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00:00Nothing stops Greg Cosell of NFL Films, who joins us now on the River Islands Guest Line and out on YouTube.
00:08Hello, Greg. How are you today?
00:10Gentlemen, what's shaking?
00:12Quite a bit, actually.
00:14I don't know if you've heard any of Kyle Shanahan's press gathering today. Did you?
00:18I did not. What did he say?
00:20Well, let me play a couple for you.
00:23This is about Brock Purdy.
00:24I think each week it's gotten better, with last week being the best.
00:28I mean, each week has been different.
00:30So if he takes a big step forward this week, like he did last week, he should have a good chance to play.
00:34Good chance to play. You asked if this was a hard decision.
00:38No, it's not a hard decision. It's just more about Brock's health.
00:40It's been awesome how Max played. He's been great.
00:43But we've got a lot of confidence in Brock, and we know Brock will play at a high level, too, as long as he's healthy.
00:47And then misses on Ricky Pearsall.
00:49I mean, they told me he's healthy, so I'll see you today from my own eyes when he practices,
00:52and I'm sure it'll look that way. And as long as he does, then he's good to go.
00:55Okay. So, Greg, this sounds like there's at least a decent shot at Brock Purdy and Ricky Pearsall
01:02coming back to this offense this week. How do you think it changes the Niners?
01:08Well, you know, it's funny you say that because they still haven't been able to run the ball with any consistency.
01:14See, they're really a sustaining offense. Think of it this way.
01:18Because they don't get a lot of big plays in the pass game, and certainly without Pearsall, without Ayuk,
01:23they don't get a lot of big plays in the pass game.
01:26For instance, this past week, the longest pass play was 22 yards, and that came at the end of the first half.
01:31So they don't really get big plays in the pass game for the most part.
01:35So if you're not going to get that, you need your run game to be sustaining.
01:38So, in an ideal world, Purdy, who I think is a little more of an aggressive thrower than Mac Jones,
01:46we'll see if he pushes it down the field. Obviously, it depends on the play calls, too.
01:51I'm sure Kyle knows that Purdy is a little more aggressive by nature.
01:55If Ricky Pearsall is at full health and goes this week, he does have vertical ability,
01:59more so than any other receiver that they put out there now.
02:02So, ideally, you'll at least have some shots down the field.
02:09If you hit one or two of them, obviously, those can be game changers.
02:12But right now, their offense is very condensed, which I think makes Mac Jones' numbers a little deceptive.
02:20He's played very, very well for what he is.
02:23But, I mean, he was 33 for 39.
02:25Like I said, the longest pass play was 22 yards.
02:29There's no real verticality to their offense, to their pass game.
02:32And he's been accurate, though, which has allowed them to put up some points.
02:36I want to ask you more about the ground game, particularly Brian Robinson Jr.
02:40What did you see from not only his efforts, but the play designs
02:44and how they might have been different from the Christian McCaffrey runs?
02:47I don't know if they're that different.
02:49I mean, they ran an outside run where he was able to get to the edge.
02:52They still run outside runs with McCaffrey.
02:55You know, the one that he had, I guess, a 13-yard run, if my memory serves me correctly,
02:59he was able to get to the edge cleanly.
03:02But, you know, he's a kind of a physical, grinded-out runner.
03:07He had a couple of runs in this game.
03:09But for the most part, they've not really run the ball particularly well.
03:14And that's really killed them really for most of the season
03:18because they have to be able to do that.
03:21Well, Greg, let's actually spotlight one particular run,
03:23and I want to get your thoughts on it because you know how fans are.
03:27If you go for it on fourth and one and you don't get it, we just go,
03:32we should have just gone like straight up the middle.
03:34Just sneak that thing.
03:36Don't do a stretch play.
03:38What did you see on that play?
03:40Was there a breakdown?
03:42And is that, I'm going to ask you, Greg,
03:44is that sort of in general a riskier way to go about fourth down?
03:49Yeah, I don't get into that, guys, about play calls because, you know.
03:55Come on, Greg.
03:56I want some criticism.
03:59I'll tell you about what happened on the play.
04:01Please do.
04:03What happened was is Young, you know, the outside backer for the Rams,
04:09he played off tight end Ferrell's block and he tackled McCaffrey.
04:12But what struck me about the play was this.
