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00:00And the return of Dre Greenlaw to the football field tonight.
00:05Maybe that means one thing physically and something completely different emotionally.
00:10We'd love to talk that out with someone who's been in an NFL locker room.
00:13I have an idea. How about Bucky Brooks?
00:15Let's go out to the River Islands guest line.
00:17Our good friend from NFL Network and former man on the field in the defensive backfield.
00:23Bucky Brooks is with us live on Willard & Dibbs.
00:25Hey, friend. What's going on? How are you?
00:28I'm good. What's going on, guys?
00:30Bucky, what does this mean to the 49ers?
00:32What kind of an emotional boost is Dre Greenlaw back on the field?
00:37It'll be a huge pick-me-up.
00:39He's someone who was their emotional leader.
00:41You saw that he played with an edge.
00:43You saw what kind of energy he brought to the defense.
00:45So bringing him back tonight certainly helps them.
00:47I think Fred Warner will be excited.
00:49I think the team will be excited.
00:50And you may see a little more inspired effort from that unit.
00:53And when you look at a player coming off of 10 months and an Achilles tear,
00:57it's safe to say that he's not going to play a full rack of plays.
01:00Do you think the impact will be more of an emotional one
01:04as opposed to what the expectation should be for him physically out there on the field?
01:09Well, they cleared him to play.
01:11He's probably ready to go.
01:13I think they're trying to ease him into the game.
01:15But once people get into the game, particularly an emotional player like Greenlaw,
01:19it may be hard to put him off the field,
01:20particularly if he's having a good game and he gets in on the action.
01:23I think the coaches probably have a pitch count in mind.
01:26But sometimes that can go out the window once he gets to play.
01:29Bucky, you've played on defense in the league.
01:32And so I am very curious your take on the defense that Nick Sorensen has run this year.
01:39A lot of questions about him from fans.
01:41And we understand that coordinators are hard to assess for fans.
01:46But it looks very vanilla to us.
01:48What do you see?
01:50Well, I mean, that's what they wanted.
01:52Last year when Steve Wilkes was the coordinator,
01:55he was trying to kind of change and do some different things.
01:57And the players didn't like that.
02:00Shanahan didn't like that.
02:01They wanted more of what they had when they had Salah and when they had D'Amico Bryant,
02:04which is more of a static, vanilla-style see-ball, get-ball,
02:08and just kind of let the players play.
02:10And so when you get that, you got to execute at a high level
02:13because you're not tricking anybody.
02:14You're not using a lot of disguise.
02:16It's about execution.
02:17And right now, the execution hasn't been to the level that you would like.
02:21But the simplicity of it all, that's exactly what Shanahan wanted
02:25because that's what they've had in the past when they had really good defense.
02:28Okay.
02:29So is your assessment that this is a player issue,
02:32whatever's going on in the defense?
02:33This is a player issue, not a coordinator issue.
02:35Well, the personnel is different.
02:38When you play a simplistic style and you say,
02:41hey, we want to keep it simple, let the players play,
02:43well, then your players have to dominate.
02:44And in the past, those previous iterations under D'Amico Bryant and Robert Salah,
02:50they're more talented on the front line.
02:52Remember, they used to dominate people with six, seven,
02:55eight defensive linemen rolling in.
02:57They don't have the same pedigree, the same level of talent that they had up front.
03:01And when the front doesn't dominate to the level that they dominated in the past,
03:04the results are different.
03:06And so that's what you're seeing.
03:07They're not the same team from a personnel standpoint,
03:10which is why the defense doesn't dominate like they used to.
03:13How hard is it then to make those changes in real time?
03:16If you're seeing that your front four is not getting home in the pass rush,
03:19is it too hard to suddenly become a blitz team?
03:23Do you need to have more blitz tendency players in order to change your scheme
03:28mid-year?
03:30I mean, it's all like the philosophy, right?
03:33So when you play that style, like a lot of it is,
03:36like we just want to keep it simple.
03:37We're going to run to the ball.
03:39We're going to do things that are like sweat equity, right?
03:42Hostile effort, those kinds of things.
03:45And so when you start blitzing, now you put players on islands.
03:48And when they did that last year with Steve Wilkes,
03:51as he was trying to transition them into a little different style of defense,
03:54the players didn't like that.
