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Defending WR screens

CT Charlie : 10/13/2015 9:43 pm
The Niners burned us badly with the WR/bubble screen a couple of times. We managed to blow it up once.

For defensive experts, what's the key to defending it?
Well for one  
AP in Halfmoon : 10/13/2015 9:50 pm : link
The CBs have to get off blocks.
Niners blocked those up  
Simms11 : 10/13/2015 9:54 pm : link
Very well. We had problems getting off of blocks all night. Of course there was some holding that wasn't called either.
...  
Gmen108021 : 10/13/2015 10:05 pm : link
we are going to see alot of that this weekend vs eagles.
Good Topic  
Trainmaster : 10/13/2015 10:08 pm : link
Other teams seem to have above average success with WR screens against our defense.

Our offense seems to have below average success with WR screens against opposing defenses (has Beckham every had big yardage during a WR screen?).

What gives?
the WR  
pjcas18 : 10/13/2015 10:10 pm : link
screen to Nicks was lethal.
I Agree  
Trainmaster : 10/13/2015 10:20 pm : link
My comment was regarding McAdoo's offense and Spags' defense.
The screen that hit biggest  
SJ4good80 : 10/13/2015 10:52 pm : link
Was when the Giants brought 2 off the edge that the screen was on. Not sure if kaepernick checked to it if the Giants showed early or if they just got lucky but it was 2 over 1 with the backside safety having to make the play. Sometimes the offense makes plays too.
Part  
Eric from BBI : Admin : 10/13/2015 11:00 pm : link
of it is the cornerbacks, but the 49ers caught the Giants linebackers cheating up and inside and there were in no position to help disrupt the play.

Good scouting by the 49ers.
It was easy to see  
Marty866b : 10/13/2015 11:26 pm : link
I was sitting upstairs and that play was available most of the night. DRC played through a block to stop it once but the Giant linebackers were pinching inside and all the Niners had to do was get one good block for a good play. Bolden is much bigger and stronger then any of our corners and the block needed was easy for him. We don't have very physical corners.
Maybe we should spread Whitlock and Tye out there  
CT Charlie : 10/13/2015 11:57 pm : link
in front of Beckham.
One of the keys is to drive the play inside ...  
Manny in CA : 10/14/2015 12:03 am : link
Toward all the potential tacklers.

If you don't they have the sideline to go for big yardage. (The linebackers cheating is a great observation).
I'm surprised the 49ers din't go to this more,  
giantgiantfan : 10/14/2015 12:08 am : link
Philly will certainly look at this tape, hopefully the Giants rectify this exploit.
I do remember the WR screen to Nicks ...  
Manny in CA : 10/14/2015 12:13 am : link
And often wondered why they didn't use Manningham, instead.

Who was just as fast and was a legitimate juke move artist (unlike Nicks).
I wish the NFL would start  
GiantsLaw : 10/14/2015 1:58 am : link
enforcing their own rules. It's illegal for WRs to block downfield while the ball is in the air. Yet I see it every bubble screen.
the reason why we had trouble  
jawebb20 : 10/14/2015 2:56 am : link
is because we played a ton of man coverage while showing a 5 man front.

Not enough hats  
RetroJint : 10/14/2015 4:55 am : link
The 49ers had 2 bubbles where the LOT got out clean to the CB. That is a numbers problem. 4 vs 2. The comment above about the Eagles is spot on. The WR screen is their first passing option. Then, once the defense responds by playing a 3 for 2, they fake the screen, then pop pass to Ertz. Their offense takes wishbone option concepts from the sixties and seventies, as uses them instead in the short-passing game. It is an option offense.

Rodgers-Cromartie plays it best on the Giants because he knifes under the would-be blocker before the pass is thrown. But watch the Eagles option to his side because of it.
If the Giants face the Eagles without Kennard, Beason, Casillas...  
Big Blue Blogger : 10/14/2015 6:33 am : link
... Selvie, and Ayers (not to mention their franchise RDE), it will be very difficult to give the corners the help they need to stop this play. Rodgers-Cromartie and Amukamara are pretty good at it; but as RetroJint says, it comes down to numbers, and the rest of the defense was trailing those screens by ten yards.
Big problem was in diagnosing the play...  
Dan in the Springs : 10/14/2015 7:37 am : link
9ers sold play-action and our defenders bought it big-time. With everyone looking run the quick out to the WR is easy.

Part of that is on the defense, partly give credit to the 9ers offense in execution. On the first one their LT gets about 14 yds downfield to block our safety, springing the WR for a 30 yd gain. That's just amazing execution by the lineman.

When we recognized the look and weren't cheating toward the run, we stopped the play.

On offense the Giants have to make sure they aren't telegraphing the play.
The Giants or TC..  
FatMan in Charlotte : 10/14/2015 8:11 am : link
really need to make a stink about how nearly every WR screen run against them is offensive PI - either because the WR's are picking or they are blocking before the ball is thrown.

SF didn't even try to disguise this, they straight-up had the WR's blocking immediately after the snap.
I remember them trying it with Randle last year,  
Simms11 : 10/14/2015 8:14 am : link
only to be stopped for virtually no gain. He's just too slow and has no wiggle for this type of play. Harris or OBJ might be better options, however, it also has to be blocked up better.

FatMan in Charlotte  
Eric from BBI : Admin : 10/14/2015 8:15 am : link
Picks have become so prevalent in the NFL now that I'm not even sure what is legal or illegal anymore. They certainly don't call it most of the time, but they will throw the flag every now and then.

But I saw what you saw, some blocking before the pass was caught.
Yes,  
Doomster : 10/14/2015 8:41 am : link
this has been going for weeks...kind of reminds me of the center position last year....teams would stunt/blitz over Walton, and the Giants had no answer for it....

This WR screen, will be run over and over against the Giants, until they stop it....
NINEsters film study thread  
gidiefor : Mod : 10/14/2015 9:23 am : link
shows that the bubble screen was also well executed -- with Staley pulling all the way over to execute a critical block taking out the safety when they ran it to the left side of the field
Eric..  
FatMan in Charlotte : 10/14/2015 9:30 am : link
ironically, I think we were called for offensive PI running a WR screen against Atlanta.

I don't know what is legal and what isn't anymore.
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