- 9 hours ago
Greg Cosell of NFL Films joins Willard and Dibs to discuss the 49ers' loss to the Falcons, the 49ers' trade for DeForest Buckner, what adding Garrett Wilson would look like for the 49ers, and more.
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00:00It's that time, but it's coming off of a loss, Dibs.
00:05Yeah, I watched the game three times.
00:07Hold on, hold on.
00:09This is not the plan, okay?
00:11I hope he's ready to rip people from what he saw on the film.
00:14It better be, it better be, because we don't take this losing stuff around here.
00:18No.
00:18So here on Willard and Dibs every Wednesday, we talk to our friend from NFL Films, Greg Cosell.
00:23He joins us now live on the River Islands guest line and also live on YouTube.
00:29Hello, Greg.
00:30What do you have to say for the 49ers and that pitiful performance?
00:35I think you just have to fire everybody and start over, don't you think?
00:39Listen.
00:39That's what the film showed me.
00:40I was hoping you'd say that.
00:42I was hoping you would hold their feet to the fire, Greg.
00:45Yeah, I mean, you just got to fire everybody, because obviously Western civilization, as we know it, is about to
00:50come to an end.
00:51And, you know, we just got to start over with everything.
00:54Well, I'll tell you what, they are kind of starting over on their defensive line, obviously, with a major addition,
01:00which we'll get to in a second.
01:02But let's start there, in all seriousness.
01:05The defensive line only got two pressures, and they had been playing so well.
01:09And I think that really surprised, I know it surprised me.
01:12What did you see on the defensive line?
01:14Why weren't they getting home?
01:17Well, the why is, that's a hard thing to know why.
01:21But obviously, they could not generate any meaningful pass rush with their D-line.
01:27And Raheem decided in this game not to feature much in terms of second and third level pressures.
01:34So, you know, Penix was pretty secure and comfortable in the pocket.
01:38It was one of those games where they could not generate any pressure.
01:41And Penix was comfortable.
01:43And, you know, the strange thing was, is there were no downfield plays in this game at all.
01:48They only had one 20-plus yard completion, which was the touchdown to London, and only one 10-plus yard
01:55run.
01:56And if you told any defense before a game that that would be the case, the defensive coordinator would say,
02:01I would take that in a heartbeat.
02:03So in this game, there were really no big plays at all by the Falcons.
02:09And then one of their touchdown drives had two penalties on third down.
02:14And then I think there might have been a penalty on first down on a short yardage situation.
02:19So it was an odd game.
02:21It was just one of those weird games because watching the tape, I did not feel at all.
02:26And, in fact, one of my guys here on the matchup show, he watched the tape as well separately.
02:30And I said, did you kind of feel like the 49er defense was handled in this game?
02:34And he said, no.
02:35It was just a weird game.
02:37It was one of those weird away games that happens in the NFL.
02:41Looked to me a little reminiscent of the Robert Sala approach, bend but don't break.
02:45Did you see Raheem's defense playing a lot of softer coverage?
02:50Well, I don't think a coach would say soft.
02:53I think when teams play more zone concepts and there are short passes against them, teams think, you know, people
03:00think it's soft.
03:01It's not soft.
03:03It's kind of the approach.
03:05Zone doesn't – it is not an aggressive-looking defense, particularly when it's behind a four-man D-line pass
03:11rush.
03:11And when the four-man D-line pass rush does not speed up the quarterback, there are throws to be
03:16made against zone coverage because there are voids.
03:20And, look, I think Penix had 25 completions for about 210 yards.
03:24Like I said, there were really no big plays in this game at all by the Falcons.
03:29So it was kind of an odd game.
03:31And then, you know, I thought Penix, for the most part, he did a good job working through his progressions.
03:36There were times he got all the way to the backside to his running backs where the zone had been
03:42compromised.
03:42We saw that on the first TD drive where he hit Robinson for 15 yards and then Herbert for 19
03:48yards.
03:49You know, zones get – zones are – think of it this way, guys.
03:53Zones are built for five-step drop timing at the most.
03:59Three-step drop timing is 1.6 seconds, balls out.
04:03Five-step drop timing is 2.1 seconds and the ball's out.
04:06If it goes beyond 2.1 seconds, zones are not built for that.
04:11Then the pass rush has to take over.
04:13And the pass rush did not take over in this game.
04:17That's an interesting one.
04:18I think that's helpful for people to hear.
