Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00He's joining us on the River Islands guest line.
00:01Hi, Greg.
00:02How are you today?
00:03Gentlemen, what's happening?
00:05We are doing great.
00:06We are doing better than the football team we talk about.
00:09That's for sure.
00:11I'll tell you what, we got a lot of stuff that we've been talking.
00:14We've kind of been doing a Greg Koselis type of a show
00:17so far the first hour and a half.
00:20Well, I don't know what that means.
00:22I'll have to share.
00:22I'll tell you.
00:23Like, it's a lot of DVOA and this ranking and that ranking.
00:27Well, I don't do that.
00:28I watch the tape.
00:29I don't know what all those numbers mean.
00:31Well, but that's where you find that stuff is on the tape, Greg.
00:35That's where it is.
00:36It's all tucked in there like a cake.
00:38You know what I mean?
00:39It's in there.
00:40So here's one that we talked about yesterday.
00:43And I would love to get your reaction to whether this is circumstantial
00:47or if something was actually happening.
00:49In the first eight games of the year, Brock Purdy
00:52attempted 29 throws of 20 yards or more, 3.6 per game.
00:59In the first eight games.
01:00The last two weeks, Greg, he has not attempted one.
01:04Like, what are you seeing?
01:06Are you seeing defenses take that away, the receivers?
01:09What are you seeing with regard to downfield throws in recent weeks?
01:14Yeah, I think in this game in particular last week,
01:18he did not see the field very well.
01:20There were throws to be made that he left on the field that were downfield
01:25throws.
01:26And I can't tell you why that he's not seeing it,
01:30but he has not been as decisive.
01:32There were specific plays that I made notes, made note of,
01:36as I watched the tape, where the route concept was there.
01:39The read was clean.
01:40And for whatever reason, he just didn't process it the right way.
01:44And he ended up not throwing balls that he should throw.
01:48So he did not play very well this week.
01:52The number you just gave this past week was predominantly on him.
01:56He just did not see it the way he needed to see it.
01:59What sort of a pocket are you seeing him on film have?
02:03Because I'm watching Greg, and I watch it two and three times,
02:06and I'm seeing a quarterback who doesn't have a lot of a comfort
02:09zone back there.
02:11No, but a lot of that is also on him.
02:13Because he's also leaving clean pockets a little bit too often.
02:19See, one of the things, and we talked about this earlier in the season,
02:23and one of the things that really stood out about this last year
02:26was two things really stood out.
02:29Number one, his ability to throw with unbelievable timing
02:32and anticipation.
02:34And that's one reason there were more downfield throws.
02:36And number two, his ability to recognize coverage rotation
02:41instantaneously and know exactly where to go with the football.
02:45Those two things are not happening with the same level of decisiveness
02:49and consistency as they happened a year ago.
02:52Certainly not in recent weeks.
02:54He's had a stretch here probably for a month or so
02:57where he just, to me, watching tape, has not
03:01been particularly comfortable.
03:02He's leaving the pocket too early.
03:04He's not seeing it with the clarity that we expect him to,
03:08based on what he had done in his past.
03:11So he just doesn't look like a comfortable player right now.
03:15So this is interesting, because there's actually
03:18a clip of Kyle Shanahan just today.
03:21And I get it, he's the guy's coach.
03:22But he says that there's no difference between the way
03:26Brock Purdy is performing last year versus this year.
03:30Would you agree with that, based on what you're seeing on tape?
03:35Well, first of all, I'd be truly, truly surprised
03:41if Kyle truly meant that.
03:44He's giving a press conference.
03:46So he knows, he knows.
03:50Believe me, he knows.
03:52But first of all, he's doing the right thing.
03:54You don't throw your quarterback under the bus
03:56and say he's playing poorly.
03:58You don't say that.
03:59So that doesn't mean anything to me,
04:01and it shouldn't mean anything to you guys.
04:02No, so I guess we'll, yeah.
04:04The tape tells you what you need to know.
04:06And you would describe that as what?
04:09Just what I said.
04:10Like, Brock Purdy is not playing anywhere near as well
04:14this year.
04:15Is that kind of what?
04:16I'll give you an example.
04:18On their first third quarter possession,
04:20he threw to McCaffrey for six yards on third and 15.
04:25It was just outside the red zone,
04:26so they ended up kicking a field goal.
04:28I don't know if you remember the specific play.
04:30Oh, yeah.
04:31OK.
04:32So that was a great example of Purdy just not seeing
04:35the game with the same innate, refined, nuanced
04:38feel of timing and anticipation that we've come to expect.
