The 49ers 3rd down Defense weeks 14-17 under Robert Saleh

 The 49ers have struggled with injuries all year. That being said, they still are 3rd in the NFL in opponent 3rd down conversion rate.  This is due to the great defense run by soon to be NFL head coach Robert Saleh. His teams play hard and they always play fundamentally sound football.

Statistically, they are 3rd in the NFL overall as teams are 35% efficient against them  on the year and 25% in weeks 14-16.

They have done it with sound schemes and mixing up coverages. But their most success has come from their man schemes and pressures. 

Here is opponents 3rd down conversion rates the last 3 weeks:

Opponent       The Cards        Cowboys      Wash.         Hawks                               

3rd and 1-2      2/3 8 yards.      2/3 4 yds       2/2 16 yds    3/3 8yds

3rd and 3           1/1 5yd                         0         0/1              0/1       

3rd and 4-6     1/4  41 yds      1/4 9 yds sa     1/314 yds.    1/2 6yds 

3rd 7-9                  0/4           2/4  60 yds.       0/5 sack       0/3 6 yds sack

3rd 10+               0/4              1/4 34 yds      0/3 10 yds     0/2

The Cardinals were 4/16 for 25% efficiency. The 49ers were really effective on 3rd and 4-6 or more, holding the cards to 1/12 and 1 was a big completion. Thats 8% efficiency and great from a defensive standpoint. 

They also adapt very well. They ran more man free schemes against the Cowboys but went more zone against the Cards to keep an eye on Murray and his scrambling ability. 

They really excel on the 3rd and  4 +  where they are very impressive. In the last 4 games teams are 7 of 42 vs them . 17% efficiency rate.  That is very good.  

COVERAGE BREAKDOWN OVER THE 4 GAMES

3RD AND 1-3 .    ZONE 2X , MAN FREE 7X.         77% man 22% zone

3RD AND 4-6.    2 MAN 1X,   C-3 3X. MAN FREE 4 MAN RUSH 2X , 

MAN FREE 5MAN RUSH 3X. C-2 1X 1/4 1/2 1X ,      zone. 55% man 45% zone 

3RD AND 7-9.   MAN FREE 8X,   2 MAN 2X,      COVER 2 1X, COMBO 3X, 1/4 HALF 3X, c-3 1x

  man concepts 55%. zone 27%. combo 18%

3RD AND 10 +.    1/4,1/4 HALF 7X, MAN FREE 5 MAN Rush 4X , fire zone  1X, COVER 2 1X

Zone 61%. man free 30%. fire zone 9% 

RED ZONE.     3 BRACKET - 2        COVER 0. 5X , COVER 1 1X. red zone man 75% zone 25 %

Here are a few examples of why as the 49ers have several def lineman out. But, that is not an excuse. They like to bring pressure from there 3-2 odd package as well as some 4 man load front. They  often bring 5 are aggressive and play aggressive man to man. They love playing man free and running games and stunts out of their 3 man dime front as well as their load front..  

Seahawks

The 49ers ran some good man /free pressures vs the Seahawks and got after it on 3rd down

3rd and 12 vs the Seahawks.

They bring good pressure again with the appearance they are sending 6 and playing man free/MATCHUP PRINCIPLES AND JUMPING ROUTES. Most teams would sit and 4, they bring the pressure.  5 man pressure with blitz engage principles.

ON 3rd and 7 vs the Seahawks they run a similar pressure.

Again, it's 3x 1. They bring 6 and play combo with the drop de and safety. Looks like match man principles. 

on 3rd and 4 on the goal line they go cover 0 and they get good pressure and force the quick throw. Incomplete.

3rd and 7 they go man free with an exotic pressure where the de covers #2 in coverage. He does a really good job walling and playing combo  as the Safety takes the flat route by #3.

Below is a 3rd and 4 vs the Cowboys in which they get the sack.

In the Cowboy game they run another 5 man game out of the load front.

Here's a nice clip of the 2 blitzes above. 

On 3rd and 4 they go man free out of bear front, send the mike and drop the 2 de to be rat defenders. The one lb has the back if he releases. More man free concepts from the 49ers.

Here's a nice design vs the Cardinals in which they get a free rusher. 3rd and 10 vs the cardinals.

