- 8 months ago
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00:01Wednesdays aren't the same without this guy.
00:03Nope.
00:04So, you know, bleep it. Let's do it.
00:07River Island's guest line right now, and also on video, on YouTube,
00:12if you want to see that handsome mug.
00:14Ladies and gentlemen, NFL Films, it's Greg Cosell.
00:18Hey, friend, how are you?
00:20I'm doing great, guys.
00:22You know, it was tough.
00:23I almost didn't make it because I almost didn't pass my physical.
00:26Oh, wow.
00:27Yeah, we're sending you back.
00:29We're sending you back to a different station.
00:31We found someone else for cheaper that does almost what you do, Greg.
00:38Well, there's no question they'd be better looking,
00:40but, you know, maybe they won't be as good talking football.
00:43Oh, I mean, TBD for sure.
00:45We'll get to that, what you're referencing, but let's start with Mike Evans.
00:49What do you think this looks like in the Kyle Shanahan system?
00:53Well, one thing that I, you know, when I saw that signing,
00:57I thought really one thing, you know, and you know me,
00:59I think in terms of the tactics of the game, you know,
01:02when Brock Purdy played last year, the Niners played more out of what we call
01:07two-by-two sets with two receivers on each side than three-by-one sets.
01:11And I'm wondering if now that they have Evans, who's a true boundary X receiver,
01:16meaning he's the single receiver to the short side of the field,
01:19that's what he's been in his career, that's what he is.
01:23The Niners have not really had that kind of receiver in quite some time,
01:27so I'm wondering if you might see more three-by-one sets,
01:31and even four-by-one sets, go four strong to the wide side of the field
01:35with McCaffrey, and let Evans be the single receiver to the short side,
01:39what we call the boundary X.
01:41And, you know, it gives them really more options in the pass game.
01:44And when you do that, does a defense become forced to play man-to-man
01:48or at least, you know, shade some help over to that side in their zone coverage?
01:54Well, that's a great question, and you never know exactly how a defense will respond.
01:58I mean, they'll know based on film study.
02:00They certainly study that in more detail than I do with specific teams
02:05because that's all they do when they prepare for one game.
02:08But, you know, it depends on the defense.
02:10Do they feel comfortable playing one-on-one against Mike Evans?
02:14Or do they feel that they need some kind of safety help over to that side,
02:18which would likely mean you'd see more of what we call two-shell coverage,
02:22two high structures where there's two safeties on the back end
02:26as opposed to one, which we would call single high.
02:29So, you know, it's a way to determine how a defense will play.
02:33And once you know that, and normally you would know that
02:35before you even play the game based on film study
02:39because coaches coach against coaches as well,
02:42you would be able to put together your game plan based on that.
02:45So I'm curious to see if that's what happens.
02:47Greg, we've known that over the last few years,
02:50the Niners are basically good in the red zone when they have McCaffrey healthy
02:53and not so good in the red zone when they don't.
02:55But they've sort of lacked that red zone, you know, effective receiver.
03:00How does this change what they can do close to the goal line?
03:04Well, yeah, it's funny you say that because you have to scheme in the red zone.
03:09And Kyle's one of the best in the league, clearly, at doing that.
03:11But they have to scheme plays.
03:14Whereas when you have Evans, not that you're not going to scheme plays,
03:17but you do have that ability to put him outside one-on-one
03:21and throw fades to him or throw, you know, quick slants.
03:24You do have that one-on-one ability with Mike Evans,
03:27which you did not have previously.
03:29So it just gives you more options.
03:31And those options are needed probably more than ever now
03:33with George Kittle likely out for however long,
03:37and he's been such a big red zone threat.
03:39How does this change the way that Kyle will structure his pass game
03:43as opposed to last year when you could lean on your tight end a lot more?
03:47Yeah, I mean, that's a hard question to answer.
03:49I mean, you know, Kyle's incredibly intelligent, a lot smarter than I am
03:53when it comes to putting together an offense.
03:55So I don't know exactly what changes he will make.
03:58Obviously, George Kittle, when healthy, is one of the best tight ends in the league.
04:02You know, they got good tight end play from Tongas.
04:05He's not Kittle.
04:07But, you know, I don't know exactly how he'll change up what he does in the pass game,
04:12you know, just because Kittle is probably not going to be available early in the season.
