five Ring Circus gets credit/blame for this entry after setting off a discussion in the comments section of the Chat Wrap earlier. His boast about the 49ers' run defense included enough supporting evidence to spark a mini-investigation.
"Niners have ruined several fantasy seasons," Five Ring Circus mused, exhibiting the swagger a 5-1 record affords a fan. "Maybe Sando can keep a running total of RBs knocked out for significant period: Arian Foster, Felix Jones, LeGarrette Blount, Jahvid Best."
To be sure, San Francisco and Seattle run defenses have done the NFC West proud this season. The 49ers rank second in rushing yards allowed per game. The Seahawks rank first in yards per carry allowed.
Back to the claim about the 49ers knocking out running backs.
Foster :dead: tweaked a hamstring against the 49ers during preseason, and some fans insist a hit by the 49ers' Patrick Willis played a role. I'm not certain of that, but play-by-play records show Willis tackling Foster on what turned out to be his final play in the game.
The Cowboys' Jones :dead: suffered a separated shoulder when Willis and fellow linebacker NaVorro Bowman tackled him in Week 2. Willis made the primary tackle, with Bowman landing on Jones as the running back went to the ground.
Tampa Bay's Blount :dead: suffered a leg injury against the 49ers in Week 5. He came up limping after taking a big hit to the legs from free safety Dashon Goldson following a 29-yard reception midway through the third quarter. He did not touch the ball again during that game.
Best :dead: suffered a concussion against the 49ers last week. I'm not sure when.
For the regular season, the 49ers have injured three of their six opponents' starting backs. Next up: Peyton Hillis and the Cleveland Browns in Week 8. Hillis has missed one game already. He missed practice Thursday with a hamstring injury. If he plays in Week 7, he'll have to get through Seattle's run defense before facing the 49ers.
Beware, opposing running backs. The San Francisco 49ers are coming to hurt you -- not with overly aggressive handshakes, either.
Five Ring Circus gets credit/blame for this entry after setting off a discussion in the comments section of the Chat Wrap earlier. His boast about the 49ers' run defense included enough supporting evidence to spark a mini-investigation.
"Niners have ruined several fantasy seasons," Five Ring Circus mused, exhibiting the swagger a 5-1 record affords a fan. "Maybe Sando can keep a running total of RBs knocked out for significant period: Arian Foster, Felix Jones, LeGarrette Blount, Jahvid Best."
To be sure, San Francisco and Seattle run defenses have done the NFC West proud this season. The 49ers rank second in rushing yards allowed per game. The Seahawks rank first in yards per carry allowed.
Back to the claim about the 49ers knocking out running backs.
Foster :dead: tweaked a hamstring against the 49ers during preseason, and some fans insist a hit by the 49ers' Patrick Willis played a role. I'm not certain of that, but play-by-play records show Willis tackling Foster on what turned out to be his final play in the game.
The Cowboys' Jones :dead: suffered a separated shoulder when Willis and fellow linebacker NaVorro Bowman tackled him in Week 2. Willis made the primary tackle, with Bowman landing on Jones as the running back went to the ground.
Tampa Bay's Blount :dead: suffered a leg injury against the 49ers in Week 5. He came up limping after taking a big hit to the legs from free safety Dashon Goldson following a 29-yard reception midway through the third quarter. He did not touch the ball again during that game.
Best :dead: suffered a concussion against the 49ers last week. I'm not sure when.
For the regular season, the 49ers have injured three of their six opponents' starting backs. Next up: Peyton Hillis and the Cleveland Browns in Week 8. Hillis has missed one game already. He missed practice Thursday with a hamstring injury. If he plays in Week 7, he'll have to get through Seattle's run defense before facing the 49ers.