04:20I thought since his return that Dre Greenlaw kind of looked almost a little – just in watching on TV,
04:28looked invisible in this game.
04:29I didn't see his normal playmaking.
04:31What did you see from him in this game?
04:33Yeah, I mean, you know, he wasn't – again, those kinds of situations, you know,
04:38he didn't make those aggressive plays that we're used to see him making in this particular game.
04:44I can't tell you why that happened.
04:46But, yes, he was not a playmaking dimension in this game.
04:52That's hard to know why, guys.
04:53You know, like I said, that's a hard question to answer other than the fact that he didn't do it
04:58in this game.
04:58But, you know, I'm not one who's now going to say, well, Dre Greenlaw is no good.
05:03You know, this is what's going to happen in every game.
05:05I doubt that very much.
05:06It was – this game just had a very odd feel to it with the lack of pressure,
05:10with the higher percentage zone concepts, with the fact that the, you know,
05:15the Falcons and Penix threw a lot of short balls.
05:19It was just – it was – it was – I came away from watching this tape.
05:23I almost wasn't sure what to make of it in terms of a larger 30,000-foot view.
05:28I don't think this is going to be representative of the 49ers going forward.
05:32We've talked a lot about Height and Halton up front and even Odigizua.
05:36Was it just as simple as Atlanta's offensive line handled the one-on-one matchups in this game?
05:42Yeah, they got blocked.
05:43You know, that happens.
05:44You know, in the NFL, there's 17 games.
05:49It's hard to be great every single game.
05:52And very often you're not great when you go on the road.
05:55And, you know, there's no explanation for that.
05:57But obviously teams tend to play better at home than on the road.
06:01But this was a game that just – they weren't as aggressive as usual on the defensive side.
06:07And, you know, Raheem shows not to be aggressive.
06:09He obviously – and look, let's understand a couple things.
06:13You know, Purdy throws that first interception when they're marching down to score
06:20and they probably would have gone ahead.
06:21My guess is he thought he was throwing the ball away.
06:24That would be my guess.
06:26You know, and Bates made a great play.
06:27And then even the final interception when they were only down six.
06:31And, you know, that was just an unbelievable play by Daniels.
06:36I mean, that's just – look, the defense made a play.
06:39You know, that's really not hard to put on Purdy.
06:43Greg Cosell with us here on Willard and Dibs, 95-7 the game as he is every single Wednesday.
06:49Hey, the offensive line play all year has been very good.
06:53I want to spotlight Connor Colby.
06:55He's been good against the pass, not as good against the run.
06:58And I think that there were some highlights in this game that were tough for him.
07:02Would you consider him an issue for the 49ers?
07:06What have you seen this year?
07:08I would say for the most part they've run the ball really well this year.
07:12You know, see, there's another example.
07:14Don't forget, McCaffrey only played half the game.
07:17See, that's another thing.
07:18You know, he played half the game.
07:20And off that first series he had something like 60-plus yards as a runner and a receiver.
07:25And I know he came back in the game, but he was in and out of the lineup.
07:29I mean, obviously, Black had the great 30-yard touchdown, which was a beautifully designed, you know, counterplay.
07:37And the way they got to it was just really sweet.
07:41But, you know, so would they like to be better than Colby?
07:48I mean, you could say that about a lot of guys on teams that you'd like to be better at.
07:52But I don't think Colby's been a weakness.
07:55Like, you know, there was a sack on the 49ers' second possession where I thought Brendel and Colby, there was
08:01confusion between the two of them.
08:03And that left Smith clean through the A-gap.
08:04But that was a confusion play.
08:06That wasn't a play where one player was bad in the physical aspect of the game.
08:10But I think they've run the ball well this year.
08:13I want to ask you about the other confusion play where Brock Purdy throws his second interception.
08:17What did Atlanta do that really caused Brock to, you know, not really see the defender who dropped?
08:24That was an unbelievable play.
08:26They showed six-man pressure front with double mug versus empty.
08:30So now you've got a six-man front.
08:32They show an initial five-man pressure.
08:34And Daniels takes two or three steps forward, and he engages Brendel.
08:39So when Purdy makes his decision to throw, Daniels is basically near the line of scrimmage.
08:48He's not even being thought of by Purdy as a coverage player at all.
08:52And he had Watkins open on the dig route, and he turned it loose.
