- 6 weeks ago
Greg Cosell of NFL Films joins Willard and Dibs to break down everything 49ers related through two weeks of the preseason.
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00:00Road trip! Greg's on a roadie right now.
00:03He's on a road trip?
00:04Yeah! Went to go see the Tennessee Titans.
00:08Robert Sala's Tennessee Titans.
00:10He wants to know why Cam Ward is struggling so much.
00:15Number one pick in the draft last year.
00:18All of a sudden I'm hearing a lot of buzz.
00:20People that are getting...
00:21How do you know he's struggling?
00:23You watch 30 plays on two preseason games.
00:26How do you know he hasn't been great in camp every day?
00:28How do you know he's struggling?
00:30Greg, because I'm going to ask you.
00:31But thank you for putting me in my place before I even...
00:36Before I even had an opportunity to give your unbelievable introduction
00:40on the River Islands guest line, which is our friend Greg Cosell, NFL Films.
00:45Okay, so you tell us. How's Cam Ward look?
00:47And then we'll do some niners.
00:48I don't know how he's done every day in training camp.
00:51And so, you know, that's the great thing about preseason
00:55is now we're in a situation where...
00:57And then, you know, it's funny because I don't know
00:58if you guys happen to see, and if you haven't, you should see it.
01:02You should see what Kevin O'Connell said regarding Kyler Murray,
01:06but it was a larger point about quarterback play in training camp.
01:10It's a phenomenal answer because the bottom line is,
01:14and I know this from having been to many training camps through the years,
01:18you have no idea what they're trying to work on on any given day.
01:22So you have no idea.
01:24Just throwing a bad ball or throwing an interception
01:27does not necessarily mean a quarterback had a bad day.
01:31Now, to the beat writer watching that,
01:33it might mean the quarterback having a bad day.
01:35But quite frankly, the beat reporter doesn't really have any idea
01:39what they're working on.
01:40I've been fortunate in my career, guys, to be in meetings
01:42where I know what they're trying to get done
01:45or not get done on a given practice,
01:47which obviously they don't announce publicly.
01:50So you're in Tennessee, and you're obviously there for a reason
01:54and a purpose, and if the ones don't really necessarily get judged
01:58on what they're doing, what are you doing?
02:00Well, they do get judged on that.
02:01What I'm saying is you don't know what they're being asked to do
02:04based on the meetings and the whole process.
02:07They're also, I'm here at the joint practice tomorrow with the Bears
02:11because I was very anxious to see Caleb Williams in person, live.
02:15So it's not just Tennessee.
02:17You know, it's a really good opportunity to see.
02:19And I happen to know some people, you know, in the organization
02:22with the Titans, so I was invited down.
02:24I didn't just show up, you know.
02:28So I'm really looking forward to it.
02:31Greg Cosell, NFL Films, is with us here on Willard & Dibs, 95.7 The Game.
02:36Okay, Greg, we really want to dive in on these rookies.
02:40People are getting very excited.
02:43At the same time, to the point you just made,
02:45I don't know if people really know what to make of preseason games,
02:50practice videos, and players who've never actually played an NFL game.
02:55So if you, if a Niner fan came up to you and was like,
02:58I'm so excited about Dajon Stribbling, what's your response?
03:03I would say that what I've seen, and I've not seen practice,
03:07but what I've seen in the games is exactly what I saw on tape.
03:11And I think that's always a really good sign for a player when what you see,
03:15and then, you know, like I said, I'm not there every day,
03:18but what I saw in the two preseason games was very representative of what I saw
03:24on his college tape both at Ole Miss and Oklahoma State.
03:27And I think that's a really positive sign when a player looks the same,
03:32you know, in his first year in the NFL as he did in college.
03:35Now, obviously, we haven't played a regular season game yet,
03:39so we're not going to anoint him in all pro,
03:42but there's a couple of things that really stand out.
03:45Number one, he catches the ball with his hands.
03:47He's clearly got very, very strong hands
03:50because he catches the ball away from his frame.
03:53I also thought that on that 21-yarder that he caught this week on a third down play,
03:58it kind of came on a skinny post.
04:00He was in the slot.
04:02I thought he showed some very subtle nuance with his vertical stem to create separation,
04:07and he caught a tight window throw between the numbers, again, with his hands.
04:12So there's things that you look at, that I look at anyway, that, you know, again,
04:17he looked like he did in college, which I view as a very positive sign,
04:21and we'll see if that continues.
04:22The other thing I really like what they're doing with him,
04:25which I assume they're doing in practice as well,
04:28is they're giving him meaningful snaps both outside and in the slot,
04:32which means they see him as a movement player within the context of their offense
04:37because the bottom line is Mike Evans will be the boundary X.
04:40So when you look at Stribling, not only now but in college,
04:43where do you think he fits better in the NFL?
04:46I think down the road he'll be an X, but Evans is there now.