03:56They gave up some plays.
03:57Shanahan may have overreacted to some of the plays that they gave up because
04:00they still ranked at the top 10 defense.
04:02And so now here you are, you're playing vanilla ice cream defense,
04:06but you're not the same talent.
04:08You don't have the same team that was superior to others.
04:12And so you're seeing a different result on the field playoff.
04:15Bucky Brooks, NFL Network, with us on Willard & Dibbs, 95-7, the game.
04:19We are live in Santa Clara getting ready for football,
04:22Thursday night action Niners and Rams in what is essentially a must win for
04:28the 49ers.
04:29Bucky, what's your take?
04:30Are the Niners still, are they still alive?
04:32They're still in this thing?
04:35They're still in it, but man,
04:36they've been dealing with so many issues, right?
04:38The Super Bowl hangover is real.
04:40You have injuries that have impacted who they are on offense and defense.
04:45And then you're trying to find a way to try and gain confidence.
04:48That said, they're still a very scary team because Kyle Shanahan is one of
04:52the best play callers in the business.
04:54They have enough talent where they can win games if their talent takes over.
04:57We just haven't seen the talent take over enough.
05:00But if Deebo Samuels and George Kittle decide to play and play at a high
05:03level, look, they're dangerous in the passing game.
05:06If they can run the football with whatever running back is available to
05:09them, it's a problem.
05:10And then defensively, a lot of it depends on Nick Bosa dominating.
05:14If they're stars, play like stars,
05:16they're still very capable of being a team that can be dangerous.
05:19Not necessarily Super Bowl dangerous,
05:21but dangerous enough to get into the tournament and make people uncomfortable.
05:25But they got to take care of business against what I say is a very good Rams
05:29team that's trending in the right direction.
05:31And what do you do to make Matthew Stafford uncomfortable?
05:34Is it just getting that a gap pressure?
05:36Is it making it so he can't just be on his spot to make him uncomfortable?
05:40Yeah, it's a combination of things.
05:43Like you not only got to make him comfortable,
05:45but you got to make sure you cover those two guys on the outside,
05:47Cooper Kup and Pooka Nakua.
05:48They're dangerous.
05:50And when they're playing, this is a really good team.
05:52They're interchangeable.
05:53So they can move around and do similar things.
05:55They create a lot of stress because they're physical.
05:58They do a really good job in the run game.
05:59And then the outstanding route runners.
06:01This is a tough matchup, you know,
06:03but it's one where in this rivalry,
06:05typically the team that out hits the other team went.
06:08So I would expect to see a playoff like intensity around this game.
06:13So look for them to try and knock people around,
06:16try and disrupt the rhythm by really being more physical than they've been
06:19with other teams.
06:20We got maybe a little rain in the forecast, Bucky,
06:22who has the edge with that?
06:24It probably even because both teams want to run the football.
06:28And if it has to be a game where it turns to the run,
06:31both teams can do it.
06:32The Rams did it successfully against the Buffalo Bills last week.
06:36The Niners, that's their calling card.
06:38I think it comes down to quarterback play.
06:40And I know like there are questions around about Brock Purdy.
06:44Are they going to pay him?
06:45Or what are they going to pay him?
06:46This is a perfect showcase game for him.
06:48Thursday night, everyone watching.
06:50Bright lights, big stage.
06:52He's going to have to play at a high level.
06:54And he has to do it.
06:55Whether so be it.
06:56What do you make of Brock Purdy this year?
06:59Is it a regression?
07:00Or is it just him playing at a level where he hasn't had as much help around him?
07:08It's a combination, man.
07:09There's not a great quarterback that can play without great players around.
07:12And I would say, we talked about it in January, I think,
07:16when I kind of made some headlines about the route runners
07:19and the playmakers and that stuff.
07:21Brandon Nyuk is unavailable the whole year.
07:23So you lose him.
07:24Ricky Pearsall has been in and out.
07:26He hasn't been the same with injuries and those things.
07:28So the pieces around him have not been as consistent.
07:31And that impacts the way that he's played.
07:33I think he's the same player.
07:35And what the Niners have to figure out is,
07:37what do you want to pay someone that's at his talent level?