08:55And Daniels, because he moved back into an underneath zone defender position, literally after Purdy made his decision,
09:04he was in the passing lane and made the athletic interception.
09:07That's one of those where you just have to say great, great play by the defense.
09:12That's a really hard deal for a quarterback, a really hard deal.
09:16That's hard to put on Purdy.
09:18Greg, obviously the lead story of the week is that the 49ers have made an addition here on their defensive
09:25line.
09:26So, A, how has DeForest Buckner been playing?
09:30What's your evaluation there?
09:31And then, B, what's the – I mean, it would seem to be an obvious fit, but it's a new
09:36defensive scheme.
09:37So what do you think about his addition?
09:40Well, I think this year, first of all, he's played all – he's led the Colts defensive linemen in snaps.
09:47So he plays.
09:49He plays with really good length and strong hands in the run game.
09:53He initiates contact.
09:55First, he has great grip strain.
09:56He's got hand usage.
09:58He controls and displaces interior alignment.
10:01He's a really good player.
10:03He's good against double teams.
10:06Pass rush, I think he works through contact well.
10:08I still think he's a really good player.
10:10And my guess is, you know, I don't know what their plan is.
10:14They obviously have a plan before you make a trade like that.
10:16You don't do that randomly or on a whim.
10:18But, you know, he may not be playing 60 snaps a game because they've got a nice rotation.
10:23You know, Halton's played well or Diggie Zou has played well.
10:27They've gotten solid play.
10:28Thompson actually played well this week.
10:30So they've got a nice rotation.
10:32So my guess is he's probably going to be in the 30 to 40 snap range on a good team
10:37that, you know, has a good D line.
10:40That, you know, up until this past week has played very, very well.
10:44So he'll be a really solid addition and he's still a good player.
10:47Does he possess the skills that Raheem Morris looks for?
10:51You always talk about how they run a lot of stunts and games up front.
10:54Is he that kind of player?
10:55Is he more just a one or two gap controller in the middle?
11:00He can be effective certainly in the stunt game as a picker or penetrator.
11:04You know, that he certainly can do.
11:06You know, and it's not like they run games all the time.
11:10So it's, you know, but he's an addition.
11:13They obviously felt that they wanted another player at that position.
11:17I'm sure my guess is this trade probably just didn't come about in 24 hours.
11:22It's probably something that they've been thinking about and considering, you know, whether it was him or another D tackle.
11:28You know, don't forget, too, sometimes rookies tire out as the season goes on.
11:33Maybe there was concern that Halden, after a certain amount of time, you know, might not be able to play,
11:38you know, because he's never played.
11:39He will never have played this many snaps or games.
11:42So, you know, to get a good player and not have to give up a lot, there's nothing wrong with
11:47that.
11:47Greg, can we dare to dream for a second?
11:50Because you mentioned that Defoe has been good against double teams.
11:53So I think Niner fans right now are dreaming of Nick Bosa on the edge, the other edge being maybe
12:01a rotation of Michael Williams and Keon White.
12:03And then you mentioned the depth on the interior, but Defoe and Osa, like if those four or five are
12:12lined up and looking at an offensive line, what kind of problems does that offensive line have?
12:18It's a good group.
12:19I mean, you know, look, we're in a league now where defensive tackles have become more important than ever for
12:26many different reasons, which are too detailed to get into right now.
12:29But defensive tackles become a really, really important position.
12:33There's coaches I've talked to at the Combine and had conversations with this summer that have come to the conclusion
12:39that the most important position on a defense is now defensive tackle.
12:42So you never have enough of those guys, just like you never have enough corners.
12:46You know, there's certain positions where if you're lacking or you don't feel like you have depth, because in today's
12:52NFL, defensive tackles, you can't play two guys 65 snaps a game.
12:56You just can't do that.
12:57It's too hard.
12:58It's too hard on the body of these guys.
13:00So, you know, I think that if you can get better and better on the interior of your D line,
13:06and Keon White is still a guy that can line up at both the end and D tackle.
13:10Sometimes they use him as a stand-up joker.
13:12I mean, you have a lot of depth now, and you have a lot of, you know, alignment possibilities with
13:17versatility of players.
13:19I know the Niners didn't get DeForest Buckner as a reaction, but what did you make of Quentin Nelson going
13:24from Indy to Seattle?
13:25Just how good is he still at guard?
13:29He's still a really good player, and Seattle's had major issues at right guard.
13:33They just got Anthony Bradford back, but he's just okay, to be honest.
