- 13 minutes ago
Greg Cosell of NFL Films joins Willard and Dibs to react to the 49ers' Week 1 win over the Rams, the chess match between Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, and more.
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00:00You mean to tell me we get to talk to Greg Cosell and there was actually a game that we
00:06can refer to?
00:08Actual tape that no doubt he grinded on?
00:11He's used to talking about practice.
00:14Not a game.
00:15Wow.
00:15Not a game.
00:16This is exciting.
00:17Not the game that I'd die for.
00:18This is exciting.
00:19On Willard and Dibs, it's Wednesday and it's game week.
00:23Week two, we get to actually talk out last Thursday night with the man from NFL Films who joins us
00:30every Wednesday right here on the River Islands guest line.
00:33It is none other than the great Greg Cosell.
00:36Hello, Greg.
00:37How are you this week?
00:38I'm doing great.
00:39And we obviously and absolutely have to talk about that game because, gentlemen, that was a master class.
00:45I love that you picked the Niners minus ten and a half like you told us last week.
00:51And you knew, you knew.
00:53I don't even know what that means.
00:54Neither do I.
00:55No.
00:56No.
00:56What did you see, Greg?
00:57Like this, this, you're right.
00:59This was very eye-opening.
01:02Where did you see or what did you see as the key spots?
01:06Well, let me just start with this.
01:08I look at every game as a separate entity.
01:11I know a lot of people always, based on games and certainly week one, as you know,
01:15everybody makes these bold, definitive judgments and statements about what that means for the whole season
01:21or what that means about specific players.
01:23I just watched the tape and speak to this game.
01:26So I don't know what's going to happen this week, next week, or the week after.
01:30But I know what happened in this game.
01:32And I thought that, and again, I don't know if Kyle Shanahan knew in advance how the Rams would choose
01:38to play defense,
01:39if he had a strong sense of that, or if he saw that early and then said, okay, now I
01:45know.
01:46But what the Rams decided to do, guys, was to match up to the 49ers' 21 personnel, meaning Juszczyk was
01:54on the field,
01:54and 12 personnel when they had two tight ends.
01:57They didn't run a lot of plays in 12, mostly 21 with Juszczyk.
02:01But the Rams chose to match up to that in their nickel defense, okay?
02:05So that means they had a slot defender in Quentin Lake, a very good player, by the way, but he's
02:10not a linebacker.
02:11So that was clearly the Rams' game plan.
02:14So in the first half, they played 23 snaps of nickel and 13 snaps of dime,
02:21and they only played one snap of base defense.
02:24So the other part of that is when they were in their nickel,
02:28they predominantly played with two deep safeties.
02:32So they did not have a safety in the box.
02:36They had two deep safeties.
02:37So there's one less player to play the run.
02:41And because of the way they structure their defensive front with the ends being very, very wide,
02:47now you have two tackles inside, essentially two stacked linebackers,
02:52and no one else really there.
02:55You know, they come into the play when it happens, but they are not there pre-snap.
03:00So when you line up like that with those people, you run the ball inside.
03:06And we saw the Niners with that particular motion that I'm sure they have a name for.
03:11I just call it dash motion where they take use check from that wing alignment
03:15and they bring him back into the backfield.
03:18And then from there, they do multiple things with him as a blocker,
03:22depending on what the play call is.
03:23But they ran the ball inside.
03:26You know, and everybody said, what's wrong with Miles Garrett?
03:29Obviously, we know he just went on IR.
03:31But they line up their ends really wide.
03:33And when you run inside, they're not going to be factors in the run game.
03:37And so they ran the ball really well.
03:41And I don't want to make this a lecture because there's another part to this,
03:44but I'll let you guys jump in.
03:45But I just thought the way the Rams chose to play
03:49and then what Shanahan did in response,
03:51and there's another element to it in the third quarter, I thought it was great.
03:55So we'll get to that in a sec.
03:56But like I said, I don't want to make it seem like a college seminar here on constitutional law.
04:00So why don't you guys jump in?
04:02You're doing great.
04:02And, you know, you passed me the ball with two seconds on the shot clock.
04:06And so I'm in a little bit of a spot, but I'll do my best.
04:08But you mentioned that they ran it well,
04:11but I'm looking at my notes from the first drive.
04:1312 of the 14 plays were passes.
04:16Why were the Rams so susceptible, even though they were playing in that nickel?
04:20Well, it's also possible, as I said, that Kyle wasn't certain as to how the Rams would play.
04:25And he came out with his plan, maybe based on, you know, a sense of something else.