04:15Given the way Kittle pushed Young outside with his initial help on that block,
04:21it made me think, was the play actually designed to go inside of Ferrell
04:26and not to Ferrell, excuse me, and not outside?
04:29That was my thought watching the play.
04:32But because if Kittle is going to push Young to the outside,
04:36then it didn't make sense to me for the play to go outside where Kittle was pushing him.
04:42So that made me think that maybe the play was supposed to go inside of Ferrell
04:48and outside of Kittle.
04:49But it didn't work out that way and obviously got tackled for no gain.
04:54And at that point, already down 21-0, it was kind of a fait accompli,
04:58if I may borrow from the French.
05:00I want to ask you, Greg, about the use of the blitz by Robert Sala.
05:04I don't know if it was absolutely the most all year,
05:06but it seemed to me like they brought a lot,
05:09and yet Matt Stafford just kind of flicked it away.
05:12Yeah, they did not have great success.
05:16You know, they rushed five or more on 18 of Stafford's 37 dropbacks.
05:22That's almost 50%.
05:23Stafford was 12 for 18 for 147 yards in all four touchdowns.
05:29But it does tell you that Sala clearly felt that his four-man D-line pass rush
05:34could not generate the needed pressure.
05:36The Rams now have become a totally different team from any other team
05:40you're going to play in the league because they play with three tight ends
05:44on a ridiculous number of snaps.
05:46They played 30 snaps in the game with three tight ends.
05:49No team in the league does that.
05:51So, actually, I think 33 snaps maybe.
05:54But the point is they play with three tight ends,
06:00and that changes the way you play defense.
06:03Greg Cosell, NFL Films.
06:04Before we get off of the Niners' pass rush, because as you know, Greg,
06:08this is kind of where the Niner fan stress lies right now.
06:12What do you see there?
06:15Is there any room for optimism going forward?
06:18I know they're playing a future Hall of Fame quarterback last week,
06:21and that won't be the case for the next handful of weeks.
06:24But that's where people wanted an acquisition, didn't get one.
06:28What are you seeing from the current horses that they've got?
06:31Yeah.
06:32It's going to become opponent-specific, guys.
06:34They don't have great pass rushers up front as individual players right now
06:39with Bosa out, with the idea that Mikel Williams would have developed,
06:43you know, if the season progressed, and now he's lost half a season.
06:47So they don't – you know, you can't make these guys into great pass rushers.
06:51But then it depends on the opponent.
06:53They're going to play Arizona this week.
06:55Arizona does not have a great O-line.
06:57So it's very possible that someone like Bryce Huff, you know,
07:00if he lines up on the left side of the defense
07:02and he goes against Jonah Williams, that he could certainly beat Jonah Williams
07:06because Jonah Williams is not a very good pass protector.
07:08So it's going to become team-specific and quarterback-specific.
07:12Jacoby Brissett does have a tendency at times to get stuck in the pocket.
07:17It's one reason why he's never become a full-time starter in the league
07:19because he does have traits and talent, but he just, for whatever reason,
07:23maybe he doesn't see it clearly enough at times,
07:25but he tends to get stuck in the pocket, which makes him more susceptible to sacks.
07:30But they're not – you know, these guys are not all of a sudden going to have a magic wand,
07:34you know, over them, and they're going to become great pass rushers.
07:38That's not going to happen.
07:40Yeah, it'd be cool if it did, but tied for last in sacks with 12 with Baltimore and Jacksonville.
07:45But I wonder about the weapons that they're going to face.
07:49Trey McBride, we know, is amazing, but they won't have Zay Jones.
07:52They won't have Harrison Jr.
07:54What else can Arizona do to make the Niners' defense uncomfortable?
07:57Well, they don't have great – you know, with Harrison out, and he's been up and down, quite frankly.
08:03He's – you know, it's funny how some things happen to guys.
08:06In college, he never dropped balls.
08:08In the NFL, he's dropping balls.
08:09It's funny how that works.
08:10I can't explain that kind of thing.
08:12But the point is, he's still a quality receiver, and he's not going to be there with the appendectomy.
08:17So, you know, they have Wilson.
08:19They have McBride.
08:20McBride is the guy you've really got to deal with because he's really the number one target,
08:24and he lines up all over the formation.
08:27And other – you know, Wilson can be a solid player, but he's not a number one.
08:31So they don't really have great weapons, and they don't have, you know, a great back, obviously.
