Nowak

I thought for a moment yesterday that we still had Unger on the roster. Some of Nowaks snaps looked so similar to Ungers low snaps that it made it tough for Russ to complete the play. Anyone else notice this?

Agreed. That's why this team let Lem go and didn't start Patrick. God forbid Russell gets a perfect snap which gives him an extra half second to diagnose the defense. We make it tougher than it needs to be.

Yes, It took it's toll on Russ having to concentrate on catching the low balls and taking away his reads on receivers. Then again I'm sure Nowak knows this and will pick it up next week.

Yeah, the snaps were more than a little bit off after looking excellent in four preseason games. I would chalk it up to nerves.

On the positive side, there were no fumbles and Nowak was the only lineman not to allow any pressures -- after not allowing a single pressure in four preseason games. He also opened up a few nice holes in the running game. He was the only lineman to receive a positive (or average) grade by PFF.

Sweezy, Okung, and Britt were each beaten for sacks, while Gilliam allowed an insane eight pressures.

Grades:

This was a nice block by Nowak. Starts off as a combo on the DT. They get a good push and Sweezy finishes it off with a pancake. Then Nowak peels off and turns the ILB out of the play. Unfortunately, Okung and Britt looked kind of lost.

Just a nice all-around effort to seal off defenders on this play, using leverage and momentum to create a crease. If Marshawn gets the carry, instead of Rawls, he takes this for a first down. Runs through the left-A gap were the most successful yesterday. Marshawn had 35 yards on four carries (8.8-yard average), and forced two missed tackles, on runs through the left-A gap.

Russ is too tall.

He got owned by Aaron Donald. That's not the worst of it. He was absolutely terrible on snapping the ball. Wilson had to reach down to pick the ball off the ground each time. It was so bad, it made Unger's snaps seem crisp and perfect. This is what happens when you get a DL convert project as your starting center.

hawkfan68":1b0zwx7e said:

He got owned by Aaron Donald. That's not the worst of it. He was absolutely terrible on snapping the ball. Wilson had to reach down to pick the ball off the ground each time. It was so bad, it made Unger's snaps seem crisp and perfect. This is what happens when you get a DL convert project as your starting center.

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On the positive side, there were no fumbles and Nowak was the only lineman not to allow any pressures

Click to expand...

He was the only lineman to receive a positive (or average) grade by PFF.

Click to expand...