They show out of an odd front which forces the right guard to stay home and they rush  4 over 3 to the side of the back. In theory one of the blitzers has the back. But once the back engages the other blitzes is free.

Another 3rd and 10 and the 49ers bring pressure against the Cardinals. Good design with man free coverage. The 49ers get a 3x1 set with a te backside and the back strong to the 3x1 side. They scheme it up nicely as the cb comes clean and the coverage is great downfield.

These are just some of the things the 49ers do on defense. They are well coached and Saleh will be a great head coach. The defensive staff does a great job and should be commended for their hard work and how hard they play on a weekly basis. 

Saints Run Game - Part 2 - Attacking 3 Down Fronts

by Jim Jackson

The New Orleans Saints are having great success in the run game currently, and they are doing it by having a plan to attack the 3 Down front. For purposes of this article we will call it a "Tight" front. The front we are talking about is the Center covered by a NG, both Guards covered by a 3 tech or 4I, and usually edge defenders capping the offensive formation. Some teams use 2 LB or 1 LB and a drop down Safety at the 2nd level. 

A variation of this front is the "Bear" or 46 front where the Center and both Guards are covered. This is typically a short yardage defense used with Man Coverage variations.

The Saints like to attack this front by running:

1. Inside Zone Weak (Away from TE) from the gun

2. Gap Scheme Strong (To the TE), either Power or Duo

3. Wide Zone Strong (To the TE).

Play 1 is Gun Inside Zone Weak. The result is a 20 yard gain by Alvin Kamara.

Play 2 is a QB Power with Taysom Hill as QB for a 13 yard gain. Hill is such a unique talent because he is so dynamic with the ball. Defensively, you have to respect and prepare for the Wildcat run game with a legitimate threat to pass as well.

Play 3 is a Wide Zone to a TE side. The result of this play is a 2 yard gain, but there are solid angles.

The Vikings, Patriots, and Ravens also have some good schemes attacking the Tight Front. As Defense evolves in the NFL, it is always great to see the creative ideas that coaches come up with to attack it.

Saints Run Game - Part 1 - SY/GL

 By Jim Jackson

The New Orleans Saints offense is ranked 4th in Scoring Offense (29.9 ppg) and 7th in Rushing Offense (140.6 ypg) as of Week 15. Some of the best rushing concepts they are employing are in their Short Yardage and Goalline situations. Short Yardage is usually defined as 3rd or 4th Down and 1-2 to gain. Some people consider 3rd and 3 a SY situation and the Saints certainly do at times as well. Goalline offense is considered anything inside the 4 yard line. The Saints will certainly use these plays in the middle of the field on regular down and distance, but the coaching staff like to use them in important unique opportunities. 

We broke down 5 games, and conceptually speaking the Saints run a small number of concepts with a wide variety of presentations to the defense. The concepts are:

1. FB Dive

2. Duo (w/an extra OL at the Point of Attack)

3. QB Run with Taysom Hill

4. Wide Zone

The Saints coaching staff employs their best players in these critical down and distance situations. Alvin Kamara, Taysom Hill, and Latavius Murray all get opportunities for the conversions and Touchdowns. The are succeeding at a high rate currently right now.

Play 1, FB Dive: FB are always the unsung heroes of a West Coast Offense and Michael Burton is not any different. The result is a conversion and a 4 yard gain. So much detail to a simple play!

Play 2, Duo w/extra OL at Point of Attack: Saints Coaching staff uses a shift and a motion to gain a personnel advantage at the POA. Again, they are running off a support player with pass responsibilities. 

Play 3: QB Run Pin/Pull. The Saints love QB Power in SY/GL to gain an extra blocker at the point of attack with Taysom Hill as QB. This run is an outside run. It's a version of Toss Crack with the QB being the ball carrier. Very creative by Saints Offensive Coaching Staff.

Play 4, Wide Zone Concept with Alvin Kamara. Kamara is probably the Saints most explosive player, and his best run in wide zone. Coach Payton subscribing to the age old coaching adage, "In critical situations, think players, not plays."

The Saints are converting Short Yardage and Goalline situations at a high conversion rate. Thank you for joining us!