08:37So they don't bring a lot to the table as far as skilled position players.
08:41But it's still an NFL team and an NFL game.
08:44And, you know, I'm sure fans are thinking, oh, they play Arizona.
08:46They're not very good, you know, particularly with a game they just had where it was 35-0,
08:51I think early in the second quarter to Seattle.
08:54But – so they're probably thinking, you know, we should just beat them badly.
08:57And who knows?
08:58Maybe they do.
08:59But, you know, the way the Niners have played with their offense this year
09:02and the inability to sustain a run game on a weekly basis,
09:07they don't strike me as a team where you feel that they're going to go and beat a team badly.
09:11They just don't have that feel.
09:13Now, maybe this is the week that it happens.
09:15That's the thing about this league.
09:16I mean, just think back two weeks ago.
09:18Oh, the best team in the league is Buffalo.
09:21Blah, blah, blah.
09:21Now all of a sudden people are thinking Buffalo is done
09:23and they're not even going to make the playoffs.
09:25You know, it's just a week-to-week.
09:27You know, these are pointless conversations to me,
09:29but that's the way people talk about it.
09:30Yep, we do.
09:31And we're going to keep on doing it, Greg.
09:34Yeah.
09:34Yeah.
09:34Well, let's stay –
09:35Hey, that's – you know, as long as we're talking football, guys,
09:39that's all that matters.
09:40Yeah, that's right.
09:40There's a point in that in and of itself.
09:42So, all right, Greg Cosell.
09:44Hey, Caleb Williams is now a Hall of Famer, guys.
09:47Yes, he is.
09:47Exactly.
09:48Until he gets out here to Levi's Stadium
09:50when we'll talk to you about that in about six weeks, Greg.
09:53That's right.
09:53That's right.
09:54That's right.
09:54Yeah.
09:55So, hey, this Cardinals quarterback situation,
09:58I think that there's smoke around it.
10:01I don't know if there's fire,
10:02but there were rumors before they put Kyler Murray on IR
10:05that this has a little bit more to do with a big-picture thing.
10:08I wonder if you would just –
10:09I would agree.
10:09Yeah, but I wonder what your answer would be about this.
10:12Like, what has been sort of the output and the difference this year
10:17between the Kyler Murray Cardinals, which the Niners saw once already,
10:21and the Jacoby Brissett Cardinals?
10:24Well, Brissett, at his best –
10:26and again, he's never been able to be a true full-time starter.
10:30I think he's had a season or two where he was the starter.
10:32But a true full-time starter is just –
10:35he has some flaws in his game that end up leading to sacks,
10:38and just – he's a risk-averse thrower.
10:42But he does play within the structure of an offense.
10:46And Kyler Murray is not very good playing within the structure of an offense.
10:50So, they're two totally different kinds of players.
10:55Coaches probably – coaches, I'm talking – probably prefer Brissett
10:59because you feel like you have some sense of what you're going to get.
11:02With Murray, you have no –
11:04I've had this conversation with people, by the way,
11:06that the thing about Murray – and this is not an X and O point,
11:09although it stems from X's and O's –
11:11but when all's said and done,
11:13you don't know what you're going to get from Kyler Murray game to game.
11:16And there's nothing worse for a coach than that.
11:19Because they just – when coaches don't know what a player is going to do,
11:24it means they can't trust him.
11:26And then it becomes very hard for the coach, for the coaching staff.
11:31Yeah, scary, I'm sure, for a play caller,
11:33especially one like Kyle Shanahan who wants precision.
11:35I'm wondering about the Arizona front seven, Greg,
11:38because at times they can get after the quarterback
11:41and it seems like they're inconsistent against the run.
11:44Is this a game where the Niner run game can reestablish itself against Arizona?
11:50Well, look, you know that they try every single week
11:54because that's what they have to try to do, quite frankly.
11:57I mean, look, they didn't play very well against the run last week.
12:01Now, that was an odd game, but the point is that that was a game
12:05where the Seahawks ran the ball close to 50 times for almost 200 yards
12:09and controlled the ball for almost 34 minutes.
12:12So, you know, Darnold only had 13 dropbacks in the game against them
12:16because that's the way the game played out.
12:17But the point is the Seahawks had not run the ball with any kind of consistency
12:21either until that game.