04:41He had two throws there.
04:43He had a seam route to Samuel, and he
04:45had Jennings on the high low with McCaffrey
04:47that he would have made last season without even thinking.
04:50So instead, he threw a check down
04:51to McCaffrey for six yards, and he threw it too quick.
04:55It was a clean pocket.
04:56He just got rid of it quick.
04:58And then they kick a field goal instead of perhaps
05:00getting a touchdown.
05:02There was another case, and see, some of these
05:04occur when there's completions.
05:05So you don't think of them as, oh, maybe he
05:08didn't see it the right way.
05:09Because some of them are completions,
05:11but there were too many dropbacks in this game in which,
05:14to me, and I've been watching the Niners for years and years
05:17and years, as you guys know, in which I do not believe.
05:22And again, I'm not talking to Kyle, obviously.
05:25But where I believe he just did not
05:27process the route concept versus the coverage in the way
05:31that he needed to and with the necessary clarity.
05:33And I'm actually fascinated by the play
05:35before the one you referenced, second and 19,
05:38where Purdy scrambles for four, and he had McCaffrey open.
05:40So to me, that's another incident
05:43of him being a little tentative.
05:44And I wanted to ask you about the throw, second and 11,
05:48that Debo was open on play action.
05:50And if they convert that, they probably
05:52move the chains and keep the ball.
05:54What did you see from the film as far as Brock
05:56and that throw?
05:57You're talking about the one late in the game?
05:59Right, right.
06:00The one he airmailed Debo by about four yards.
06:02There's nothing to say there other than he
06:04threw it inaccurately.
06:05I mean, that was the play.
06:06If he put it between the numbers, it's a completion.
06:09He just airmailed it.
06:11That one is not a function of not seeing it.
06:13That was the play.
06:14And he threw it to the right guy, and he just airmailed it.
06:17I mean, those things happen.
06:20You don't want it to happen there, but it happened.
06:22That was just a bad throw.
06:24Greg Cosell, NFL Films, with us every single week
06:26on Willard and Dibb's 95-7, the game.
06:29Greg, let's talk Debo Samuel for a bit.
06:31The fan base has really been frustrated on the plays
06:34that they've come accustomed to see really work.
06:37And this year, they're not as much.
06:39Do you see that as a schematic thing?
06:41Has Debo maybe lost a step?
06:43What do you see with his game?
06:46Well, I think when your quarterback's not
06:47playing at the same level, your receivers
06:50end up not getting the same number of targets.
06:52And because when fans watch a game,
06:54they can't see the routes.
06:55So they automatically assume, because he's not
06:57getting the ball, that the receivers are not
07:00playing as well.
07:01And that's not really the case.
07:03Most of the time when a passing game is not working,
07:06it's more on the quarterback.
07:09But I will say that Seattle played, I think,
07:12I would guess, I don't know this for a fact,
07:14I would guess they played more man coverage
07:17than the 49ers might have anticipated going into the game,
07:21based on what they'd seen on tape from the Seahawks prior.
07:25And I thought at times, all the receivers struggled
07:28to separate and create cleaner throws.
07:32But when it's man, you still have to deliver the football.
07:35It's just the way it is, because otherwise,
07:37you're not gonna make any throws.
07:39But I don't think that Debo Samuel's a problem.
07:43I think that the pass game as a whole,
07:45which starts with Purdy, has been a little bit of an issue.
07:49What are you seeing from the jet sweeps?
07:50Not only this game, where Debo had two,
07:53one of them called back because of a penalty.
07:55I'm seeing ineffectiveness now.
07:57Is that because of just the overall execution of the play?
08:01Or have defenses caught on to some of the stuff
08:04that Kyle likes to do?
08:06Well, it's funny you say that,
08:08because when I watch these plays,
08:09and I see guys get beat on blocks,
08:12I don't think that that means that the defense has caught on.
08:15I think it means that guys don't make their blocks.
08:17I don't think the O-line played particularly well
08:19in this game.
08:20I thought there were a number of poor snaps
08:22by the center, by the left guard banks.
08:25And again, I'm just watching the tape,
08:28so that's all I can tell you.
08:31I'm just wondering if Father Time has caught up
08:33to Trent Williams a little bit.
08:34I don't know if he's playing at the same consistent
08:37elite level that has defined his career.
08:40And he's gonna be a first ballot hall of famer
08:42as he should be.
08:43But I spoke with someone else from the league
08:45who watches a ton of tape,
08:47and kind of agreed that it just might be
08:49the beginning of Father Time catching up with him.