07:40They're different degrees in terms of pedigree, talent, and those things.
07:45But he's a really good player.
07:46He hasn't played as well as he's played in the past.
07:48But look, he's still solid for the Niners.
07:50Okay.
07:51Bucky, you brought up Debo's name.
07:53And you have been outspoken on those wide receivers in the past.
07:56And he's having a weird year.
07:58And he's frustrated.
08:00And he's tweeting about it.
08:01And he's had an incident with a long snapper.
08:04What's your take on Debo's year?
08:06Is this circumstantial?
08:08Or is he losing his step?
08:09I mean, look, I think –
08:13Come on, Bucky.
08:14Bucky, don't –
08:15No, no.
08:16Come on now.
08:17You got to –
08:18I didn't have more to say now.
08:19No, I definitely don't duck the smoke.
08:22But, like, he is what he is.
08:24He's a playmaker, not a route runner.
08:26And so it has to be a concerted effort to make sure that he touches the ball.
08:29Now that Chris McCaffrey's out, he needs to touch it more.
08:33Why not reprise the role in the NFL crowd?
08:36So what he has to figure out is what is he willing to sacrifice?
08:39What is he willing to do?
08:40And Shanahan has to figure out a way to get him in the game, playing early.
08:43Debo's no different than most of the wideouts in the league.
08:45They have to feel like they're involved early to be able to give you that playmaking ability late.
08:50And so you just got to make an effort to get him the ball early so he can feel good and into the game.
08:54And then he'll give you the best of the app.
08:56Is man coverage the kryptonite for the Shanahan offense?
09:02Yeah.
09:03If you don't have the right personnel on the outside to handle it.
09:07Because all the condensed formations, the motions, the stacks, the bunches, all the eye candy.
09:13Yeah, like, man coverage kind of simplifies everything for the defense.
09:17But you got to be good enough to cover them.
09:20Now teams have figured out that they have an issue against man-to-man.
09:24And they're seeing more of it.
09:26I told you, like, when the blueprint is out there, it's up to the team.
09:29The nine is to solve that, to answer that.
09:31And they have to answer it by being able to attack man coverage.
09:34And this year continues the same way.
09:37They haven't been able to consistently do it.
09:39And so some of that is a work in progress.
09:41But yeah, they can continue to see man-to-man until they show that they can consistently knock it out.
09:46Bucky Brooks, NFL Network.
09:47What's your take on Pearsall?
09:51Look, man, it's unfortunate what happened to him.
09:53He's a good player.
09:55He will be a good player.
09:56But there are so many things that are working against him that it's hard to get the rookie contributions.
10:01He needs to give them more.
10:03But, I mean, he had to deal with so much early that it's hard to count on him.
10:07Hopefully he can be an X factor in their run.
10:10They need him to play.
10:11They need him to make plays.
10:12Because they needed another route runner and playmaker that can help them in the passing game.
10:15So hopefully he can give them something.
10:17When you look at the Shanahan offense, as everyone likes to refer to it, and McVay runs it, and LaFleur and Green Bay,
10:23and it seems like more than half the league is now running it,
10:26has it become so commonplace that defenses now have a greater ability to stop it?
10:33Well, the more you see things, the more you get used to it.
10:35But all those guys run different variations, right?
10:38So Sean McVay has gone away from more of the outside zone to then doing a more gap scheme,
10:43where you're seeing the guards and tacklers pull.
10:45Matt LaFleur runs a different version of it with the running game and those things.
10:49So there's some similarities from a philosophical standpoint.
10:53They want to run the football.
10:54They want to give you a lot of freestand motion, get your eyes in the back, out of the right place.
10:59But, yeah, more people are seeing it.
11:01And so you always have to stay one step ahead of the curve.
11:03But I'll still say this.
11:05If you ask defense coordinators, they still will say that
11:07Kyle Shanahan is one of the more difficult offensive play callers to deal with
11:10because he can give you so much, and the personnel matches the scheme.
11:14And that's the big thing.
11:15The Niners have been successful because the interchangeable parts that they have on offense
11:20allow them to be very creative and imaginative when it came to the guard stuff.
11:25Do you see someone as having an edge when McVay and Shanahan go up against one another?
11:32No, I think it's even Stephen Ford Wilder.
