SANTA CLARA — The 49ers returned to work on Wednesday and we learned a fascinating tidbit about the team’s preparation their Week 1 opponent, the Los Angeles Rams.
When asked if the 49ers have watched the Rams on HBO’s Hard Knocks as a warmup to Monday night’s matchup, defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil revealed the team won’t ignore any clues. That’s a wise idea — I’ll get there in a minute.
“Some guys on staff have watched it,” said O’Neil, who appeared in the show when he was an assistant with the Jets. “Some of the guys on the defensive side of the ball made some comments about it. Just some stuff that has come up, yep.”
I’ve got a story from my time working with the Cleveland Browns.
Former Browns coach Mike Pettine and his staff would assign one assistant coach each week to watch the television copy of the next opponent. The assistant would chart phrases quarterbacks would yell (such as, Omaha!) or pick up on other tendencies. The idea behind this philosophy is to let no stone go unturned. And, it’s worked in the past.
When Pettine was defensive coordinating the Jets (2009-2012), the coaching staff cashed in one particular week using the television copy. An assistant coach noticed the right tackle aligned his feet one way for a pass play, and an entirely different way for running plays. It tipped every single play and this glitch was somehow not as noticeable on the actual game film.
That week, the Jets slaughtered their opponent by five touchdowns. You guessed it: New York’s defense knew every single play that was coming.
“We smoked them,” Pettine told me back in 2014. “They never saw it coming.”
There’s a reason coaches like Chip Kelly are often paranoid about information getting out. Even offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins did not reveal who the 49ers’ backup swing tackle is, or whether the team will dress five wide receivers against the Rams. The chief reason? Most teams have some assistant hawking information from their opponent that week.
Here’s where this year’s version of Hard Knocks gets interesting: There was a scene in episode three of Hard Knocks this season where Case Keenum is reciting plays — verbatim — from the Rams playbook in his kitchen with his wife. In the grand scheme of things, maybe this won’t help the 49ers on Monday night.
But now if defensive players are aware of that terminology — as O’Neil suggests they are — a savvy player like NaVorro Bowman might be able to hear some pre-snap clues. The 49ers could even go back to last year’s television copy to see if any of the verbiage matches up. People don’t realize the crazy hours these assistants work, often 6 a.m. to midnight.
Some scoffed at the idea that an NFL team would waste time monitoring Hard Knocks or anything that isn’t game-film related. That’s just simply not the case in some buildings.
Every little clue, especially for the rebuilding 49ers, could make the difference.