08:51Okay, that's interesting.
08:52I think we'd love to hear more about that.
08:54Like what?
08:55Well, there's nothing more to say.
08:56I mean.
08:56Well, but what do you see?
08:57Like specifically, what do you see
09:00that sort of has you thinking that?
09:02Well, I think in past pro,
09:03he's not been quite as powerful with his anchor.
09:07There are a couple times he just gets,
09:09not beat, you know, not where you go,
09:11oh my God, he's just getting beat.
09:12But where he's just getting pushed back
09:14a little bit too much into the pocket,
09:16which never would happen.
09:18I think even in the run game,
09:20there's been a couple of times where
09:22he just didn't quite make the block
09:24with kind of the definition that we've come to expect.
09:27Just little things.
09:28Like I said, it's not like you watch him
09:30and go, oh my God, this guy can't play.
09:31It's just, you know, little things that start to show.
09:34And, you know, is he 35?
09:37Is that how old he is?
09:38I think he's even older.
09:39He might be 36, yeah.
09:40Older than that, yeah.
09:41I mean, you know, eventually it happens.
09:43I mean, you know, and again,
09:44I'm not gonna sit here and say that it has happened.
09:47I'm just wondering, you know,
09:48that's, this is not a definitive statement.
09:50I'm not saying it as a mathematical equation.
09:53I just notice on tape that, you know,
09:55you used to watch the Niners.
09:57It's this way with the Eagles, with Lane Johnson.
09:59Like with Lane Johnson, when you watch the Eagles
10:02and he's their right tackle,
10:03you watch tape and it's just like, you know,
10:05you never even notice Lane Johnson.
10:07That was the way it was with Trent Williams.
10:09It was like, oh my God,
10:10whoever he's blocking is just irrelevant.
10:12It's just, that's the way it is.
10:13But now it's just a little bit here and there.
10:16Trent turned 36 in July.
10:19Yeah. Yeah.
10:20And some of the ways that shows up, Greg,
10:22is when he lines up in an illegal formation,
10:25maybe because he knows he's a step slow
10:27and he's starting to maybe cheat on it.
10:29I won't ask you to comment on that
10:31because you can't judge his mindset, of course,
10:33but I just was fascinated by that penalty
10:36from a veteran who knows how to line up.
10:39I want to ask you about the touchdown to Jawan Jennings.
10:42They go play action and I want to say it was,
10:45you know, I was just going to say,
10:46I was just going to say,
10:47I did think it was interesting that with Kittle out,
10:49that they played a 12 snaps with six alignment
10:52and they played Jalen Moore.
10:54That I, to be honest, I didn't expect that.
10:55So I, you know, when I saw it,
10:56I was like, oh, that's interesting.
10:58And how did that work for him?
10:59Cause I also was kind of interested.
11:01They had two other tight ends up
11:02and they only were special teamers.
11:04And so they opted for a third tackle instead.
11:07What'd you see on the film from those?
11:09Yeah, I mean, I, you know,
11:10I don't remember any, you know, major plays, you know,
11:14in other words, it didn't seem like it was a big factor,
11:17you know, watching the tape,
11:18but they obviously thought that was the best way to go.
11:20And those are the kinds of thing guys, just so you know,
11:22I don't comment on that in terms of whether it's good or bad
11:24because they go through a whole week of preparation.
11:27We're not in the meetings.
11:28We're not in the process of their preparation.
11:30So clearly this is what they thought was best.
11:33And, you know, I think when you have a coaching staff
11:37and a head coach that's been in a number
11:38of championship games and two Super Bowls,
11:41you got to kind of accept the fact
11:42that maybe they know a little more than you and I.
11:45Greg, I'm wondering this,
11:47the data suggests that the Niners
11:49are still moving the ball pretty well
11:52until they get to the 20 yard line.
11:54And then things are really jamming up
11:56when it comes to the red zone.
11:57They were so good at it last year.
11:59What are you seeing with the Niners inside the 20?
12:02You know, that's where we hope
12:03that McCaffrey becomes a factor,
12:05because obviously that's where he was a big factor
12:08a year ago and that changes the way defenses play.
12:12So that's what we're hoping, you know,
12:14as he continues to get his kind of feet wet
12:16and, you know, gains, you know, a little more
12:19just for the feel of the games.
12:21Cause I don't think he looks badly.
12:22I just think it's a matter of, you know,
12:24getting acclimated to playing, you know, in NFL games.
12:27So that's what the hope is because, you know,
12:29teams that can run the ball,
12:31particularly in the low red zone, you know,
12:34that really helps.