11:34It seemed like Shanahan had the upper hand.
11:36You know, it always kind of felt like he treated Sean McVay like the little brother.
11:40The little brother struck back.
11:41You know, the little brother has a team that is coming.
11:44They're young.
11:45They're not quite where they want to be.
11:46But with that quarterback, Matthew Stafford, and those two wide receivers, they're dangerous.
11:50And the underrated part of what Sean McVay does is the stubborn commitment to the running game.
11:55He'll run it at you over and over and over again.
11:57He's okay with three- or four-yard games.
11:59And that running game sets up the big plays and the play-action game and those things.
12:03So, no, this is a really good match-up, man.
12:05It's really compelling.
12:06Look, it's kind of like playing video games with your brother.
12:08You love your brother, but there is nothing better than to beat your brother.
12:11There's nothing better than to walk around the house and be like,
12:13did you dominate, little brother, or whatever.
12:15So, that's what this match-up is, and that's what it'll be tonight.
12:18Yeah, it took me 30-some-odd years, but I finally caught my older brother,
12:22and there's been no looking back ever since, Bucky.
12:24And no sweeter nectar than taking down Sean McVay.
12:28Yes.
12:29Than taking down that older brother, if you have one.
12:33True.
12:34I'm an older brother, though, so I've always been the one on top.
12:37But I do what you say.
12:38I'm sure your record is near unbeaten, and that's how it is with you older brothers.
12:43Mark and I have had this discussion about special teams all year
12:46because the Niners have been terrible at special teams.
12:49When you look at a team that struggles with that third phase of the game,
12:53where do you assign the blame generally?
12:57There are a few different things.
12:58A lot of it is personnel driven, right?
13:00So, the guys that play on special teams are your backups
13:03or your key contributors on offense and defense.
13:05How much experience do they have with special teams?
13:08If you have a lot of young players coming straight from the college game,
13:10they've never done it.
13:11So, you ask them to do something new, and it's kind of like learning on the fly.
13:15If you have a lot of injuries, you have backup players,
13:17who it might be their first time really playing prominent roles
13:20in the kicking game, and there's some uncertainty,
13:23and there's going to be some bust and those things.
13:25It has to be prioritized.
13:26It has to be talked about.
13:27It has to be emphasized.
13:28You have to convey the message as to,
13:31hey, coach, this is just as important as offense and defense
13:34to get people to buy in.
13:36It's hard sometimes to get people to buy into the kicking game
13:39because there's not that immediate glory that comes along
13:42with making plays on offense or defense.
13:44Bucky, you said earlier that the Niners still,
13:47if they take care of business, they still can be a threat
13:50to get into the tournament and maybe make noise,
13:53but then you were like, nah, but not Super Bowl stuff.
13:56So, if I say Lions, Eagles, Packers, Vikings, is that it?
14:02Did I just say the NFC winner, or do you see anyone else
14:05in this conference as having a chance?
14:07No, that's it.
14:10I think it comes out of those guys, and I think the NFC North is loaded.
14:13They cannibalize each other.
14:14I would say the Lions, if they get home field, they can be tough,
14:19but the injuries have caught up, and they have more injuries
14:21than anybody else when it comes to their front-line players.
14:24The Philadelphia Eagles are the best and the most complete team,
14:28but they're fighting.
14:29They got their wide receivers fighting because they can't run the football,
14:31and they're not throwing it enough.
14:33So, those are the two teams.
14:35And then I'll keep an eye on Minnesota.
14:36The X-Factor, though, is Sam Donald.
14:39And did y'all know the best quarterback out of the building?
14:41Sam Donald?
14:42Yeah.
14:43Easy, easy.
14:44Easy.
14:45Did y'all know the best quarterback?
14:47You do want that smoke, don't you, Bucky?
14:49Take it easy, Bucky.
14:50Take it easy.
14:53I just saw the guy throw for five touchdowns the other day.
14:55I don't know.
14:56I just like guys that throw touchdowns.
14:58Yeah, I mean, geez, you hate to see that, Sam Donald, out of the building.
15:02Hey, when you look at the NFC West, if you were to make a call right now
15:06on who wins the division before tonight's game, obviously,
15:09do you still think that it's Seattle's to lose?
