A lot of talk around the Bay Area this week is centered around 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who made his first start of the season after backing up Blaine Gabbert for the first five games.
It is clear however, that the 49ers defense is an even bigger issue. After a shutout to open the season, the unit has constantly given up big plays, has issues tackling and maintaining gap discipline.
NFL Films Senior Producer Greg Cosell joined Tolbert & Lund to discuss the problems within the 49er defense. He’s blaming depth and talent, not coaching.
“They are putting out a defense right now that by NFL standards does not have a lot of talent,” Cosell said. “They are hoping for young players to develop. They are a slow defense right now with little speed and no pass rush. You’re are dealing with (Michael) Wilhoite and (Nick) Bellore, who by NFL standards at inside linebacker are slow. This is a slow defense and it’s hard to play in the NFL when your defense is slow.”
Glaringly, the most concerning issue of the past five weeks has been the inability to stop the run. Just in Sunday’s game alone, the 49ers gave up 312 yards rushing yards, an unacceptable amount for any defense. The entire front seven struggled mightily trying to stop Buffalo’s rushing attack.
“When guys are asked to do what essentially they can’t do at a high level, it’s tough. It’s hard to blame Bellore and Wilhoite, they are probably not truly NFL starters. I’m sure they are good players on special teams, but you don’t want them playing 65 snaps a game,” Cosell said.
Other notes:
-DeForest Buckner did not stand out on film despite 9 tackles and a fumble recovery.
-Eric Reid was playing cornerback in the fourth quarter.
-Joshua Garnett has struggled with pass protection. It may take him a season of struggles to play out of it. “He tends to bend at the waist and that’s a foot work issues.
-Joe Staley is a solid player, but the offensive line has been an issue this season. For the offense to work the way Chip wants it to, the offensive line has to be better.