04:17But I still think with Evans, it just gives you more options.
04:20And, you know, and Tongas did prove that he is an effective receiver,
04:24certainly in the short to intermediate range.
04:26So we'll see.
04:27Don't forget, Tongas and whoever else is going to be there at tight end
04:31is going to get all the work through OTAs, minicamp, training camp.
04:35So it's not as if they're bringing someone in week one to say,
04:38hey, now you're playing tight end.
04:40So that person or that group of people are going to get all the work.
04:44Greg Cosell, NFL Films is with us.
04:47Let's assume health in the wide receiver room.
04:50What does Mike Evans on the field do for Ricky Pearsall?
04:54Yeah, and you guys know how much I like Pearsall, but he may not be a true boundary X.
04:59There are times I thought he could be.
05:01Maybe he is, maybe he's not, but he won't be now for the most part.
05:04And now you have Pearsall in a situation where he can kind of be the movement Z or the slot.
05:09And, you know, when you're the movement Z, you can be in motion.
05:12You can get free access off the ball.
05:14I think that will help Pearsall tremendously.
05:16I think Pearsall, many might think of Pearsall as more of like a 1A or a 2.
05:23And now that you have Evans, he sort of falls more into that category.
05:25So I think it helps Pearsall and it helps the entire pass game.
05:29Does his skill set, Ricky Pearsall, fit better in the slot or kind of in that movement Z spot you
05:35talked about?
05:36I think it fits in either one.
05:39You know, and I think because the Niners are a very high percentage relative to the rest of the league
05:44pre-snap movement offense,
05:46you'll see, you know, there's a lot of shifts.
05:49There's a lot of motions.
05:50And I think they'll continue to do that.
05:52That's kind of built into the Kyle Shanahan offensive approach.
05:56Greg Cosell, NFL Films with us.
05:58One thing that we're all waiting on is what's going to happen on the defensive side of the ball for
06:04the 49ers.
06:05And with Raheem Morris coming in as the defensive coordinator,
06:09I wonder if you have any perspective on maybe kind of what they might want to do
06:14or what adjustments they want to make because of who Morris is as a coach.
06:19Yeah, that's a hard question and a great one, but a hard one because Raheem has been part of so
06:24many different defenses in his career
06:27in terms of structure, fronts.
06:29My guess is they'll stay with a four-man base front as their foundation,
06:35but the question now becomes will there be more pressure?
06:39They have not been a high-percentage pressure defense.
06:42Will there be more pressure?
06:44Don't forget he just came from Atlanta, and granted, Jeff Ulbrich was the D coordinator,
06:48but Raheem has to sign off on all that, and Atlanta was a high-percentage blitz defense
06:53and a high-percentage man-to-man defense.
06:56Now, I'm not suggesting because we don't know the answer, guys.
06:58I'm not suggesting that's what the 49ers will look like.
07:01All I'm suggesting is Raheem has been exposed to a lot more,
07:06and you just don't know what direction he will go based on his evaluation of the personnel
07:11and then, of course, what they do in the draft, which is still to come.
07:14And what they still might do in free agency with Max Crosby theoretically being out there.
07:19Is he a scheme fit for the Niners based on what they did last year
07:23and what he is really the best at?
07:26Yeah, I mean, he's a four-man D-line front defensive end.
07:30You know, the question is, with what happened now, does the price for Crosby drop?
07:35And, you know, that's the stuff I don't know the answer to.
07:37I don't know if anybody knows the answer to that.
07:38I assume it would because I guess in some ways he would be considered damaged goods.
07:44But, look, the bottom line is, didn't he just have surgery in January?
07:48Wasn't it January he had surgery?
07:49Yeah, meniscus.
07:51Yeah, he certainly wasn't going to pass a physical now.
07:54So the question isn't can he pass a physical now.
07:57The question is, are there going to be a longer-term or even shorter-term lingering effects
08:03that would, you know, prevent him from being ready this year?
08:06And if you do want to trade for him and you have to give up something meaningful,
08:10are you getting a player that maybe can only play one or two years and then he's done?
08:14So, you know, these are questions way beyond, you know, what I know.
08:18You know, I'm certainly not a doctor.