13:37And before that, they were rotating.
13:39They were rotating two players, a previous second or third-round pick, Haynes, and a draft pick from this year,
13:46Stevens, from Iowa.
13:47So they were obviously unhappy with their right guard position.
13:50I would assume, you know, I don't know this, but I would assume they'll move Gray Zabel from left guard
13:54to right guard because Nelson's only played left guard in his career, and he's still a very, very good player.
14:00And my guess is, given what seems to be going on in Indy, that he'll be totally rejuvenated, and he'll
14:05be really excited to be there.
14:07Greg Cosell, NFL Films with us, Willard and Dibbs.
14:10Okay, a lot of attention on the wide receiver core.
14:12The next time we see the Niners, the thinking is Mike Evans, Debo Samuel, and Demarcus Robinson will be back.
14:18That said, the depth of the room is something that has Niner fans' attention.
14:24What was your evaluation of the group that they put out there against the Falcons, and who might have some
14:31staying power in the room?
14:33Well, you know, it's funny.
14:34You talk about this game, and I know for probably maybe some fans and the way you guys have to
14:39talk about it, that people think the world's coming to an end.
14:42Imagine how the game would have been if, you know, Walker, you know, had that foot in bounds by an
14:49eighth of an inch.
14:50That would have been a 23-yard touchdown, and we might be talking about this game totally differently than we
14:55are now.
14:56You know, so, you know, look, obviously you want to play better players than not better players.
15:00We know that, but, you know, injuries happen.
15:03You've got to line up and you've got to play.
15:05You know, I don't think that the receiving core, with the way this offense is structured and run,
15:11and the way the quarterback plays, has a major impact on the way they play offense.
15:16You know, it's not like they're asking receivers to win one-on-one outside the numbers.
15:21That doesn't happen.
15:22You know, this is not like the Cincinnati Bengals, where they line up Chase and Higgins outside the numbers,
15:26and Burrow is maybe the most aggressive outside the numbers thrower in the league.
15:31This offense doesn't work like that.
15:32This offense works off schematics.
15:35So, yes, would you rather have Mike Evans out there?
15:37Of course you would.
15:38You know, that's a no-brainer.
15:39But this offense does not get shut down because they don't have great receivers.
15:44Greg, this is hold everything because that was a banger.
15:48I don't know if you realize what you're saying, this fan base, my opinion, really needs to hear you say
15:55that slower.
15:57I just said it.
15:58I know.
15:58But they need to – you know what I mean?
16:00People are driving around.
16:01It's 319.
16:02They might be picking kids up from school, and they might be making noise in the back seat.
16:06Like, what you just said I think is incredibly important because this fan base right now is all turned up
16:13that this team needs to give draft capital and to go get Garrett Wilson to make this receiving core
16:20a big, fancy Super Bowl favorite.
16:23What do you say to that?
16:25Well, let me ask you a question.
16:26Let's say they got Garrett Wilson.
16:28Okay.
16:29I don't know what's going to happen.
16:30You know, do you think that Shanahan is changing philosophically how he plays offense if they had Garrett Wilson?
16:37No.
16:37Absolutely not.
16:37I was saying this earlier, Greg.
16:39It's a lot of 21 personnel.
16:40They almost never go to three wides, and I've never seen them do four wides.
16:46Yeah.
16:46You know, so, again, I don't want people to think that I don't think Mike Evans is not better than
16:53Watkins,
16:53who's a rookie, or he's not better than, you know, someone else they put out there.
16:57Of course you want better players, and better players at times, you know, do make, quote-unquote, plays.
17:03But this offense is not built around let's just go out and make plays with our wide receivers.
17:08It's not built like that.
17:10I mean, look, you've seen that for years.
17:13You know, they don't have – they haven't had those guys, and they've still been a really, really good offense.
17:19So, yes, if – my sense is if Garrett Wilson were available, and I don't know if he is or
17:26not, you know, I don't deal in that world.
17:28I deal in what happens, not speculation.
17:31I don't think they would give up, you know, a first- or second-round pick.
17:35I don't.
17:35But maybe I'd be totally wrong.
17:37But I don't think they would do that.
17:39When you look at what happens and what happened, Jordan Watkins, what did you make of his performance?
17:45I know he had a couple of near catches.
17:47You mentioned the one in the end zone.
17:48He had one down the middle of the field as well.
17:50Did you see anything from him?
