Robert Saleh returned as the San Francisco 49ers’ Defensive coordinator, and his first test was passed in Seattle. The 49ers started two rookies in the secondary, but only allowed 13 points, 14 first downs, 4.6 yards per play, 146 passing yards, 84 rushing yards, and forced two turnovers. Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Deommodore Lenoir were the stars, but it was Saleh who offered a glimpse of his effect on this defense with his scheme and playcalling.
So, what new wrinkles did Saleh show on Sunday?
Here’s the percentage of coverage deployed by the 49ers defense:
Man
Cover 0 – 0%
Cover 1 Man (Single Safety) – 20%
Cover 2 Man (Two High Safety) – 0%
Zone
Cover 2 (Two High Safety & 5 underneath) – 0%
Cover 3 (Three Deep & Four underneath) – 44%
Cover 4 (Four Deep & Three underneath) – 20%
Cover 6 (Cover 2 & Cover 4 on either side) – 8%
Defensive EPA/Dropback: -0.22 (3rd best in Week 1)
Cover 3 is a staple of the 49ers defense under Saleh, which is indicated with the 44% percent, but the interesting wrinkles came from the Cover 1 man looks. There are examples of interesting concepts during zone as well, but I found these examples in man coverage very interesting.
The 49ers show six players on the line for this third down in the first quarter. Darnold identifies the players in coverage as their shoulders are square with the line of scrimmage. Saleh sends six, and Yetur-Gross Matos clears the way for Bosa’s stunt through the hole and rushes Darnold’s process with man coverage across the board. Rookie Marques Sigle is sticky on the Seahawks on tight end, which forces the first punt from Seattle. Sending extra pressure will be a familiar theme on third downs. Still, Saleh constructed the perfect stunt concept for Bosa, and it was executed well by Gross-Matos, adding rushers in Cover 1 Man for the defensive win.
When you think of rookie defensive end Mykel Williams, coverage skills don’t come to mind. The 49ers show five rushers at the line, but the wrinkle is Warner breaks and engages with the center before dropping back, and Dee Winters shoots to the line of scrimmage. Williams covers Kenneth Walker once he comes out wide, and again, Saleh is showing the grouping before dropping out certain defenders and sending pressure from different places. Again, blitzing from Cover 1 man, and trusting his defenders on the back end. The play and timing are disrupted, and the pass from Darnold falls incomplete. Bryce Huff gets a free rush due to the confusion on the offensive line.
Cover 1 variation, which I believe is Cover 1 man “hole,” as Sigle drops into the middle of the field. I could be wrong, but this wrinkle takes away the middle of the field from Darnold, but he does recognize man coverage across the board. There isn’t an interesting pass rush look as only four rush the passer, but the rotation from the line of scrimmage to the “hole” from Sigle is a nice coverage wrinkle in the Cover 1 man look. Upton Stout took some lumps on Sunday, but the ball was overthrown on this target.
The 49ers only rush four here, but I love the pass off between Renardo Green and Stout at the bottom of the screen with the motion from the receiver. Seemless pass off with Jason Pinnock also in man and Sigle bailing to his single high look. For the first game of the season, plays like this indicate the defense is ahead of schedule. Winter’s responsibility is Walker, and he can fly to the ball and blow the play up—great coverage by the rookie and Green on the bottom of the screen.
Ok, now let’s get nuts. My read on this coverage is Cover 3 with Deommodore Lenoir bailing to his deep third and three deep secondary members. Generally, the vanilla version is three deep with four underneath and rushing four. Saleh switches it up, sending Stout and Winters and dropping Gross-Matos off the line into coverage. The pass and timing are off from Darnold, but man, Winters obliterates Charbonnet, and the blitz speeds up Darnold for the incompletion. Dropping two underneath, including a defensive lineman, is very interesting and worked here for Saleh.
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