08:20But the question is, you know, where does he stand in terms of both short-term and long-term injury?
08:27But there's no – the bottom line is he's not going to pass a physical today, obviously.
08:31Well, Greg, just for fun while we're on that, we'd love to hear your comparison of Max Crosby and Trey
08:37Hendrickson.
08:39I think Crosby's a better all-around player.
08:41Crosby is a – to me, you know – look, Henderson's a really good pass rusher.
08:47I think Crosby is a really good pass rusher and a dominant run defender.
08:51I think he's just a better all-around player.
08:53And assuming health – and again, that – we don't know.
08:56Assuming health, he's a younger player.
08:58And if you think about maybe another rung or two down in the free agency market, the Niners have a
09:04Bosa.
09:04And there's another Bosa that could be – they could bolster with a Bosa.
09:08What do you think of Joey Bosa and what he put on tape last year in Buffalo?
09:13He had some good moments and some tough games, which he freely admitted when he came out and said that,
09:17hey, I didn't play well this week.
09:19I think if you – Joey Bosa's at the point in his career where I think he's probably a 25
09:24-snap-a-game guy.
09:25I don't think you sign him and think he's going to play 50 or 60 snaps.
09:30You know, he's probably a 20, 25-snap-a-game player.
09:33He still can rush the quarterback, you know, reasonably well.
09:36But I think you have to understand what he is at this point in his career.
09:39You know, what I always – look, you guys are baseball guys as well, obviously, because you've got the Giants.
09:44You know, I always equate it – because I was a baseball guy.
09:47I still am.
09:47You know, it's like in free agency and baseball, if you have a seventh-place hitter who hits 30 home
09:53runs, okay,
09:53and you want to go sign him, you can't sign him and then decide he's your third-place hitter.
09:58You know, it doesn't work the same way.
09:59You know, so a lot of times you can't just look at a guy and say, gee, he had great
10:03production if he plays 20 snaps a game
10:06and then decide, well, we're going to play him 60 snaps a game and he's going to be exactly the
10:10same guy.
10:10You know, it rarely works that way.
10:12So, Greg, we get to do something we've never done before, which is have breaking news with you here with
10:18us
10:18and then ask you about it.
10:20Fire away, Mark.
10:2195.7 The Game.
10:23Breaking news.
10:26San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys have swung a trade.
10:31The Cowboys will send defensive tackle Osa Odigizua to the San Francisco 49ers.
10:40We do not know yet what is being sent in return.
10:43This had been a little bit rumored out there and I think kind of takes the Niners out on all
10:48of the other defensive linemen stuff
10:50that we've been talking about, including Crosby.
10:53But what do you think of the deal and what can you tell us about the player, Greg?
10:59He's a really good player, Odigizua.
11:01I mean, I, you know, he's, again, you have to see what they gave up.
11:06But, again, my guess is it's not a number one pick or a number two.
11:09But he's a really good player.
11:11You know, what that tells me is they feel that the two rookies from a year ago are not quite
11:17ready to assume, you know,
11:19after doing their self-scouting and studying their own team,
11:22they feel that Collins and West are not quite ready to be the two guys inside that can play those
11:2840, 50, 60 snaps a game.
11:30Because Odigizua is a really solid player, good run defender, has some pass rush skill,
11:35just a really good professional defensive tackle.
11:38That's clearly an upgrade for them.
11:40And a guy who can eat up the double team and allow the pass rusher maybe a little bit of
11:44a free run.
11:45And also the run D was kind of a struggle the last couple of years.
11:48Is he somebody who can get in there and, you know, take away a couple of gaps?
11:53Yes, he's, you know, he's just a good player.
11:55I mean, you know, look, I mean, you know, he's not a pass rusher in the sense that he's going
12:00to get 15 sacks,
12:01but he can rush the quarterback and he's a really solid interior run defender.
12:06So, you know, again, whatever they gave up, you know, I don't work for a team.
12:10And you guys know how much teams hoard their draft choices.
12:14But just as someone who does not work for a team and doesn't live in that world,
12:18I always feel like if you can get a young player who's a good player, if you're giving up,
12:25and again, we don't know what they're giving up yet.
12:26You'll find out.
12:27Maybe we won't find out until we're done talking.
12:29But let's say it's a fourth round pick.
