Do we have the pieces to run Mike McD's Defense?

[Appyhawk]

We are so cap strapped there isn't a heck of a lot we can do all of a sudden. But I think we could do a little bit, and with some contract maneuvering we could do enough to make a positive difference.
Macdonald could convince Queen to take a bit of a cut on his salary dream and that would be a great assist at LB. Also Clowney will be a FA that won't be too expensive and had a very productive year this year because our new HC knew just how to use him. I've always liked Clowney, just thought he wasn't being used right. Letting Taylor go would help a little bit to pay for the exchange. Ravens have a DL brute that would help us a lot but will be very expensive so I don't see that one happening.
Hiring the right OC will also make a difference, especially if we can help that line in the draft. IOW we can begin improving right away without having to go through desperate losing years.
I am confident Macdonald already has a lot of ideas for how to make this team a winner or he wouldn't even have considered taking the job.

 

[WmHBonney]

Look at it this way...
How many games did we lose due to piss poor tackling, old and outdated defensive scheme, too many penalties and really poor clock/timeout management? Just fix those issues and this team is in the playoffs. I would expect that a new HC could do this. The rest is gravy in year one.

 

[Polk738]

I think Macdonald will get the most out of the talent we do have, Mafe, Nwosu, Williams, Reed, Soon, Riq are very talented players-heck he got 9.5 sacks out of Clowney! something he hasn't done since I believe he was with the Texans

 

[chris98251]

Just remember our O line may be a product of Pete's desired blocking system, he carried it from USC. He wanted do everything players to swap around, maybe if we let these guys focus on their positions envisioned when we drafted we could get better results.

 

[Seattle Person]

I hope he doesn’t confuse the defense! I know you meant offense .

Whoops. Yup, you know what I mean.

 

[Jegpeg]

I hope he doesn’t confuse the defense! I know you meant offense .

Which defense? Does no harm if the 49ers defence are sitting on the sidelines totally confused by the fact their offence can't stay on the field

 

[olyfan63]

At the core of the MacDonald defense is a Cover 3 scheme. The thing about it is how he disguises it pre and post snap. That's the thing that makes his defense unique. So I believe he is going to want versatile safeties and linebackers.

He changes coverages a lot but most of the looks end up being a Cover 3. It's not the same cover 3 that the LOB ran.

I think this is what appealed to John Schneider. He saw how the Ravens defense attacked the schemes of McVay and Shanahan. You beat them by confusing them. MacDonald's scheme can confuse the heck out of defenses.

That Ravens Defense sure had Brock Purdy and the 49ers looking confused and throwing picks and taking sacks.

 

[James in PA]

"McDefense"

Has a nice ring to it.

In fact, I'm lovin' it!

 

[Scout]

Do we have the right players for our new HC's system?

Not yet but within 2 seasons probably.

 

[Sun Tzu]

Just remember our O line may be a product of Pete's desired blocking system, he carried it from USC. He wanted do everything players to swap around, maybe if we let these guys focus on their positions envisioned when we drafted we could get better results.

Interesting take. Not sure there is much of anything to back it up.

 

[CallMeADawg]

Not yet but within 2 seasons probably.

We aren't that far off. Draft and free agency can be huge this round. Especially free agency and looking at what Ravens are available. You gotta expect that some of those players will want to come play for Mike in Seattle.

 

[Spin Doctor]

We are so cap strapped there isn't a heck of a lot we can do all of a sudden. But I think we could do a little bit, and with some contract maneuvering we could do enough to make a positive difference.
Macdonald could convince Queen to take a bit of a cut on his salary dream and that would be a great assist at LB. Also Clowney will be a FA that won't be too expensive and had a very productive year this year because our new HC knew just how to use him. I've always liked Clowney, just thought he wasn't being used right. Letting Taylor go would help a little bit to pay for the exchange. Ravens have a DL brute that would help us a lot but will be very expensive so I don't see that one happening.
Hiring the right OC will also make a difference, especially if we can help that line in the draft. IOW we can begin improving right away without having to go through desperate losing years.
I am confident Macdonald already has a lot of ideas for how to make this team a winner or he wouldn't even have considered taking the job.

There are a couple of reasons why I feel like our defense could take a step up right away.

1. We were playing catch-up with Pete Carroll and Clint Hurtt. Carroll realized that the defensive landscape had changed in the NFL. That is what Clint Hurtt was all about, Fangio's concepts along with a few others had become the dominant meta in the NFL. Hurtt had been in Carroll's ear about those changes, but neither of them could implement the system properly. Modern NFL defenses come with all of the complexity of modern NFL offense. Just lining up and doing what we do was no longer an applicable. What we got is a defense that lacked identity. It tried straddle the line between a modern NFL defense and the keep it simple stupid philosophy of Pete Carroll. Our defense lacked direction and identity.

2. MacDonald is at the cutting edge of the NFL defensive meta. He's been a terror both at the collegiate and NFL level. Carroll and Hurtt tried implementing this style of defense without having any first hand experience with it. We hired a defensive coordinator that didn't having any experience with this style of defense and we had a head coach that had never used these schemes. It was a recipe for failure and ultimately it led to Pete Carroll's demise. Instead of trying to adapt, he is ahead of just about everyone in the defensive sphere right now. He's been some variation of this stuff since college, implementation is going to go A LOT smoother.

3. MacDonald has coached under both of the Harbaughs. If he has learned from their management style, he's going to run a much tighter ship than Carroll did. Carroll's style was a double edged sword. It allowed players to be themselves but it also leads to undisciplined teams. The style of defense MacDonald runs requires a lot of discipline and communication, something our defense has lacked for years under Carroll's teams.

4. There is a lot of fat that can be cut from our books. We likely can bring in a few guys that know his scheme better after cutting a few guys off our books. I suspect that Lockett is going to be a cap causality among a few others.

 

[djb28]

I hope that we have a better system to keep players healthy. It seemed like it was a constant for a few years and I am unsure if it was the system, the luck of the draw, or what?

 

[SeAhAwKeR4life]

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[RolandDeschain]

Remember a decade ago when every defender within a dozen yards of the ball carrier swarmed towards him and our tackling was phenomenal? That sure would be nice to see again.

 

[GemCity]

"McDefense"

Has a nice ring to it.

In fact, I'm lovin' it!

McLovin or just lovin?

 

[Wheetie]

"McDefense"

Has a nice ring to it.

In fact, I'm lovin' it!

I see what you did there...

 

[hox]

 

[GemCity]

Not yet but within 2 seasons probably.

I agree. This implies the season after next.

Best case scenario…

 

[MORGULON]

Man, I hope we see 90 percent an influx of new players on this team….

This team needs a ton of new young talent….

I hope we don’t keep the current players (majority) and just see how MacDonald does with them.

Let the man build his own team and not fix Carroll’s team…

Yeah there is going to be turnover. This could take some time but I'm looking forward to what will come.