15:13Just because of the way the schedule breaks out.
15:15The Lions have a tough schedule.
15:18They have another tough game on the docket.
15:20They got Detroit.
15:21They got Detroit.
15:22Yeah.
15:23Detroit, but Seattle plays Green Bay and Minnesota the next two weeks.
15:27Cool.
15:28Yeah.
15:29I still would say Seattle.
15:30I would say Seattle because right now their defense is playing well.
15:33And, look, Geno Smith is a bit of a wild card,
15:35but that three-wide receiver thing they have in the running game
15:38is pretty dangerous.
15:39But look, it's a toss-up.
15:40But I would say in the driver's seat would be the Seattle Seahawks.
15:43Dibs, I don't know if you know why it is that Bucky Brooks
15:46is feeling himself today.
15:48Do you know where Bucky Brooks went to college?
15:50I have no idea.
15:51That man right there is a North Carolina Tar Heel.
15:55Oh, wow.
15:56Bucky, what is the – Belichick, are you kidding me?
16:01What?
16:02What are you talking about?
16:03What do you mean?
16:04You want to come to a great program.
16:07A great program.
16:08You want to be a part.
16:09You want to love great things.
16:11The framework is all there.
16:12Like, I am excited about it.
16:14I'm excited about the opportunity.
16:15I have, like, a really good coach who wants to develop players
16:18as the landscape is changing where college is looking more like the pros.
16:23Why not get the greatest coach and pros to come and kind of lead their transition?
16:27I like that.
16:28Who doesn't want to run a football program at a basketball school?
16:33Exactly.
16:36I mean, like that.
16:37And maybe doing a little bonus.
16:38His girlfriend in the grad school.
16:40I don't know.
16:41That's what I'm talking about.
16:45Undefeated.
16:46Men can't talk about Belichick without the girlfriend coming up right now.
16:49It's just impossible.
16:50It's totally impossible.
16:53I mean, it's just a random thing.
16:55And so when people talk about it, he can't relate.
16:58That's all he had to do.
16:59He didn't have to tell the board of trustees anything.
17:01He's like, have you seen what I'm doing?
17:03Like, I'm living the life.
17:05I was telling my partner that just in case he needed a round two,
17:08it's a fertile ground if he goes back to North Carolina.
17:13Yeah.
17:14Yeah.
17:15North Carolina.
17:16No, but I think, look, I think it's great.
17:17I think people make a lot of like the age difference.
17:20And can he deal and relate with college kids?
17:23I would just say this, the disciples from his program,
17:26like Nick Saban has had a lot of success at a collegiate level.
17:29You look at what Bill O'Brien was doing up in Boston College.
17:31They were having success right away.
17:33I just think that blueprint works.
17:35And as much as we talk about like college players and new generation and
17:39what they don't like, all good players want to be coached.
17:43And so he may not be right for everybody,
17:45but the guys that want to go to the next level,
17:47the guys that want to learn how to play the right way,
17:49he's going to be attractive and appealing to them and to their parents who
17:53also want that from their kids.
17:54Bucky.
17:55Great to have you, man.
17:56I don't know if I'm putting thoughts in your head here,
17:59but just listening to you talk,
18:00it sounds like you have a slight lean toward the Rams tonight.
18:04No, I mean, like, I don't have a dog in the fight.
18:08I would say this.
18:09The diners are desperate and desperate teams are dangerous.
18:13And when you have Drake Greenlaw coming back,
18:15an emotional leader,
18:16because like he could have tip the scales of balance in the Super Bowl if he
18:20plays and finishes that game.
18:21Look, that's a big emotional lift.
18:23He makes some plays earlier.
18:24Splash play to get that defense going.
18:26Look out.
18:27So no, I'm not leaning towards the Rams.
18:29I actually favor the home team in this.
18:31They got to play though.
18:32Cause it's never, never.
18:33Yep.
18:34Yep.
18:35I think that's a fair take.
18:36Hey, Bucky, thank you for jumping in, man.
18:38We love having you.
18:39All right, man.
18:40Appreciate you.
18:41There he goes.
18:42Bucky Brooks, NFL network, former North Carolina Tar heel.
18:45Yeah.
18:46Be in the league.