Against head-on blocks coming straight at you and sweeping run plays to counter balance the power run game, a defense is forced to physically take on blocks and shed blocks to make the play. In a gap-oriented defense that is taught to focus on penetrating those gaps, a bashing like we witnessed Sunday is a likely result when faced by an offense that is committed to running the ball straight ahead the way the 49ers did Sunday.
While Tampa Bay’s defensive linemen and linebackers are penetrating forward in their gaps, the opposing offense is busy firing out forward too, and putting man-on-man, crushing blocks on those defenders in the gaps.
No, it is not simply enough to get in your gap against an offensive attack like this. You must physically blow up your blocker and then go to your gap. This is an adjustment that was not made even at halftime by the Buccaneers.
But alas, even if they made the adjustment, I am not too confident that these Bucs are big or strong enough to take on blockers in this fashion. Sure, up front Tampa Bay definitely could with the likes of Frank Okam and Brian Price, but our second and third line of defense, especially the linebackers, is simply not stout enough to play this type of football for four quarters.
You'd think going against the Great Wall every day in training camp and practice would better prepare them.
Can't argue that. There's no way Joe Staley, Mike Iupati, Johnathan Goodwin, Adam Snyder, and sucky Anthony Davis can be better than the Great Wall.
