HawkRiderFan":k9mqw5r4 said:
I can't figure out what a difference it is from 2013 when this D would shut down Graham, Davis, Thomas etc. Is it all Kam? If I recall KJ Wright used to help cover the tight ends too. Are we not doing that as much anymore? Is it as simple as teams have figured out a way to beat this D usring the tight end.
Ok this is really reaching but thinking of any guys we are missing from then, was Malcolm Smith part of our TE coverage in the past?
Cover 3 has inherent weaknesses in the mid seam and mid sideline (assuming they run off the corners deep, which most do).
Last year we saw a pattern of the deep scissors concept where the outside receiver would run a post and they'd sneak an inside guy down the sideline with the CB drawn inside by the post. It happened repeatedly.
This year we're seeing shallow zone routes (hook) to draw the short zones up so that they hit the seam over top or in between the short zones and underneath the deep 3rd safety.
The route that Kam gave up on the sideline is something we've been seeing a lot of since we started because it gives cover 3 fits. The corner is run off deep and you leave it up to the flat zone or short zone to that side to get there. If you look at cover 3 zones, there is a void there unless the corner decides to drop off the deep man and hope the FS gets there. And that's not going to happen because of Pete's emphasis on not getting beat deep. SF used to do that a lot, actually; until Kam got them on the one where he camped out there and got the leaping pick in front of Boldin. He must have saw it coming....
What a given offense tries to do, assuming you have a decent QB that can make more than one read, is make you chose. If they know what you're doing it makes things easier. Especially over a period of years. I think we have mixed in more coverages this year...more cover 2, more blitzes where it leaves you in man, etc, but I also think that has caused some confusion in getting used to things. That late play in the Carolina game comes to mind. One guy in cover 2 and one in cover 3 makes for bad juju.
I don't think the TE is some chronic problem, however. Given that we only have 4 players underneath in a cover 3 to the 5 players underneath in a cover 2, there is just more spacing there and since the TE is lined up tight a lot of the time he's in perfect position to exploit it. I'm not suggesting we go to cover 2 though. It gets beat deep more and I'd rather make offenses work consistently and have more patience to beat us than be able to throw down the sideline or in between the safeties in a cover 2. I also think it's good that we're mixing it up more too, however.