12:23So, you know, I think the Niners are going to look at that front group
12:27and believe that they can run the ball with efficiency and success
12:32and therefore volume because they want to have volume in the run game.
12:37You know, that's really what they want.
12:38Now, obviously you need production to have volume,
12:41but they want at the end of a game, and I don't know if some coaches think like this.
12:46I don't know if Kyle Shanahan does,
12:47but some coaches, you know, have numbers where they say,
12:51hey, we want to have 32 runs and we want to have, you know, 27 dropbacks.
12:56You know, some coaches think like that.
12:58I don't know if the Niners do, but I would bet that in this game
13:01they would feel that they want to have 35, you know, running plays.
13:05All time under Shanahan, they're 50-7 when they run it 30 times, Greg.
13:10That's a stat.
13:12And that's a large enough sample size to mean something.
13:16No doubt about it.
13:17I've been working on my material.
13:18What did you think?
13:19Well, there you go.
13:20Yeah, what did you think?
13:20No, that means something.
13:23I mean, now, again, there's multiple ways to evaluate that statistic,
13:29but, you know, just like the old Emmitt Smith thing, you know,
13:31when Emmitt Smith runs for 100 yards, the Cowboys were such and such, you know,
13:35but oftentimes he was running for 100 yards
13:37because they were up by three touchdowns in the second half.
13:39Right.
13:40You know, but the point is you have to see how a team plays
13:44and how they want to play,
13:45and we know that the Niners want to and need to run the ball.
13:49No doubt.
13:49And when you fall down 21 to nothing, it changes the whole thing a little bit.
13:52Yeah, it changes.
13:53Yeah.
13:53Like, Greg, I wonder if a fan, if a Niner fan came up to you and said,
13:58okay, that game against the Rams,
14:00because we know the offensive line is getting healthier,
14:03but, like, when they say, okay, we didn't run the ball well,
14:06but also we dropped back 39 times and there were no sacks.
14:11Did the offensive line play well?
14:13How would you answer that?
14:15Well, yeah, I would say it's a combination of the offensive line
14:18and the fact that Jones gets rid of the ball.
14:20That's his game.
14:21You know, he's not a guy that holds the ball in the pocket.
14:24The pass game is not built on those kinds of plays.
14:27That's also one reason they don't, you know, push the ball downfield.
14:30They don't necessarily have the receivers right now
14:32who've played the last number of weeks.
14:35But Jones is a rhythm player.
14:37The ball comes out.
14:38You know, that was the same conversation the Rams had.
14:41I remember when they played the Rams.
14:43Wasn't that a Thursday night game, the first time they played the Rams this year?
14:45It was, yes.
14:46Yeah, I think it was.
14:47And that's the game the Niners won late on a field goal, if I'm not mistaken.
14:51And that was a game where the Rams afterwards were talking about the fact that,
14:56man, we couldn't get to Jones because the ball came out.
14:58And that's the way Jones plays.
15:00So it's a combination of both.
15:02It's a combination that the O-line, you know, was pretty –
15:04because I made it a point in particular to watch Trent Williams,
15:07who I just enjoy watching because he's so good.
15:10But, you know, he had no problem with Verse or Young,
15:12whoever lined up over him.
15:14But the ball was out.
15:16You know, that's the way Jones plays.
15:18He's not a sit-in-the-pocket kind of guy.
15:21He's not a sit-on-his-back-foot and wait for late in the down
15:24and drive the ball down the field.
15:26That's not the kind of quarterback he is.
15:28I know you're not big on awards and superlatives,
15:31but just how good is Matthew Stafford playing this year for the Rams?
15:35Well, first of all, you know me, I love quarterback play.
15:40I've studied it for years and years.
15:41It's the position I enjoy studying the most.
15:44I've learned it from really smart people.
15:46I talk to people about it.
15:48You know, to me, Matthew Stafford, you know,
15:50just plays the position absolutely the right way.
15:53He's super intelligent mentally.
15:55I can go through the years and pick out plays where he checked
15:58and audibled at the line of scrimmage, and it worked out beautifully.
16:02He throws the ball about as well as anybody ever has.
16:06You know, he was throwing with these awkward arm angles
16:09off different platforms well before Patrick Mahomes,
16:12but because he was with the Lions, no one talked about it.
16:15So, you know, to me, he's a special, special player,
16:18and having just an unbelievable season.
16:21I mean, what does he have, 25 touchdowns and two interceptions right now?
