A day for the defense
I intended to watch the 49ers' offense again this morning. But the 49ers' defense stole the spotlight.
Even from my vantage point nearest to where the 49ers' offense was working against the Raiders' defense, it was obvious that the more riveting developments were taking place on the other field.
There were plenty of intercepted passes, and soon the 49ers were having a party. They were dancing, yelling, celebrating. They were having a merry ol' time.
Nate Clements picked off a JaMarcus Russell pass in 7-on-7. But once an 11-on-11 red zone period began, things got out of control.
Clements intercepted two more passes, while Dre' Bly and rookie outside linebacker Diyral Briggs picked off a pass apiece. Russell and Raiders reserve QB Bruce Gradkowski were intercepted twice apiece during the drill.
The 49ers' secondary have not experienced that sensation much in camp this summer. But all it took was a trip to
"I was talking to Shaun and Alex and I said, 'You don't feed us like that in practice,'" said veteran cornerback Dre' Bly. "They fed us today. That buffet was good.
Bly and Nate Clements said it was the best practice either has witnessed in their combined 20 years of professional football. Briggs said it was the best practice he has seen at any level of football.
"I felt we played at a level that they could not match," Clements said.
Both Clements and Bly credited Shawntae Spencer, who had some words while being matched against Raiders rookie receiver Louis Murphy in one-on-one drills.
"A
"Murphy got things going, and from that point on, we just dominated practice."
Obviously, Spencer did not back down. He "set the tone for practice," Clements said. "That got my blood flowing."
The 49ers' defense showed a lot of swagger this morning. And that has been a constant theme for the defense this summer, safety Dashon Goldson said. "As a secondary, we talk about it all the time," Goldson said.
While the 49ers were having a grand ol' time, the Raiders had zero answers for the 49ers' defense.
"I felt like we played at a level that they couldn't match," Clements said.
The teams return to the practice field at 4:20 p.m. It'll be the last time they practice together before playing Saturday night. Briggs, the rookie, kept the morning work in perspective.
"It's not how you start, it's how you finish," he said. "We have to come out and perform at the next practice, too."
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It was not all great news for the 49ers defense today. Outside linebacker Parys Haralson sat out with a foot sprain. He'll be re-evaluated when the club returns to Santa Clara, and it's not know how much action he'll miss. Also, safety Michael Lewis was out of action after sustaining a concussion in Tuesday's practice.
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Matt,
I was at the game last weekend against Denver and it appeared like the secondary was much more proactive about "making playes" on the ball. Other than the first series when Nate appears to be playing the receiver pretty soft, all the DBs were flying to the ball and trying to jump routes much more agressively than I have seen in the past. Is this better players or a difference in defensive philosophy? (or just the pre-season and my imagination...)?
Your comments about today's practice made me wonder...
Matt
But the $49 million question is...how was the pass rush?
I think the general flow is that Singletary is letting most of the players (and coaches) be themselves, at the position they can excel at completely, instead of playing them at 4 different other positions/roles they weren't meant to play.
Reggie Smith for instance, that kid had raw talent written all over his forehead last season, and everybody knew damn well he'd be a better FS than a CB, and that chance finally came, and he's looking born for the role. -Same as Adam Snyder with the RT spot, things are finally coming together.
Nolan drafted/obtained all the right players, but he just couldn't coach them (he had poor judgment placing guys at positions based on their size, than their individual talents).
Hi Matt,
What do you think about Niners trading Crabtree for Brandon Marshall?
I think that would be a good deal for both teams.
Traj
Nate locks down the Raiders... Love it.
Question: What do you think about Niners trading Crabtree for Brandon Marshall?
My response: The deadline passed last week for any team to trade an unsigned 2009 draft pick. --Matt M.
Hopefully they don't just keep this up with the second practice. I wanna see them get 10 picks Saturday and shut them raiders mouths once and for all!!
The secondary is surprising me i have to admit. i wasnt expect them to be makin the plays they have been. id love to see them stay like this if not get even better through the regular season. if they do, he me might just have the top 3 defense like they have been saying.
good insight Snake. the list goes on... Chilo Rachal (he was on the bench until Coach Sing took over). Martz(unemployed).....Roman (starter turned backup)...
I am glad Nolan is out of the equation, he brought structure to the organization, but he lacks insight/decisiveness. Half of the time, he is making excuses on why they failed, instead of concentrating on making the team better and making the players better.
Matt: From the Broncos game, after finally seeing it on TIVO, the main concern i have is the lack of run stop and QB pressure. I just hope the starters will make a difference once they are in a real game.