12:31What if it were a third round pick, Greg?
12:34Because that is what just got reported.
12:37Okay.
12:37So a third round pick.
12:39Here's the question I would ask.
12:40Are you going to get Odigizua in the third round in this draft?
12:44Because he's not an old player.
12:45You know, and you're probably not going.
12:47Could you get him?
12:49Maybe.
12:49But now you're getting a guy that has a track record in the league,
12:53and it's a good track record, and he's not an old player.
12:57So to me, I'm totally fine with making a trade like that, as clearly the 49ers are.
13:03I know there's a lot of teams in the league that would say,
13:05well, we're not giving up a third round pick.
13:07But, you know, look, I remember a few years ago just when,
13:11or maybe it was last year when there was the thought that Patrick Sertan might be traded,
13:15and teams were like, well, I'm not giving up a number one pick.
13:18And I'm thinking to myself, what are you, nuts?
13:19You know, the guy's the best corner in football.
13:21You're not getting Patrick Sertan in the draft.
13:23You know, so I see it a little bit differently,
13:26but then I'm not inculcated into a team and then the mindset that teams have.
13:31So, you know, to me, if that's what they gave up,
13:33the likelihood of getting Odigizua in the third round is not high.
13:37Yeah, Greg Cosell, NFL Films with us, and it's funny because it was only like,
13:41I don't know, seven minutes ago that I said to you,
13:45well, they've done nothing on defense for Raheem Morris,
13:47and now suddenly we have this.
13:49So I'd love your thought on at least in theory what this reworked from a year plus ago,
13:56defensive line, Nick Bosa coming back, hopefully Michael Williams coming back,
14:01Alfred Collins, C.J. West, Odigizua.
14:05What are your thoughts on that group?
14:07Well, the key is Bosa if he comes back totally healthy
14:10because he changes the equation and the calculus of everything
14:13because of who he is and what he can do, and now Odigizua is in there.
14:18You know, so it's, again, it's a much better D-line than they had a year ago.
14:26Obviously, as soon as you lost Bosa, you know that it was going to be a tough haul.
14:30It was just going to be a really tough D-line.
14:32With Mikel Williams coming back, it'll be interesting to see because, you know,
14:37under Salah, and you don't know how Raheem Morris will look at it,
14:40but under Salah, if you recall, when they were in their third down sub-front,
14:45they brought Williams inside.
14:46Now, they might not do that.
14:48Maybe they leave him outside now with Odigizua there.
14:51So, you know, there's much to be worked out when we get through.
14:54We still have a draft.
14:55Then we're going to have OTAs, minicamp, training camp.
14:58So we'll see.
14:59But obviously, Williams was a high pick.
15:01He's a very gifted traits player.
15:04Now he has to become a really good player.
15:06We'll see how that develops, and we'll see how they choose to deploy him.
15:09And you led me right to that question because when you look at the tape,
15:12what do you see him better at, being in the interior or being on the outside,
15:17especially on passing downs?
15:19Well, his game is built more on power than suddenness,
15:22and I think that's one reason they moved him inside
15:24because he's really more of a power physical pass rusher
15:28than he is a twitchy sudden bend player.
15:31And not that you have to be twitchy and bend to be a good edge pass rusher,
15:35but you'd like a little more bend and flexibility on the outside
15:39because he's much more of a speed-to-power guy.
15:42He's a power player more than, as I said, a bendy player.
15:46So we'll see how Raheem Morris and this new staff feels.
15:50You know, is Chris Kocurik, is he still there as a D-line coach?
15:54Yeah, indeed he is.
15:56So he's still, you know, he's considered one of the best in the league.
16:00So we'll see, you know, whether it's Raheem's call,
16:03whether Chris makes the call, but we'll see how they feel about Williams,
16:07whether they think he can rush the quarterback from the outside
16:10in those third and long and pure pass situations.
16:13Greg, are you a little surprised that we have not seen
16:15Juwan Jennings' name come off the board yet?
16:18Like, from what you've seen him do, is he kind of a fit with a lot of teams
16:24or is that a struggle for some groups?
16:28You know, I think we've talked about this during the season,
16:32that Juwan Jennings is a really good fit for what the Niners do.
16:35I would bet for other teams, and I'm not saying every team,
16:38you know, for some other teams, he'd be seen as a two
16:42and maybe even a three.
