Quote Originally Posted by RashanGary View Post
Deebo, Aiyuk, Kittle, Juice Check and CMC are kind of their clear and obvious best 5. It’s a versatile group that relies a lot on tying the run game to the pass game and keeping defenses off balance with that unpredictability.

Purdy kind of has it made with the situation he’s in. He can throw check downs, screens and every other variety of high percentage, rhythm building passing plays. And the guys he’s throwing to can all turn those into nice chunks. He also has a very good run game to lean on. The left side of their OL is big and dominant moving guys off the ball. And the right side is athletic and can pull. They love to run left behind those big guys and pull an extra big guy to further that advantage. They play with a full back and tight end who can block and catch, so again, that’s an advantage for the run game.

They have good pass catchers and a QB who can distribute so they’ll kill you quick if you try to leave your guys on islands.

It’s a bad matchup for our defense and every defense.


We can come out “aggressive” and leave guys on islands to put our energy toward stopping the run and maybe getting quick pressure on the QB. But if you do a lot of that, you’re pretty much relegating yourself to giving up a ton of points and almost guaranteeing you lose the game before the first half is even over.

You have to pick your spots.

SF likes to get cute and can sometimes step on their own toes. I think you want to come out with a general identity of bend but don’t break and hope they make one of their regular cutesy mistakes. I don’t think you can rely entirely on a bend but don’t break philosophy though because SF has a really strong run game and really good red zone targets. Frankly, you’re probably going to break, but at least it’s not going to be instantly and maybe you’ll get lucky and stop them a time or two in the redzone, where the advantage goes to the defense.

But off of that bend but don’t break, I think you want take a few chances. Not often enough that the 49ers are calling plays to beat the helpless coverages you’re putting out there, but often enough that you’re not completely relying on them making a mistake.

Assuming you don’t do what fans always want and surrender before you even begin… assuming you give yourself a chance with a bend but don’t break game plan.

Assuming Joe Barry comes out like the quality DC he is and gives our guys a chance. Shannahan is cocky and he’ll shoot himself in the toes. Purdy does make mistakes and he could shoot himself in the toes as well. You can get a couple stops in the redzone, maybe a turn over, and your offense has a great night.

We can win. But we’re underdogs. Regardless, LFG with some Barry ball and win this thing like we have so many times the last few years!
“Assuming Joe Barry comes out like the quality DC he is” - you do realize that line undoes anything else you wrote up there. You could be proposing Eintein’s theory of relativity for the first time, and if you throw THAT line into it, you unravel everything else you’ve done.

“The quality DC he is”??!? This is his third stop as a DC. That’s like saying a $50 meth-addicted hoe who’s been in the biz for ten years is a high quality hooker.

It just ain’t so, Justin. But I think you like being the contrarian. However, when you’re doing it JUST to be contrarian, and it’s clear that is all you’re doing, then it’s just stupid.