04:29And then he saw, as the game progressed, how they were going to play, you know,
04:34because you just don't know.
04:35I mean, you think you know, and normally coaches do coach against coaches
04:40more than they coach against personnel.
04:42But you don't know for sure, particularly when it's week one.
04:45So it could have been a case, and I don't want to speak for Kyle.
04:48I would never do that.
04:49He's a lot smarter than I am when it comes to this stuff.
04:51But, you know, maybe he was just saying, okay, let's see how they're playing.
04:55Now that I see how they're playing, I know what's in my bag and what I can do.
05:00Greg, I'm interested in your first response there.
05:03When you're talking about how the Rams played the safety position
05:08to where there was one less guy kind of in the box there to focus on the run.
05:14Is that different than at least the tendency was last year
05:20when the 49ers had less to offer in the receiving game
05:24and obviously had a much harder time running the ball?
05:29Well, think of it if you're the Rams.
05:32Number one, last year the 49ers did not run the ball very well.
05:36It was the worst yards per carry under Kyle Shanahan since he became head coach.
05:40I believe it was at 2017, I believe it was his first year.
05:44So that was the worst yards per carry.
05:46They didn't run the ball particularly well.
05:48They were playing Connor Colby at left guard, a player that, you know,
05:52is obviously not someone that one views as, wow, that guy's a great left guard.
05:57Poonie's coming off a year where he was not as good as his rookie season.
06:01The Rams have really good defensive tackles, a really good de-tackle rotation.
06:07They've got Kobe Turner.
06:08They've got Braden Fisk.
06:09They've got Puna Ford, who's a very good run defender.
06:12They probably felt, and again, I don't want to speak for Chris Shula,
06:16but they probably felt that the interior of their D-line was better than the interior of the 49ers O
06:23-line
06:23and that they could handle the run with their tackles and with their two stack backers, Landman and Spates.
06:29And Landman's a very good player, by the way.
06:31So, you know, again, I don't want to speak for Chris Shula, but that would be my guess.
06:37It seemed to me that Colby and certainly Trent Williams, but mostly I was watching the guards get to that
06:43second level so often.
06:44What were you seeing from the Mariners offensive line that allowed them to get off the first block
06:49and then get to the linebacker level?
06:51Because there was a lot of space.
06:52So what they were able to do was do combo blocks on the tackles and then get up to the
06:56second level
06:57because there wasn't an extra player there.
07:00I mean, at times, Lake would line up in the box depending on the offensive formation,
07:04but there were other times where he was an overhang player and not truly in the box.
07:09So they were able to double.
07:10I mean, there were a number of times where they had really excellent double combo blocks
07:15and worked up to the second level, and there's nothing worse for a linebacker
07:18than when you have your own D-tackle sitting in your lap because of the double team.
07:23So it's just hard to play that way.
07:25But I just want to make one more point about this because I think it's really, really good.
07:29And this is where I thought to myself, boy, Kyle's really good.
07:32So what happened when they started the second half?
07:36They came out, and the first two plays of the second half were McCaffrey 14 yards
07:42and McCaffrey 16 yards.
07:43And, again, the Rams were in their 4-2-5 nickel on those plays, and those were inside runs.
07:50One was a gap scheme run, one was inside zone,
07:53and both times the Rams were in their two-shell safety structure.
07:57So what happened on the next series?
07:59The second third quarter possession, finally the Rams, Chris Shula, decide,
08:04you know what, they're kicking or you know what, running the ball inside.
08:07So I'm going to get out of my 4-2-5, and I'm going to play base defense,
08:12which is their 5-2 front where they have, you know, three guys reduced inside,
08:17and then they've got the two edge players.
08:19So they're now looking to take away the inside runs that they've been burned by
08:24most of the game but also on the first series of the third quarter.
08:28So what did Kyle and the 49ers do?
08:31They immediately attack the edge with the same use check dash motion,
08:36but this time he went outside, and it was outside zone toss with use check,
08:42the lead blocker on the perimeter.
08:44It was just beautifully, beautifully done.
08:47And Black had a run like that as well.
08:50I mean, I thought it was just the chess match at the highest level.
08:54You know, we do something, you try to stop it, and we've got a counter right away.
08:59Greg Cosell, NFL Films with us.
09:02I think everybody would love to hear you talk about what happened with Trent
09:07Williams and Miles Garrett and that matchup specifically.
09:11You know, and I looked at that because I knew it, but not a lot, to be honest,
09:15because of the way the game was played.