12:35That's how you score touchdowns
12:37because the passing game is hard.
12:39The passing game becomes schematic.
12:42Like the touchdown at Jennings, which you mentioned,
12:44that's a schematic play and it worked really, really well,
12:48but you have to run a lot of schematic stuff
12:51because there's just not a lot of space.
12:53And as part of that scheme in that moment,
12:55having Christian McCaffrey out there,
12:57so the play action becomes much more of a viable threat.
13:00Well, it can, I mean, you know,
13:02but, you know, it depends on what your play call is.
13:05Like on that Jennings touchdown,
13:06Jennings was in a wing alignment and he showed blocking
13:09and they were playing man to man Seattle and Love,
13:12who by the way, had a really good game.
13:14They played a ton of what we call big nickel
13:16with three safeties.
13:18I almost felt like in this game,
13:20Mike McDonald deployed Love
13:22in the way he deployed Kyle Hamilton with the Ravens.
13:25They're not exactly the same player.
13:27But I thought that there was an element of that
13:29to the way in which he deployed Love
13:31playing with their three safety personnel.
13:33But so Jennings blocked.
13:35So Love put his eyes in the backfield
13:36thinking it was a run play.
13:38And then, you know, Purdy did the play action boot left
13:41and Jennings just leaked out and Love was stuck inside.
13:44So that's a schemed play from three yards out.
13:47You know, who knows, maybe because it's second and goal.
13:50You know, a year ago,
13:51they probably handed that off to McCaffrey.
13:53Greg Cosell with us, Willard and Dibbs, NFL Films.
13:57Greg, if you noticed,
13:58and this is kind of like reflective of the fan base,
14:00I think right now,
14:01we've got this entire conversation
14:02solely about the Niners offense.
14:04Let's go to the defensive side of the football.
14:07And this probably won't surprise you.
14:09I know that, you know, we've talked about Nick Bosa a lot,
14:12but when he left the game,
14:15the numbers suddenly got way, way better for Seattle.
14:19And there is the thought that he might miss
14:21this coming game.
14:22So what are your thoughts on the 49ers on film
14:27and how that pass rush looks without Nick Bosa?
14:30Well, I think I've told you guys over our conversations
14:34that it's not so much the number of sacks,
14:36it's how offenses treat guys who are big time pass rushers.
14:41And it was evident that the Seahawks
14:42were not going to let Bosa wreck their pass game
14:45with one-on-one matchups versus either right tackle,
14:50Lucas or Gerald, whoever was playing,
14:52because they deployed multiple concepts
14:54to limit his edge rush throughout the game.
14:57That was clearly their game plan.
15:00So when he went out, things changed dramatically.
15:03You know, again, I'm not making a judgment here.
15:05People can if they want.
15:07This team does not blitz.
15:09They only had one five-man pressure in the entire game,
15:13okay, and that came late on the final touchdown drive
15:16by the Seahawks.
15:17Every other pass rush was a four-man pressure.
15:23And that's the way they've essentially been all year.
15:26They have the lowest blitz rate of any team in the league.
15:29So that's the way they've chosen to play.
15:32Now, one can sit here and debate,
15:34you know, oh, they need to do a little more blitzing.
15:37You know, you can debate that.
15:38And maybe they'll do that, particularly if Bosa is out.
15:42But we'll see.
15:43But that's the way they have played pretty much all season.
15:46And when he went out, clearly things changed.
15:49When you look at the secondary and their performance,
15:52I was trying to watch the tape and just see
15:54if there was ever a snap
15:56where they were coming up and playing press.
15:58What do you see from these corners, Greg?
15:59Because I see a team that likes to play six or seven yards
16:02off almost all the time.
16:04Yeah, that's kind of the way they play.
16:06They're not a heavy press man team.
16:09I don't know.
16:10Again, that could change too.
16:11Because as we've discussed, Renardo Green,
16:13he's the rookie who plays now at left corner.
16:17It'll be interesting when Ward comes back, what they do.
16:21But anyway, the point is is that Green,
16:23in two years at Florida State,
16:24was a heavy press man corner
16:26because that's the way Florida State played.
16:28They were a heavy press man defense.
16:31So that's Green's background and his experience.
16:33So they play that every once in a while,
16:36but that's not really foundationally
16:38how they play with their corners.
16:39What would you say is the challenge
16:42with that group going against Jordan Love?
16:44Incredibly talented, in and out of the lineup
16:47with injuries this year.