17:52He had one bad drop, which, you know, stood out, which was a big play, you know, when that happens.
17:57But, again, you know, when you say, what did I make of him?
18:00You know, he's a guy that's fast.
18:01He's got some explosiveness to him.
18:03He certainly can run the routes asked of him in this offense.
18:07And my guess is he'd continue to get better.
18:09Don't forget they drafted Stribbling in the second round, and everything up to the point where he got hurt looked
18:14like he was going to be a good player.
18:15And whether he comes back this year, no one can say.
18:18I'm sure there's hope, you know, but he will have missed a lot of time.
18:21So, in some ways, this will be a lost season.
18:23But that guy's got a lot of traits and a lot of ability.
18:26And, you know, they would expect him, whether it's this year or next year.
18:30And I know right now fans don't care about next year.
18:32But, I mean, organizations, you know, have to think long term.
18:36They drafted him in the second round.
18:38You know, he's going to be there.
18:40Greg, I really want to exhaust this topic because, again, the fan base here is very interested in it.
18:47So, let's say, because I do think there's a possibility they acquire some depth at wide receiver.
18:53I just don't think it'll be top of the market.
18:55And your point about the fit.
18:57I would agree.
18:57Yeah.
18:58Your point about the fit, to me, is interesting.
19:00Brian Thomas Jr., what's your evaluation of him?
19:04Would he fit?
19:08Well, Brian Thomas Jr. is kind of a boundary X.
19:11And they have a boundary X.
19:14And, you know, I'm not sure that he's a whole lot more than that.
19:19Now, I could be wrong because teams, they study these guys way more than I do, guys.
19:24And I'm being honest.
19:24I'm one person.
19:26Teams have, you know, a lot of people that go into great, great depth and literally study.
19:31You know, if you're going to trade for Brian Thomas, let's say that the 49ers decided two or three weeks
19:36ago, hey, we'd like to get better at receiver.
19:39You know, even with Mike Evans, you know, who's an older guy and could be in and out of the
19:43lineup.
19:45Somebody, probably more than one person in the scouting department, is studying every snap of Brian Williams going back a
19:50couple of years.
19:51So, they're going to know more about him than I.
19:53But I think at his core, he's a boundary X.
19:57And if he could reach his true ceiling.
20:00So, you know, I don't know.
20:02They would have to decide because he's not.
20:04Obviously, you don't have to give up a first or second round pick if you're interested in him.
20:09Yeah.
20:09And it all makes some sense, depending on the availability of the other guys when they eventually come back.
20:16I don't know how much you've been watching of Mooney Ward in Indianapolis,
20:19but it seems like it's a fire sale there and the Niners might be looking for a corner.
20:24Have you seen enough of Mooney Ward to think whether or not he is still a good player?
20:29Yeah.
20:30I mean, I haven't studied him in detail this year, so I can't really answer that.
20:34You know, he's an older player now.
20:36He's been around the league.
20:39You know, why do you believe, do people seem to believe that they need to get better at that position
20:44too?
20:44Yes.
20:44They just cut Jack Jones today.
20:46And I think with the Upton Stout shoulder injury, I still think you're probably one corner away from feeling okay.
20:54Yeah, I would agree.
20:55And I would agree you never have enough corners.
20:57But again, you're not going to get a big-time corner.
21:00So, you know, the question is, are you getting someone for depth and competition?
21:04You know, and that doesn't mean you can't get a guy who's going to start, but is he appreciably making
21:09you better?
21:10You have to decide, you know, as the expression is, if the juice is worth the squeeze.
21:14How much do you want to give up for a guy that's basically, maybe he can start for you because
21:19you're not, you know, if you're great, they are.
21:21And that's what teams look for.
21:22They want someone who's better than what they have, but there's always a price to pay for that.
21:27All right, Greg.
21:28Great stuff.
21:29I thought we had an agreement, though.
21:31So, can you promise that the Niners won't lose again?
21:36Well, they won't lose this weekend.
21:37I can promise you that.
21:38There it is.
21:39Lock it in, Randy.
21:41There it is from Greg Cosell.
21:43Greg, you're the best.
21:44We'll talk to you next Wednesday.
21:46Appreciate you guys.
21:47That was a fun one.
21:47I love talking to you guys.
21:48Me too.
21:49Yeah, I loved it.
21:50All right, Greg Cosell.
21:51We'll talk to you guys.