Defensive front key to slowing down Mahomes
Former Dolphins assistant coach Kris Kocurek has a wealth of talent at his disposal with the San Francisco 49ers: Five first-round picks, including Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead. Can they stop Patrick Mahomes?
Kris Kocurek has experience with talented defensive linemen during his tenure as an assistant coach in the NFL.
He had Robert Quinn and Cameron Wake in his one year with the Dolphins in 2018. He had Ndamukong Suh for five years with the Detroit Lions.
With the San Francisco 49ers? The talent level in the defensive line room seems endless.
Kocurek has five firstround picks at his disposal.
And he’ll likely need all of them on Sunday if the 49ers want to accomplish arguably their biggest task in Super Bowl 54: Finding a way, any way, to contain Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“We love the challenge,” defensive end DeForest Buckner said. “To be the best, we’ve got to beat the best. That’s the challenge that we love to see. If you’re in this game and think it’s going to be a
walk in the park, this isn’t the game for you. You’ve got to love the challenge. We have the guys in the room to do it.”
Those guys:
Arik Armstead, the
17th overall pick in the 2015 draft who led the team with 10 sacks in the regular season.
Nick Bosa, the No. 2 overall pick this year who has nine sacks in 14 regular-season games and tacked on three more during the playoffs.
Buckner, the No. 7 overall pick in 2016 with 28 1⁄2 career sacks to his name, including 7 1⁄2 this year.
Dee Ford, the No. 23 overall pick by the Chiefs in 2014 who joined San Francisco this offseason. He had 6 1⁄2 sacks this year.
Solomon Thomas, the No. 3 overall pick in 2017 with 93 tackles in 46 career games at defensive tackle.
The 49ers finished the regular season with 48 sacks, tied for fifth in the NFL.
“I just jumped in and it felt like I had already been part of it,” Ford said. “It felt like I had played with them before. It all clicked that fast.
“We were immediately sharing knowledge with each other, what we like to do pass rush-wise. A lot of laughter, a lot of great energy right from the jump.”
Kocurek has left his mark, too. The addition of Bosa and Ford to the rotation is a boost. Bosa is a potential Defensive Rookie of the Year, and head coach Kyle Shanahan said Ford was the perfect fit for what the 49ers wanted when they sought to improve their defensive line in the offseason.
But the guidance Kocurek brought to the position room was a bonus.
“I was open-minded. I was eager to learn,” Armstead said. “I played in a bunch of systems over the years, but I was eager to play for him, really take on this new journey. I thought it would benefit us a lot to play in this manner it’s showing out there on the field.”
Added defensive coordinator Robert Saleh: “Gray area always creates hesitation. You want these players playing in a world of black and white so they know what’s expected of them so they can go as fast as humanly possible. Kocurek is the definition of black and white. He’s very clear and cut with what he’s asking of the players.”
Added Ford: “Kris is a tough coach. We all endured that together. Just a special situation.”
His message to his team for Sunday should be simple.
Stop Mahomes. Contain the offense. Stop the
Chiefs from moving the ball down the field.
“They’re relentless on offense,” Ford said. “I mean, they scored 51 unanswered points on offense. That’s pretty relentless to me. That means that they have a mind-set of they’re not going to stop. They’re not going to be guarded. It’s a mindset, and we have that same mind-set.
“We’re going to impose our will when we get after the quarterback. We’re going to disrupt the pocket. We’re going to make it hell for him. It’s going to be a good battle.”
And that will take more than one guy on any given pass rush to accomplish.
“You have to rush as a unit,” Bosa said. “Stay in your lanes and don’t let him get out of the pocket.”
After all, Mahomes has done more than just throw for 4,031 yards and 26 touchdowns this season. He had 218 rushing yards in the regular season.
He was sacked just 17 times, accounting for only 3.4 percent of his dropbacks.
He threw eight touchdown passes in two playoff games.
The 49ers will have their hands full on Sunday.
Jordan McPherson: 305-376-2129, @J_McPherson1126