16:43So I'm not sure that teams would, you know, want to pay a ton of money for him.
16:48You know, I think we've moved that way, guys,
16:50with the receiver position in general.
16:52And this draft is going to be a good example of that.
16:55There is no Jamar Chase in this draft.
16:57This draft with receivers is going to be in the eye of the beholder
17:00and in terms of team scheme and deployment.
17:03And, yeah, there'll be receivers who come in and end up, you know,
17:06catching 80 balls and doing well.
17:07But there's no, you know, there's no guy in this draft like that.
17:11And, by the way, there'll still be three or four receivers
17:14taken in the first round.
17:15I'm not saying they should or shouldn't be.
17:17In this given draft, there'll be receivers taken in the first round.
17:20But bottom line is there's not that special guy.
17:23So now it comes down to coaching, team scheme, deployment, how guys are used.
17:28I mean, that's what it's going to come down to.
17:30And I think that's what teams see when they look at Jennings.
17:32He really fits the Kyle Shanahan offense extremely well.
17:36He may not fit every offense.
17:38Or let's put it this way.
17:39But he may be seen as a three in many other offenses.
17:42The 49ers fans all want a succession plan for Trent Williams.
17:46And I look at this draft and many experts say it's left tackle deep.
17:49Niners are at 27.
17:51Do you see a draft that is deep enough to where the Niners might be able to get a guy
17:55at tackle at 27?
17:59Well, possibly.
18:00But I hope fans understand that whoever they get is not going to be Trent Williams
18:04in his prime.
18:05You know, I think you have to understand that.
18:06I mean, you know, it's just not going to be that way.
18:14The guy is the first ballot Hall of Famer.
18:15You know, again, I don't have the list of every, you know, offensive tackle in front of
18:19me.
18:19But I know about the Jones, the Ogdens, the Paces, you know, the Buscelles, the Anthony
18:23Munoz going back years and years.
18:25You know, Trent Williams is in that conversation.
18:27So, you know, we have to understand that it's not going to be Trent Williams.
18:31So, yeah, but you do need to get someone who's going to replace him and then coach him.
18:38So, Greg, I think with this thing still in limbo, the follow-up question to that is, and
18:45I'm expecting this thing to get done on some level, but how would you put into words what
18:51the Niner drop-off would be based on what they have right now if Trent Williams weren't
18:57back?
19:00I think there would be a meaningful drop-off, and I think, you know, again, I don't know
19:04then how they would change how they go about playing with their offensive line.
19:09Chris Foster is still the O-line coach.
19:10He's been doing this for, you know, 35 years.
19:13So he's, you know, has a lot in his toolkit, but, you know, it would have to be different
19:19because the player who would then be out there, if it's not Trent Williams, is obviously
19:24not going to be anywhere near as good right now.
19:28Greg, it's so great to have you on.
19:31Oh, you know, guys, it's, I miss you guys, and it was great to hang out with you at the
19:35Super Bowl, you know, meet you guys, hang out.
19:37It was, it was a wonderful thing.
19:39It was a ton of fun.
19:40Are you, are you grinding right now?
19:42Are you grinding on college players?
19:45Yeah, there's just too many guys.
19:46You know, it's, everybody thinks that when the Super Bowl's done, you know, I sit around
19:50with my feet up smoking cigars, but that doesn't happen.
19:53You know, I'm still, I'm grinding, I'm trying to watch as many guys as I can.
19:56I, I never take shortcuts.
19:58You know, I don't watch 20 plays and think I know what a guy is, you know, defense, you
20:01have to watch a lot of plays, a lot of games.
20:04So it's still a grind guys, but you know, that's what I do.
20:07Well, we're going to have to, we have to circle back with you before the draft happens.
20:11Then.
20:12I'm ready to circle back with you guys, you know, anytime you want.
20:15All right.
20:16So good.
20:17We might call you tomorrow, Greg.
20:18We'll see.
20:18We'll see what, we'll see what happens.
20:20It shakes out today, right?
20:21Yeah, exactly.
20:22Hey, Greg, great to talk to you.
20:24Thank you, sir.
20:25Hey guys.
20:26Always love being with you.
20:27Thanks so much.
20:28Okay.