Defense circling date in the desert
After enduring a terrible performance, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is enduring an interminable wait.
Can’t the 49ers hurry up and play Arizona already?
“I cannot wait,” Saleh said Thursday, “I cannot wait for Sunday to see what we’re made of.”
Yes, Saleh and the 49ers are quite eager to visit the Cardinals, a game that will take place 10 long days after they followed two promising season-opening performances with a stinker.
In a 41-39 loss to the Rams, they allowed 418 yards and four 75-yard touchdown drives. In their first two games? They allowed an average of 299.5 yards and 17.5 points. They gave up a combined three touchdown drives, only one longer than 42 yards.
The 49ers did meet the Rams just four days after playing 79 snaps, the fourth most they’ve logged in a non-overtime game since 2010. Saleh declined to use it as a reason for the dropoff.
“There are no excuses,” Saleh said. “We didn’t play well enough on defense at all.”
Saleh didn’t sound as if he thought more blitzes were the answer for the 49ers’ pass-rush woes. The 49ers have zero sacks in two of their three games and rank 31st in the NFL with three.
Against the Rams, they couldn’t take down quarterback Jared Goff, and Saleh called blitzes on just five of Goff ’s 28 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. It wasn’t particularly effective: Goff completed 3 of 5 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown when blitzed.
“I do know that we’ve tried blitzing on third down and have lost,” Saleh said. “We’ve tried rushing three (players) and we’ve lost. We’ve tried rushing four and we haven’t had success. So, we’re digging. We’re digging. … I know the first trigger is ‘No pressure, let’s get the quarterback.’ Well, there are other ways you can get the quarterback besides blitzing and bringing extra people.”
Saleh noted blitzes might be futile Sunday against Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer, 37, a 14-year veteran in his fifth season in head coach Bruce Arians’ offense.
And blitzes might be unnecessary, given the struggles of Arizona’s offensive line. The Cardinals have allowed the fourth-most sacks (11) in the NFL and the Cowboys routinely got pressure with three passrushers en route to a six-sack performance in a 28-17 win at Arizona on Monday.
Saleh, who is overseeing a defense with three recent firstround picks on the line, clearly believes sacks are on the horizon. He noted tackle DeForest Buckner, who leads the NFL with 16 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, is consistently caving the pocket but doesn’t have a sack.
“DeForest is dominating,” Saleh said, “and those sacks are going to come in bunches for him.”
Meanwhile, inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman, a four-time All-Pro coming off his second major leg injury, hasn’t recaptured his dominant form this season.
Bowman, who has averaged 147.5 tackles in his four 16-game seasons, is on pace for 106.7 this season. Against L.A., he had four tackles, his fewest since Dec. 15, 2013, and said his body hadn’t recovered from playing four days earlier.
“I feel great,” Bowman said Thursday. “I feel 100 times better. I feel like we’ve had time to rest up and will be ready to play a full 60-minute game.”
Asked to assess his performance in 2017, Bowman referenced the torn Achilles tendon he sustained nearly a year ago and the 49ers’ 4-3 defense, a scheme in which he has not played in during his eight-year career.
“Just getting back in the flow,” Bowman said. “It’s been a while, this being my third game. Understanding the scheme and trying to absorb the (opposing) offense has been my biggest challenge. Just trying to do those two things at once. I feel like I’m getting more comfortable at that.”
Bowman is eager to atone for his last performance. He’s hardly alone.
Said Saleh: “I do have great faith in the defense.”