16:49Has a lot of turnovers, a lot of interceptions
16:52in just eight games.
16:53Like what have you seen from him on film this year
16:56that will challenge the Niner defense?
16:59Well, they're pretty complete offense
17:01because they run the ball really well.
17:02Josh Jacobs is a really good back.
17:04He's got a physical presence to him.
17:07He's got short area burst.
17:08He's just a really good back.
17:11And the run game is pretty much their starting point.
17:14Love is incredibly gifted.
17:16He's probably in terms of pure physical gifts,
17:18top five in the league.
17:20But he can be a little reckless.
17:22He can be a little undisciplined,
17:24but he's very aggressive.
17:25That's his mindset and that's the way it plays out.
17:28So he's going to turn it loose.
17:30So you have to be aware of that.
17:32He's not a check down guy.
17:34And when I say that, I don't mean he never checks it down,
17:36but I mean, he's going to turn it loose.
17:38You know, he's not risk averse.
17:42Let's put it that way.
17:42So, you know, he will push the ball down the field
17:45and they will call plays to do that.
17:47He's got a big arm.
17:48Like I said, he's really gifted and he's big.
17:51He's 6'4", 220.
17:52So you're dealing with a very, very physically
17:55and athletically gifted player,
17:57who's very aggressive in the way he sees the game.
18:01How do they go about inflicting damage in the pass game
18:04from what you've seen on film?
18:05They have a lot of different weapons.
18:06Do they play mostly 11 personnel
18:09with the three wide receivers?
18:10How do they go about it, Greg?
18:12They'll play a good amount of 12,
18:14but Jaden Reed is the most interesting guy
18:16because they are a heavy motion team
18:18in many ways like the Niners.
18:20And Jaden Reed is their predominant motion player.
18:23So they do a lot of things with multiple motions with him.
18:27And by the way, when you go in motion,
18:28it's not just the pass game.
18:30A lot of times when you go in motion
18:32with someone crossing the formation, maybe returning,
18:35is you're trying to move second level defenders.
18:38And what that does is it impacts run support.
18:41So you have to have a plan for all that going in.
18:44Are you going to react to it?
18:46Are you just going to let it happen?
18:48You have to have a plan.
18:49That's part of an overall structure of a defense.
18:52But the point I'm making is it's not just in the pass game
18:55in which they deploy motion with Reed.
18:57And Reed will end up lining up all over.
18:59So you have to be aware of where he is.
19:01He will be offset in the backfield
19:02a number of times in the game.
19:04Greg, I wanna go back to your comment
19:06about the Niners in the red zone
19:08and hoping that Christian McCaffrey's presence
19:10will now get that going.
19:11There's something interesting that we found.
19:13Maybe you'll debunk this as just coincidental.
19:15But the Dolphins with McDaniel, the Rams with McVay,
19:20the Niners with Shanahan, and the Packers with LeFleur,
19:23all disciples, right, running similar systems.
19:26They're all in the bottom third in the league
19:29in red zone efficiency right now.
19:31Is that, in your mind, coincidental?
19:34Or is there something that the league
19:37is really like catching up to?
19:41I would say that you'd have to look
19:43at a much larger sample size
19:44because all those guys have been coaching for a long time.
19:47So that's a hard question to answer
19:51because you'd have to go back and look.
19:53McVay's been a head coach for a long time.
19:55LeFleur's been a head coach in Green Bay for a long time.
19:58If this is the first time it's happening,
20:01I can't give you an answer.
20:03But if it's the first time it's happening,
20:05my sense would be that it's probably more coincidental,
20:09but I don't know that.
20:10But you'd have to do a much larger sample size
20:13than this year.
20:14Got it.
20:15Yeah, perhaps it's personnel-based too
20:16when you don't have McCaffrey for a long time,
20:18then you miss Kittle,
20:19you're gonna probably be a little worse in the red zone.
20:22Yeah, and don't forget,
20:24the Rams were without Kup and Nakua
20:25for most of the season.
20:27So, yeah, I mean, I can just see
20:30over these last number of years when Kup was healthy,
20:34how many times he caught red zone touchdowns
20:35within 10 yards.
20:37And the Dolphins have been without their quarterback a lot,
20:39and the Packers have been without their quarterback a lot.
20:42In a sense, you've answered your own question.
20:45Well, thank you for helping us do that, Greg.
20:48Yeah, hey, as always, great stuff.
20:51Thank you so much for coming on.
20:53Hey, I love talking with you guys.
20:54Thanks so much.
20:55Okay, hey, Greg Cosell, NFL Films.