09:17You know, and again, none of us know if Garrett was hurt during the game
09:21and he tried to fight through it.
09:23You know, we don't know that, and it's irrelevant.
09:24One thing I learned very early on when I started working years and years ago
09:28with Ron Jaworski, who had the longest streak of playing in games as a starting quarterback
09:33until it was broken by Brett Favre, was that if you're playing, you're playing.
09:38So it doesn't matter, you know, you're playing.
09:40So, but the way the game shook out, that was not a big deal in the game.
09:46Now, obviously, were there some pass plays?
09:49Look, on the 39-yard touchdown to Robinson, Garrett wasn't even in the game,
09:53and the 49ers still chipped both edge rushers.
09:55So that was part of their game plan regardless of who was playing on the edge.
10:00And the other touchdown I want to ask you about is the first one in the third quarter
10:04where it's Evans to the left, to the boundary side, and Purdy gets the snap
10:08and immediately just throws it up for grabs.
10:11But for grabs, it means for Evans to grab it.
10:14Is that just man-to-man coverage and kind of an easy pitch and catch
10:17when you have that receiver out there?
10:19Well, I think that fades are never easy, but obviously with Evans,
10:23you've got a better chance than against most because, you know, he's big.
10:29I mean, Evans gives the 49ers the fade ball option in the low red zone.
10:33No question.
10:34He's, you know, 6'4", 6'5".
10:37You know, he's bigger than pretty much every corner in the league,
10:41maybe with the exception of one or two guys.
10:43I mean, that was second and goal.
10:45It was versus Watson.
10:46He was aligned at boundary X.
10:48So Watson's not going to have any help,
10:50and he's certainly not going to have any help on a fade ball to the outside anyway.
10:53So, yeah, he does give them that option.
10:56You know, the other interesting thing in the game to me was the 49ers ran 37 snaps
11:02with Purdy under center, and that's become a big trend in the league,
11:07not only now with the Niners, which, by the way, Kyle Shanahan used to do a lot of,
11:11you know, through the early part of his tenure with the Niners,
11:14and they've gotten away from him in a bit the last couple years.
11:16But in this game, they ran 37 snaps with him under center.
11:21Purdy was 11 for 12 for 103 yards.
11:24They had 25 rushes with Purdy under center, and that was five yards per rush.
11:29So they were really, really big on putting him under center.
11:35And, by the way, they had more motion in this game at the snap of the football
11:39than in any game in the Kyle Shanahan era.
11:42So motion was also – and I'm talking about not a shift where a guy settles.
11:46I'm talking where there was movement as the ball was snapped, motion at the snap.
11:50So it was 65% of their offensive plays.
11:53They had motion at the snap, the highest percentage in the Shanahan era.
11:57So they had a defined way they wanted to go about playing this game,
12:02whether parts of it were game planning during the week
12:05or some of it being a reaction to what they then saw maybe after the first series.
12:10We don't know the answer to that, but it was really beautifully done, beautifully done.
12:15I mean, Greg, to what level is what you're talking about
12:18maybe a result of what I would call some new toys in the toy box?
12:24Like, did you see Kyle's play calling change because of the presence of Mike Evans,
12:30because Debo is back, because he now has two running backs
12:35that he seems to be able to rely on as opposed to one?
12:38Well, I could see the Debo element, you know, definitely enhancing the motion part
12:43because Debo was always that kind of player prior, you know, when he was here in San Francisco.
12:48So I could see that.
12:50Now, whether that was the reason that it was the highest percentage in the Shanahan era,
12:53I do not know.
12:54But we do know that McCaffrey and Debo are both really critical pieces
12:59when they choose to have pre-snap movement.
13:01So I guess, again, it's week one.
13:04It's two teams and two coaches that know each other well.
13:08You know, we'll see what happens this week.
13:10You know, hey, from a defensive standpoint this week,
13:13there could be a sense that they really know the coach well, too,
13:15because Bobby Slowik is the OC for Miami.
13:17So you never know.
13:18They could feel we know what he's going to do very well, too.
13:21But, you know, again, like I said, I look at each game as a game.
13:26Now, can you look at certain players and go, wow, that guy is improving?
13:30Sure, you can do that.
13:32But I don't make a definitive judgment about, you know, a season, a player,
13:37you know, based on week one.
13:38It was just a brilliant game to win that game.
13:41Heading into week two, everyone wants to look past Miami
13:44because it's what we do in our business.
13:46When you look at Miami from their week one tape,
13:50what stands out as something that was impressive in an otherwise bad performance?
13:55I would say there was not a lot that you'd call impressive.
