NJSeahawk
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http://www.si.com/nfl/2014/12/11/al...richard-sherman-michael-bennett-tharold-simon
They've had quite a few great weeks lately, and that's bad news for the 49ers, who have to deal with this defense at Seattle's CenturyLink field on Sunday. Why are things different now? Let's take a look at eight total plays from the wins over Philadelphia and San Francisco.
One of the primary attributes this young defense brings to the field at a higher level than in 2013 is its ability to diagnose and adapt to specific offensive concepts. Here, Eagles tight end Zach Ertz catches a 35-yard touchdown pass from Mark Sanchez with 12:09 left in the third quarter. The Eagles lined up three-wide, with Ertz in formation on the left side. Pre-snap, halfback Darren Sproles went in bullet motion to the right, stretching out Seattle's defense to the other side. Ertz and receiver Riley Cooper switched on a crossing route a few yards past the line of scrimmage (the Eagles went with a cross on the other side of the field as well), which put linebacker K.J. Wright in the unfortunate position of having to catch up with Ertz as he was exchanging coverages with cornerback Byron Maxwell. The switch release concept is one of the few things that has given Seattle's defense fits this season, and that's why they've seen it all year -- Denver killed them with it late in a 26-20 Week 3 overtime loss. This was the same basic idea as was seen when Denver tight end Jacob Tamme beat Wright for a touchdown in that game -- hit the outside corner with a deep route to the seam, watch the safety play robber coverage, and run the tight end outside in a footrace with Wright.
However, cornerback Tharold Simon's interception in the fourth quarter came off the same basic offensive principle -- this time, the Seahawks had a couple of different wrinkles. This time, safety Kam Chancellor took Ertz upfield on the switch concept, and that took away one of Sanchez's reads. And with Richard Sherman taking the outside receiver inside this time, that side of the field was far less attractive than it had been. So, Sanchez went to his left, where the combination of halfback motion and crossing routes should create an open receiver. It did just that when Maxwell bit too hard on Sproles and ignored the upfield responsibility, but Sanchez missed Jordan Matthews running wide open. Instead, he threw to Cooper (actually, he underthrew to Cooper), and Simon had his first career interception.
They've had quite a few great weeks lately, and that's bad news for the 49ers, who have to deal with this defense at Seattle's CenturyLink field on Sunday. Why are things different now? Let's take a look at eight total plays from the wins over Philadelphia and San Francisco.
One of the primary attributes this young defense brings to the field at a higher level than in 2013 is its ability to diagnose and adapt to specific offensive concepts. Here, Eagles tight end Zach Ertz catches a 35-yard touchdown pass from Mark Sanchez with 12:09 left in the third quarter. The Eagles lined up three-wide, with Ertz in formation on the left side. Pre-snap, halfback Darren Sproles went in bullet motion to the right, stretching out Seattle's defense to the other side. Ertz and receiver Riley Cooper switched on a crossing route a few yards past the line of scrimmage (the Eagles went with a cross on the other side of the field as well), which put linebacker K.J. Wright in the unfortunate position of having to catch up with Ertz as he was exchanging coverages with cornerback Byron Maxwell. The switch release concept is one of the few things that has given Seattle's defense fits this season, and that's why they've seen it all year -- Denver killed them with it late in a 26-20 Week 3 overtime loss. This was the same basic idea as was seen when Denver tight end Jacob Tamme beat Wright for a touchdown in that game -- hit the outside corner with a deep route to the seam, watch the safety play robber coverage, and run the tight end outside in a footrace with Wright.
However, cornerback Tharold Simon's interception in the fourth quarter came off the same basic offensive principle -- this time, the Seahawks had a couple of different wrinkles. This time, safety Kam Chancellor took Ertz upfield on the switch concept, and that took away one of Sanchez's reads. And with Richard Sherman taking the outside receiver inside this time, that side of the field was far less attractive than it had been. So, Sanchez went to his left, where the combination of halfback motion and crossing routes should create an open receiver. It did just that when Maxwell bit too hard on Sproles and ignored the upfield responsibility, but Sanchez missed Jordan Matthews running wide open. Instead, he threw to Cooper (actually, he underthrew to Cooper), and Simon had his first career interception.
