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49ers 3-4 defense: a lot of players with a lot of questions

One of the players that I have been excited about since the Niners drafted him is Manny Lawson. Sadly, Lawson only was able to play in two games last year due to injury. This year I hope that he would be the exciting linebacker that I expect him to be. However, recovering from any season-ending injury is tough. At this time, Lawson needs to work twice as hard to establish himself as an outside linebacker. In the 3-4 defense, there is a lot of blitzes and inbalance of defensive pressure. Would Lawson be able to get hiimself into the mix and make an impact? I hope so.

But even if Lawson doesn’t make an immediate impact, we have to think about what the Niners are going to do about quarterback pressure. First player that comes to mind is Patrick Willis. Now, he isn’t an outside linebacker, but his four sacks last season and bajillion tackles makes him a big threat. Because of that, a lot of opponents may try to avoid anything up the middle. So runs up the middle may not come as often as last year. Passes down the middle may not be as frequent either. However, the quickest way to the quarterback is right up the middle. So as Willis works on his pressure, opponents might roll right or left. Now that’s where the Niners need to make their impact.

Anyway, the outside pass rush is the first thing that I am thinking the Niners are in need to establish their defense. The secondary, on paper, is not bad. But the pressure in the front needs to make an impact. The Niners felt that they needed to do that, so they signed Justin Smith from the Bengals this off-season. Will he play defensive end? Will the team use him as linebacker? It may be hard for him to manage much of the defensive line. He didn’t have a great season last year, but his talent is right there. His speed isn’t something that’s so impressive, but his ability to be quick allows him to be a big threat. The team is planning to use him at linebacker, which is actually a really good idea. In a 3-4 defense, defensive ends usually an play linebacker, and vise versa. So Smith definitely is versatile enough to handle the tasks. He may be better suited for defensive end, but we’ll see how this pans out.

Tully Banta-Cain might have the most pressure this season. He recorded 41 total tackles, which isn’t bad since the season before while as a Patriot, he recorded 42. But his sack total was only 3.5, compared to 5.5 from the previous season. Coming from a great defensive oriented team in New England, the expectation for Banta-Cain to reproduce such pressure is high. He is considered a veteran in my eyes and if he cannot produce any pressure, his three-year signing last season will be a disappointment. Establishing that pressure is a must.

I don’t want to put my high hopes on Isaac Sopoaga, but since he had a limited role as a backup, we have to see how much more he can do by playing more. he had 1.5 sacks last year, but his potential is right there. Hopefully he impresses enough to get coach’s attention. He’s one of those players that I would like to see really do well. Speed and nose for the ball is very essential to the team’s defensive success. The same can be said about Parys Haralson: lots of potential, but I don’t want to put too much on him until I see more. Great finish last year, but let’s see it for a full season.

Ray McDonald enters his second season with a lot of pressure as well. I consider him a rookie since we didn’t see much of him last year. But coming off a championship with Florida in his senior year gives me a little hope that he knows what it takes to win. Fighting for a spot in the rotation may be the hardest for him since he will be surrounded by rookie Kentwan Balmer and newly signed Walter Curry, Louis Holmes, and LaJuan Ramsey.

Both Curry and Holmes are rookies that the Niners picked up after the draft. It will be a long shot, but with the amount of competition, standing out will be difficult. Ramsey played for the Eagles previously and recorded six tackles and an interception in 15 games. Not that impressive, but not terrible either for a guy getting inconsistent playing time.

With the release of Melvin Oliver, there is more pressure to impress the coaches. Aside from the quarterback situation, I believe that this is the biggest issue at hand during camp and the preseason. If the team cannot establish an identity in pressuring the quarterback, it may be another long year. Last year, quarterbacks looked way too comfortable in the pocket, which allowed them to throw the ball easily. That’s a lot of pressure on the secondary. If the team can establish some pressure, the defense may be able to win a few games when the offense struggles (which I know will happen).

Who’s going to step up in this 3-4 defense? Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky will have a lot of players to evaluate and a lot of questions to answer.

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 19th, 2008 at 3:54 pm and is filed under Kentwan Balmer, Justin Smith, Louis Holmes, LaJuan Ramsey, Walter Curry, Parys Haralson, Tully Banta-Cain, 49ers, 3-4 defense, Melvin Oliver, Ray McDonald, Isaac Sopoaga, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.