13:58I think the concern you have, and, of course,
14:00this is totally different than playing the Rams,
14:03is you have a quarterback in Malik Willis whose legs obviously can be a factor
14:07and can save him in some situations,
14:10and he uses his legs a lot because he's not a refined pocket player.
14:14So, you know, when he starts to feel or perceive pressure,
14:18very often he will read the rush, break down, and look to run.
14:22So you have to account for that.
14:24You certainly have to account for it on third down.
14:26So, you know, this is a different kind of rush plan versus Malik Willis
14:33than it is against Matthew Stafford.
14:35And I won't know what it is until I watch the tape,
14:37but I know it's going to be different because what they did with Stafford,
14:41and, by the way, they did it exceptionally well,
14:43and this is why looking at stats on a stat sheet is not the answer,
14:47they had no sacks, okay?
14:49And people might think, well, gee, they had the fewest sacks in the NFL last year.
14:53What's going on there?
14:53They had no sacks again, but when you watch the tape,
14:56and I'm sure you guys obviously watch the game on TV,
14:59they put consistent inside pressure on Stafford in that game.
15:02So even though there were no sacks, that's a very misleading statistic
15:07because pressure was a big factor in this game.
15:10Let's talk about that defensive line.
15:12Did Bosa look like himself to you?
15:15Oh, my God.
15:15Right from play one, guys.
15:18Right from play one where he just threw away the right tackle McClendon
15:22like he was playing against a high school kid.
15:24First play of the game, both Bosa and Warner made plays,
15:27and you're like, okay, we're good to go.
15:29And they both had excellent games.
15:31But I thought the inside push,
15:33oh, Diggy Zua I thought had a really strong game as an inside pass rusher.
15:37Look, they played the rookie, Halton, 31 snaps, you know,
15:41and probably more than they had initially planned
15:44because Collins got hurt, you know, late, close to the game.
15:48But, you know, he ended up playing 31 snaps,
15:50and he had some strong snaps as well.
15:53So, you know, but they put a lot of pressure on Stafford.
15:58He was an uncomfortable player in that game.
16:00Beyond the front, what did you see from Raheem Morris scheme-wise
16:04that looked different than what we're used to for the 49ers?
16:09Number one, they played boundary and field with their corners
16:12as opposed to sides.
16:14Robert Sala had corners that played sides.
16:16What Morris did in this game, and again, my assumption is
16:21this is what he'll do.
16:22I don't think he just whipped it out for this game.
16:25But he had Lenore play the boundary corner
16:27and green the field corner.
16:29The other thing that was interesting in this game
16:31is there were significant snaps.
16:34Even when they weren't necessarily playing man coverage,
16:36there were significant snaps of press,
16:38which you did not see a lot with Robert Sala.
16:41Greg, would you say looking at the Dolphins,
16:44if you're matching up with that offense,
16:46it's just kind of worry about A-Chan and not much else?
16:51Or they've got some rookie receivers.
16:53Were you impressed maybe by them at all?
16:55Well, Chris Bell's a very interesting receiver.
16:58I did a lot of work on him coming out.
17:00The other kid, Douglas, obviously, they're their outside receivers.
17:04You know, they're both big, physical guys.
17:07So, particularly Bell.
17:10So, you know, I think you have to be aware of that.
17:13You know, they're impressive physical specimens.
17:16I don't think their pass game yet is a refined pass game.
17:19We'll see how Malik Willis develops over time.
17:23Will he be ready to do that in this game?
17:25No, but there's always a but with Willis and with A-Chan.
17:29The last thing you want are those big, explosive plays,
17:32which both Willis and A-Chan can do.
17:34And you know how that can change games.
17:37I mean, you know, you think you're in control of a game.
17:39Maybe you're up, you know, 13-0 in the second quarter,
17:42and A-Chan breaks off a 70-yard touchdown run,
17:44and the whole feel of the game changes.
17:46So, you know, those are the things you have to be concerned about.
17:50A-Chan was pretty much held in check by the Raiders last week.
17:53But, you know, he's capable of that at any time.
17:57You know, so that's what you have to be most careful about.
18:02Just watching the Dolphins week one, and every game's different, guys,
18:05so I hope people don't think that I'm saying this can never happen.
18:08But right now their offense doesn't have the feel of an offense
18:11that's going to put together an 11-12 play touchdown drive.
18:14You know, like I said, it doesn't mean it can't happen,
18:17but it doesn't have that feel.