04:50So now he'll be a combination Z slot within the context of the 49er offense,
04:57and obviously they're asking him to do that with what they're showing,
05:00which I'm sure is a reflection of what they've been doing in practice.
05:03They're not going to get into a game and ask him to do something that they haven't practiced.
05:07So he's lined up meaningful snaps both outside and in the slot.
05:11I want to talk to you about a position I don't think we've touched on so far this year, Greg,
05:16and that is tight end, especially as we get close, and Kittle is back at practice,
05:21but definitely still a question mark for the start of the year.
05:25It seems in practices that they're using Luke Farrell in the passing game a lot more.
05:31I'm also curious to know what you think of Tonjes' ability to block when compared to the way Kittle does
05:39it.
05:39So how would that position hold up if there's no Kittle to start?
05:43I think Brent Jones has been doing a great job.
05:46Oh, is he not playing anymore?
05:48Not to our knowledge.
05:50Oh, okay.
05:51Final roster's not been set yet, but not to our knowledge.
05:56Well, I think Tonjes is more of a receiving type tight end than he is a pure blocker.
06:01I think he's the kind of tight end that you probably move around the formation.
06:06He can detach from the formation.
06:07I'm not saying he can never be attached, but I think that he's more of a blocking,
06:12excuse me, more of a receiving tight end,
06:14whereas Farrell is more of a complete tight end in that he can do both.
06:19You know, he was an interesting player in college.
06:22I thought he was a pretty good prospect coming out, not an elite prospect,
06:25but a tight end who could both line up attached and be a blocker in the run game
06:30and also be a quality receiver,
06:33not a top three or four or five receiver as a tight end in the league,
06:37but a quality receiver.
06:38So it'll be interesting to see.
06:41You know, I don't know if they plan on taking Kittle to Australia.
06:44Has that been determined yet?
06:45It has not.
06:46Nope.
06:47I mean, again, I would have no idea.
06:50You know, you'd have to be there to know that,
06:52and you'd have to know the whole situation.
06:53But if they don't take him,
06:55I would expect there to be a little bit of a tight end rotation based on the personnel packages,
07:00based on the play call, based on down in distances, based on field location,
07:04you know, all the factors that go into how you choose to deploy your personnel.
07:08And when you look at a running back rotation last year,
07:11they didn't really have much of one with Christian McCaffrey.
07:14It was Brian Robinson who came in for just a little bit.
07:17Do you think that Kalon Black, based on what you've seen,
07:20has he earned more of a share this year than what Robinson got last year?
07:24Well, another guy that looks the same as he did in college.
07:27We've talked about this.
07:28I mean, you guys saw it in the preseason game.
07:30He's a downhill, determined, competitive, urgent, physical, powerful runner.
07:35That's exactly who he is.
07:37He's a grinder and a sustainer.
07:38He gets hard yards.
07:40And that is a trait that cannot be talked about enough in the NFL.
07:45You know, when it's blocked for four, the guys that get six or seven, that's a big deal.
07:50Those runs don't seem like much when you're watching a game on TV.
07:53You don't come away from those runs going, wow, that's a great run.
07:56But you know what?
07:57Those are big deal runs.
07:59He also showed some sudden lateral quickness to defeat quick penetration.
08:03These are all traits he showed at Indiana.
08:06I mean, I remember when I first watched him, and I mentioned that I thought he was the third
08:11or fourth best running back in the draft class, probably fourth, because I really liked Mike
08:15Washington out of Arkansas, who's also done well in the games in the preseason.
08:20And people were like, boy, are you crazy?
08:22You know, Kalen Black?
08:23You know, he wasn't even invited to the Combine.
08:25Well, that's irrelevant to me.
08:26I'm just watching him play on tape.
08:28So I'm not surprised at all.
08:30And I think with his traits and attributes, he fits the 49ers run game profile very well.
08:37And it would not surprise me at all if he's the number two back.
08:40And I think a decision that they have to make, given McCaffrey's age and just his workload over
08:46the years, is can they do that again with McCaffrey?
08:50Can he get over 400 touches again?
08:52Can he play 93% of the snaps?
08:54I mean, that's a lot of snaps.
08:56And he's 30 years old now.
08:58You know, he does have an injury history.
09:00So, you know, again, you guys and I can't make that decision, but I think that's something
09:05that they're probably thinking about and have thought about.
09:08Greg, when you look at the Niner pass rush, the thought last year with how they struggled
09:12to rush the passer was that without Nick Bosa, there's just a trickle-down effect that makes
09:19this whole thing not work.
09:21I'm not saying Nick Bosa's not going to play this year.
09:24I know he's a little dinged up right now, but if Nick Bosa were to miss time, do you
09:30think that this defensive line, Odigizua, Grayson Holton, do you think that they're better
09:36equipped to handle that if it's just, you know, a short period of time?