Matt:
Were these situational segments of practice where the offense was clearly working on the passing game or was this straight up scrimmaging between the two teams?
I only ask b/c it's one thing to pick off the ball using pure skill, it's another thing if you know what the play is or can expect a ball coming your way.
whtz suprising about it...we have a shut down corner, an experienced corner who has played in the SB, a couple of young experienced corners - facing a raider's QB who is not established - during practice....
..this is much to do about nuthin....
...like someone mention - HOW WAS THE PASS RUSH?
4:20?Got a minute?Heh heh!! Seriously though I'm thinking our secondary could carry our D initially early on until we develop a pass rush. It should be even more hungry when Mr. Brown returns. I pray this all carries over into the season.
Can you say a top 5 Defence. I can ! As long as our offence can stay on the feild long enough to get a couple scores. The Raiders are a weak team so it just natural that we beat on them. JaMarcu is the next Ryan Leaf. He is out of shape and lacks the focus that he should have given he has a massive contract. I want to see Jeff Garcia start for the Raiders.
It's great that the secondary was all over the Raiders like a cheap suit but the D-line NEEDS to get come sacks on Saturday. I'll feel alot better about the D as a whole.
...wow...wasn't this practice
...This story was reported by the AP- published on huffingtion post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20090819/fbn-49ers-raiders-practice/
Things were much quieter on the other field, where the 49ers offense worked against the Raiders defense. Oakland got the better of the play on that field, although Shaun Hill and Alex Smith avoided any interceptions against the Raiders' tight man coverage.
Hill did manage to throw two short touchdown passes, but the 49ers were unable to complete much down the field.
"Part of it was the rush and the pressure," 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye said. "As well as, we're not used to their bump-and-run style of coverage
Gotta love Dre Bly: "They fed us today. That buffet was good." It's great to see playmaking out of our secondary. Mark Roman must be thinking: "Defensive players can catch the ball too?"
Hey Matt.I really thought Ray MacDonald was turning into a 5th round steal for us last year.I havent heard anything about his status.Is he expeected to be back for game 1 and will he be a starter?Thanks
Problem still remains: where is the pass rush?
The competition is not Jamarcus Russell, it's Kurt Warner, Marc Bulger, Matt Hasslebeck, Donovan McNabb, Aaron Rodgers, Kerry Collins, Jay Cutler, Matt Ryan, Matt Schaub, Peyton Manning, and ... Brettuh Faavvruh.
Oh, in case anyone forgot: we had a hard time stopping Chris Simms just last week, because the kid had the audacity to not throw any INTs.
Question: I really thought Ray MacDonald was turning into a 5th round steal for us last year.I havent heard anything about his status.Is he expeected to be back for game 1 and will he be a starter?
My response: McDonald underwent ACL surgery in the offseason. The club expects him to be ready for the season opener, but we'll see if he's ready to go. Because he's on PUP, he could continue his rehab through the first six weeks of the season. When he returns, I don't expect him to be a starter. He's best-suited to be an inside pass rusher in nickel situations. --Matt M.
Sometimes I hate to throw water on the fire. But here I go. As a realist, it is the Raiders the 49ers are practicing against. Next to Detroit, there close to the bottom of the ocean.
Sorry! But the truth is the truth.
You have a point but I'd be more specific....it's VS THE RAIDERS PASSING GAME. Russell has been struggling ever since he's put on the uniform. I heard Garcia fared better when he played. But I still like that we made the plays to get the INT's. It's a sign of progress & we're making steps as Sing pointed out. Just don't buy into "we're one of the best secondary's in the league" hype. We have a LOOONG WAYS to go yet but this is a start. Now they need to carry that through & step it up on GAMEDAYS. Like I said at least Singletary has got them on their way into the habit of practicing the way they should be. GAMEDAY EXECUTION IS THE NEXT STEP IN SING'S DESIRED EVOLUTION.
The real test this Saturday is how our 1st team D performs against Oakland's strength in their LEGIT RUNNING GAME & they're 1-2-3 punch of McFadden, Bush, & Vargas. They destroyed Dallas with it last week. Keep an eye on that matchup. I hope we're still able to carry our momentum & continue to play well vs their passing game. You know Russell will try to throw a couple+ deep flys to Heyward Bey. A repeat snagging of INT's display now stepped up to a live game would be awesome & a better confidence booster.
Guess Shawntae Spencer decides to do a Daredevil, instead of moping like Matt Murdock.
Still laughing over Barrows's headline: "Greatest. Practice. Ever."