18:18And even at that, I'm looking at my notes from the Rams game,
18:21and there were stretches where the Rams were able to run it,
18:24and, you know, you get Korm for 10 and Korm for 14 and two of three plays.
18:28And that's true.
18:29And what were you seeing, though, from the Niners,
18:31or maybe it's just credit to the Rams,
18:33that they were able to kind of get their run game going?
18:35Well, the Rams are a duo offense in terms of what their staple run game is.
18:40And duo means there's double teams on the defensive tackles.
18:44So, you know, a lot of times, no matter how good your defensive tackles are,
18:48or if they're being doubled by 650 pounds of offensive line,
18:52sometimes guys get moved.
18:54And the Rams run inside because both those backs are best
18:58when their shoulders are squared.
19:00A-Chain's a different kind of runner.
19:02Not that they'll never run inside.
19:03That's not my point.
19:05But he's a space runner.
19:06Williams and Korm are not space runners.
19:08A-Chain, you like to get him out in space
19:11so he can generate some velocity and speed
19:13because he's as fast as any back in the league,
19:16maybe with the exception of Jameer Gibbs.
19:18Greg, you mentioned that the pass rush really made Matt Stafford uncomfortable.
19:25But how would you evaluate him in this game?
19:29Who?
19:29Yeah, Matt Stafford.
19:30I'm curious.
19:32You know, cut off an MVP season, but he's getting up there.
19:35What did you think of his performance?
19:38Well, he wasn't very good in this game,
19:40and he'd be the first to tell you that.
19:41I mean, you know, look, the Rams, which was interesting to me,
19:47they clearly felt that their two offensive tackles, Jackson and McClendon,
19:51could not hold up in one-on-one pass protection,
19:53and they chipped an awful lot.
19:55And if you're going to chip,
19:56that minimizes the number of primary eligible receivers that you have.
20:01Stafford just, he was not comfortable in this game.
20:04Now, again, like I said, guys, I'm not sitting here saying Stafford's,
20:07oh, he's now going to have a down year based on this game.
20:10But in this given game, he was not a comfortable pocket quarterback.
20:14You know, I don't know what's going to happen this week.
20:16They're home.
20:17They play the Giants.
20:18And, by the way, I watched the Giants defensive tape,
20:20and, man, they are so different.
20:22They have explosive athletes on the defensive side of the ball now.
20:26So, you know, we'll see.
20:27I mean, you know, every game is its own matchup, guys.
20:30Keep that in mind.
20:31And that's the way coaches think.
20:33There's no way that Kyle Shanahan's thinking about what's happening in five weeks.
20:36He's thinking about the Miami Dolphins right now.
20:39You know, so every game is its own entity.
20:41And there's only 17 of them.
20:43So you're just looking to win this week.
20:46We're thinking about this one, too.
20:47And we'd like to know if you are willing to play fantasy football next year
20:53if the Dolphins beat the Niners.
21:02It was kind of a yes or no question, wasn't it?
21:04It completely was, yeah.
21:06But, I mean, there's an underlying theme there.
21:09Like, I mean, if you thought that the 49ers were definitely going to win,
21:13you would have said you're not risking anything by saying yes.
21:17Well, I don't play fantasy football, and I never have.
21:20So there's really nothing that's going to make me do that.
21:23All right.
21:24Niners by a million, though, right?
21:27At least.
21:27Maybe two million.
21:29Okay.
21:29I'm going to lock that up, Granny.
21:30Lay the two million in a hook.
21:33I like it.
21:33It feels like that would be the highest scoring game ever and a scorgami.
21:37I don't know.
21:37Ben Johnson.
21:38There you go.
21:39That's all.
21:40You think they're going to beat the 59 that the Bears scored this week?
21:44Yeah, Bears.
21:45Is this just going to be – is this every week or was this Carolina?
21:53It was a very interesting game, obviously.
21:55No, they're not going to score 59 every week.
21:57No.
21:58Okay.
21:58I mean, that right there is the high-level analysis that you come for.
22:02You come for the Niner takes, you stay for the Bears won't average 59 a game, Greg.
22:07Thank you for that.
22:08Well, you know, I gave that a lot of thought, guys.
22:11I spent a lot of time thinking about that, and I came up with that conclusion.
22:16Solid.
22:16We're so thrilled to have it here on this show.
22:18Greg, great.
22:20We'll talk to you next week.
22:22Hopefully, there'll be some wonderful tactics again we can talk about in another Niners victory.
22:26I have no doubt.
22:27Greg Cosell, thank you, sir.
22:30Thanks, guys.
22:30Really appreciate it.
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