16:25I mean, if he's protected, and you kind of saw that last week,
16:29you know, if he's protected, I mean, he throws it as well as anybody.
16:33Yeah, he's the favorite, I think, for league MVP right now, Greg,
16:35with the numbers that he's putting up.
16:38I mean, I'm not a Hall of Fame voter, guys, but to me, he's a Hall of Famer.
16:41Yeah, I think he's probably on his way in.
16:43Hey, if Brock Purdy does play, I mean, you sort of touched on this
16:48a little bit earlier, but downfield throws,
16:51obviously he does hold the ball longer than Mack.
16:54There's the mobility aspect.
16:56Yeah.
16:56How would you put into words the passing game change that happens if Brock plays?
17:02Well, Brock's a little more aggressive.
17:04I don't know, again, now you get into the Ricky Pearsall element as well,
17:08because if Ricky Pearsall plays, he does have some vertical ability.
17:12While he's not a true burner, he does have some vertical ability.
17:14So you might see some different route concepts and combinations
17:17called by Kyle Shanahan for that reason.
17:20But Brock, just by nature, tends to be a little more aggressive.
17:23He does have the mobility element.
17:25You know, I think there's a little bit of, in his DNA,
17:28a little more of an innate sense of trying to make bigger plays at times.
17:34So we'll see how that plays out.
17:36You know, and every once in a while when you do that,
17:38you might make a bad throw.
17:40But I think just by nature, he's a little more aggressive with his mindset
17:45in how he goes about playing the position.
17:47So I don't know how that impacts how Kyle is going to call the game.
17:51Now, obviously, we're talking about normal down and distance situations
17:55where you can be proactive as a play caller.
17:57I'm not talking about third and nine,
17:58where defenses more often than not have a tactical advantage.
18:02But when it's first and ten or second and four,
18:04of course, I haven't been in many second and fours because of the run game.
18:07But if they do get into those favorable down and distance situations,
18:11maybe Kyle with Brock and Pearsall could be a little more aggressive.
18:15Okay.
18:16All right.
18:16We've reached the end.
18:17It's time for the big pick.
18:18Who do you like, Greg?
18:20Cardinals or Niners?
18:22No, I mean, I like the Niners this week.
18:24I just think they're better.
18:25And, you know, and the Niners are better.
18:28You know, they're not a bad team.
18:29They've got some flaws for sure, and we've discussed those,
18:33but they're better than the Cardinals.
18:34Wait a minute.
18:35Hold on a second.
18:36We're completely caught off guard right now.
18:38Did we just – that's the first time I've ever heard you – you made a pick, Greg.
18:43Well, they're a better team.
18:44You know, I'm not going to pick them in a sense I'm going to give you a score.
18:47You know, if you – look, we know that every Sunday anything can happen.
18:51But they're a better team.
18:53Minus two and a half, Greg.
18:54Minus two and a half.
18:56I don't even know what that means, guys.
18:58Okay.
18:58Well, I mean, we could explain it to you if you want.
19:01Yeah, I don't even know what that means.
19:02It means –
19:03Do I start Mike Wilson against the Niner secondary?
19:06I mean, what are we doing here, Greg?
19:07Do you think the Niners will win by more than two and a half points, Greg?
19:12Are they two and a half points better than the Cardinals?
19:14For sure.
19:15The one thing I know for sure is they won't win by two and a half.
19:18That's a great pick.
19:19You know what?
19:20That's a great answer, Greg.
19:21We're going to cut that and keep that.
19:23Fantastic.
19:23There was a safety the last time these two teams played, so things could get wonky.
19:30Is the safety now worth two and a half?
19:34Let me check.
19:35Close.
19:36Close, but no.
19:38Yeah.
19:39Yeah.
19:39All right, Greg.
19:40Great stuff.
19:41We're going to remember that forever.
19:42Thank you so much.
19:43Hey, you know, like Joe Pesci, I'm just here to amuse you guys.
19:46That's why we call you.
19:47Like a clown?
19:48Yeah, like every week, that's why we call you.
19:51That's right.
19:52That's right.
19:52I'm just here to amuse you guys.
19:54Dance that drink over here, Spider.
19:56So much in that movie.
19:59All right, Greg.
20:00We'll do it again next week.
20:02All right, guys.
20:02Appreciate it.
20:03Thanks.
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