Postgame reaction from Kyle Shanahan following the last second loss in Green Bay. #SFvsGB https://t.co/mPlwGImGS1
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 16, 2018
Richard Sherman has defended Robert Saleh all season long, and he won’t stop now.
After the 49ers lost, 33-30, to the Green Bay Packers Monday night, Sherman backed the 49ers defensive coordinator’s game plan. Sherman did the same after San Francisco’s lone win of the season, in Week 2, against the Detroit Lions.
As Sherman reflected on the defense’s performance, he brought up the public criticism of Saleh unprovoked.
“I hear a lot of stuff out there, blaming the coaches, and Saleh, and the DB coach, and it’s like, it doesn’t really matter,” Sherman said. “At the end of the day, if you called the perfect call, and they don’t run the play the way you called it, what else can you do? You called a play, a guy has man, you don’t take the man, and it’s going to lead to a big play.”
For the second time in a matter of weeks, the 49ers allowed a big gain on their first defensive play.
Last week, Cardinals receiver Christian Kirk scored a 75-yard touchdown. Free safety Adrian Colbert badly misjudged the route, overcompensating and allowing Kirk to run behind him for the big gain. This week, Packers receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling took advantage of a blown coverage for a 60-yard gain.
Sherman blames those mistakes on the players. When he was asked further about the criticism of Saleh, Sherman defended him, again.
“People don’t know ball,” Sherman said. “This is one of the most sound schemes in football. That’s why you see so many people executing it. When you don’t play sound, it leads to busts, but any scheme, you don’t play sound, it can lead to big plays.
We got to find a way to just play discipline. When we got stops, got three and outs and things like that, it wasn’t anything special, it wasn’t guys making stuff up. It was guys doing their assignment. Nothing special.”
Saleh employs a similar 4-3 defense that has grown prevalent around the league. It is what propelled the Sherman-led Seattle defense to three NFC championships and a Super Bowl victory. Sherman knows the defense’s potential because he has experienced it, but he knows it can only be reached if the players execute their assignments.
On many occasions through six weeks, the 49ers have not.
They are allowing 29.8 points per game, ranked 29th in the NFL. After surrendering 24 points to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1, the 49ers have allowed at least 27 points in every game this year. There are plenty of issues that have plagued the defense, whether missed tackles, untimely penalties, blown coverages, or lack of pass rush. Opposing consistently offenses extended drives on third downs, ultimately leading to scores, from Weeks 2 through 4.
It looked to be a long, miserable night for the 49ers defense Monday after allowing 17 points and 194 yards in the first quarter. The Packers needed just four plays and 102 seconds to score their first touchdown. They added a field goal and another touchdown on the ensuing two drives. Green Bay’s play-action and misdirection killed San Francisco.
Then, the 49ers started to figure it out.
When the second quarter started, their defense improved in just about every facet. Saleh started dialing up more blitzes, and the pressure affected Rodgers. The coverage was better. The 49ers flew to the ball to thwart big plays.
After the first three scoring drives, the 49ers held the Packers to just six points on the following seven drives. One of Green Bay’s field goals during that period came after San Francisco fumbled and gave the Packers favorable field position.
On a crucial fourth and three, with fewer than eight minutes remaining in the game, the 49ers blitzed Rodgers. He targeted nickel corner K’Waun Williams side, but the pass spiraled to the ground. The Packers subsequently punted on the following possession.
“We just started playing sound football,” said Sherman, when asked about what changed. “When you do your job, this defense is hard to beat. On the first freaking play again, we busted— we busted a simple coverage.”
Once Aaron Rodgers got the ball back with fewer than three minutes remaining, however, he punished the 49ers for not scoring to take a two-possession lead. He executed a four-play, 58-yard touchdown drive, resulting in Packers receiver Davante Adams’ second touchdown of the day, tying the score at 30 apiece.
After 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard threw an interception, Green Bay had the ball with 64 seconds remaining, on its own 10-yard line. Five plays into the drive, the 49ers forced a third and 15. DeForest Buckner sacked Rodgers, but it was nullified because Sherman was flagged for illegal contact. The drive extended, Rodgers did Rodgers things, Adams dominated 49ers cornerback Greg Mabin, and Packers kicker Mason Crosby chipped in the game-winner as time expired.
Monday night epitomized the 49ers defense’s issues of inconsistency this season.
After the game, Kyle Shanahan was asked where he could step in and assert his voice in the defensive huddles.
“I could have say, but I am not going to hop into a defense and start calling plays,” Shanahan said. “That’s on Saleh. Saleh is very good at what he does. I have a ton of confidence in him. I have a ton of confidence in our scheme. They just made the plays to win at the end that we didn’t.”
“He has called great games, and he has continued to call great games,” Sherman said. “We have to find a way to reward him and finish.”