49ers’ defense creating a buzz
Sherman, Lynch point to drastic improvement
DENVER — Let’s preface the following bit of preseason optimism with this: The Broncos ranked 24th in the NFL in points scored last year and might be worse this season.
Now, with that out of the way, let’s say this: The 49ers’ defense only increased the buzz surrounding it by bullying the Broncos on Friday. Denver offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello conceded defeat after the first of two joint practices at Denver’s facility.
“It felt like they got after us up front a little bit,” Scangarello said. “… My message to the offense is we have to meet their intensity, obviously.”
The 49ers’ defense wasn’t quite as suffocating Saturday, but it still will enter the preseason meeting against the Broncos on Monday night riding a wave of momentum. On Wednesday, two days before handling Denver, it dominated one of its own: The starting defensive backs had interceptions on five consecutive passes by Jimmy Garoppolo.
The news, of course, was about Garoppolo’s failure. But cornerback Richard Sherman had a different perspective.
“I think it was less about Jimmy and him having a bad
day than it was about us executing,” Sherman said.
There is a strong belief from the 49ers that their recent practice performances are a harbinger of a season in which their defense will vault from desultory to dominant: The 49ers have ranked 26th in sacks, 28th in points allowed and 32nd in takeaways in their first two seasons under defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
In the offseason, the 49ers have addressed an anemic pass rush by trading for Pro Bowler Dee Ford and selecting Nick Bosa with the No. 2 pick. In addition, Sherman, 31, has shown signs he could return to his lockdown ways after a 49ers debut season in which he was returning from surgeries on both Achilles.
Linebacker Kwon Alexander, a highpriced freeagent acquisition, has been an energy source who embodies Saleh’s allgas, nobrakes mantra. Linebacker Fred Warner has enjoyed a stellar training camp after ranking 12th in the NFL in tackles as a rookie. And cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon’s strong summer suggests he could rebound from his inconsistent second season in 2018.
“Oh, it’s lightyears ahead of last year,” Sherman said when asked about the difference in the defense’s collective confidence. “I think it’s just young guys being veterans this year.”
General manager John Lynch also pointed to tweaks to Saleh’s 43 defense, which he learned during his four seasons as a Seattle assistant. The most notable change has been introduced by new defensive line coach Chris Kocurek, who installed more Wide9 alignments that give edge rushers better angles to the quarterback.
“I think everyone says ‘OK, Saleh’s coming and we’re going to play the Seattle defense,’ ” Lynch said. “You have to make it your own. And I think we’ve finally homed in on who we are; what our identity is going to be. I think that obviously starts up front. … We’re going to come at you. And we’re going to tee off. And we’re going to keep coming. And we’re going to be physical.”
That happened in Friday’s practice. The 49ers harassed quarterback Joe Flacco despite missing their top three edge rushers: Bosa (ankle), Ford (knee) and Ronald Blair (groin). However, they still had three firstround picks up front in DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas.
“We added some wrinkles that we think gives us the chance to be the best we can be,” Lynch said. “I just think now we have a really clear picture of exactly who we are. Hopefully, instead of calling it the Seattle defense, years from now people are going to say, ‘Hey, the San Fran defense.’ ”
That’s heady talk, considering Seattle’s Legion of Boom defense had one of the most dominant units in NFL history when the 2013 Seahawks won the Super Bowl. And Lynch doubled down. He also invoked the Buccaneers’ similarly successful defense that led Tampa Bay to its only title in the 2002 season.
“I played in a defense in Tampa and that was pretty cool — everybody talked about ‘Hey, they’re playing the Tampa 2,’ ” Lynch said. “And that went all around the league. And so we’re right at the infancy of that, but that’s where we want to take this thing.”