09:41Well, then it comes down to what they're going to do on the outside, because I think clearly
09:45they've upgraded the inside with Odigizua.
09:47And I think Grayson Holson will get snaps once the regular season starts inside based on
09:52run-down situations.
09:53He's not going to be a starter in run-down situations, but I think Holton's going to
09:57play snaps in pass rush situations.
10:00So the question is, what do they do on the outside?
10:02You know, what is Mikkel Williams' status as we speak?
10:05Is he going to be ready week one or not?
10:07It is sounding like Pup List is likely, but not decided for sure.
10:12Yeah, so let's assume he's ready.
10:14He's going to be ready early in the season.
10:16So the decision they have to make then is, because as we discussed, last year when they
10:23went to their pass rush group in third down and pure pass situations, they moved Mikkel
10:29Williams inside to de-tackle to rush the quarterback.
10:32I think they would ideally like to keep him outside as a pass rusher, but he needs work in
10:38that regard, because he's a little straight line, he's a little linear.
10:42Now, that doesn't mean you can't be a good pass rusher.
10:44That just means you have to use your power, really know how to use your hands exceptionally
10:50well, because when you're an edge pass rusher who's kind of straight line linear, you have
10:55to be able to play off contact, because you have to initiate the contact and then be able
11:00to play off of it.
11:01So they have to work with him, because I think that they'll want to keep him on the outside.
11:06I mean, essentially, he was drafted as a defensive end, and he was a high first round pick.
11:10So I think he's an important player in this conversation.
11:13When you look at Raheem Morris, he likes to blitz more than what the 49ers traditionally
11:17have done.
11:18What players on the Niners are somebody you would look at on tape and say, yeah, you're
11:23pretty good at actually blitzing?
11:26Well, Fred Warner has been a pass rusher at times throughout his 49er career, and he's
11:30been very, very good at it.
11:31So it would not surprise me if he becomes more of a pressure player, and he has great length
11:36too.
11:36So even if he doesn't quite get there, he's got the length to get his hands up and impact
11:40throws.
11:41So I would expect him to do that.
11:43I'm not sure Greenlaw is that guy.
11:46So it'll be interesting, you know, if there's someone else that they feel can be a really
11:52effective blitzer.
11:54Well, you know, don't forget, they did use Upton Stout last year quite a bit as a slot
12:00blitzer.
12:00He was among the top five in terms of number of blitzes, top five slot blitzers in the NFL
12:06a year ago, so obviously the previous coaching staff felt as a rookie that he could handle
12:11that.
12:12So I would imagine that Raheem Morris would think that was the case.
12:15And when you watch Atlanta's defense from a year ago where Raheem Morris was, the slot
12:20corner was a pretty significant factor in their pressure schemes.
12:24Greg, I have eyes also on the secondary this year.
12:27Fascinating group to me because they did not have great metrics last year, but I also think
12:32that's not fair.
12:32Like if you're not rushing the passer, any secondary is going to really struggle.
12:37So there are some additions behind the starters, but from Lenore to Green, Upton Stout, the safety
12:44battle, and now Raheem Morris in the building, how equipped do you think that group currently
12:51is?
12:52Well, it's interesting you say that because sometimes the secondary can help the pass rush.
12:59And by that I mean, under Robert Stout, he had a definite way of how he wanted to play
13:04zone coverage.
13:05He was a landmark vision zone coverage coach, meaning that the underneath defenders would
13:12drop to a spot, eyes on the quarterback, not necessarily reading routes and not doing
13:18what we would call match, carry, deliver.
13:21So in other words, the match, carry, deliver principle means that you minimize the gray areas
13:27in coverage ideally.
13:29And it doesn't work 100 percent, but you're matching routes instead of dropping to a spot.
13:34You're carrying them to a certain spot because it's zone, and then you're passing them along
13:39to someone else.
13:40So in an ideal world, that kind of coverage, which my guess is you'll see more from Raheem
13:46Morris, minimizes the gray areas and the conflict areas in what are essentially zone coverage
13:52concepts.
13:53And if you can do that really well, that then takes away clean throws for the quarterback,
13:59and that can help your pass rush.
14:01So it can work together.
14:03Now, again, I don't know exactly what Raheem Morris will do, but I think he will do more
14:08of that than just play landmark vision underneath zone coverage.
14:12And when you look at this personnel, does it match up with that sort of an approach?
14:17Because last year, Greg, I was looking at the Niners, and you lose Bosa, and so now Robert
14:22Saul is playing a little bit of bend but don't break and not really doing much exotic.
14:26If healthy, do they have the personnel to play the way that Raheem Morris wants?
14:31Well, Fred Warner can do anything, you know, so I wouldn't be worried about him.
14:36You know, Greenlaw, I think he can handle that.
14:39You know, we'll see.
14:40I mean, I don't know, the things we don't know is because it's preseason and the starters
14:46aren't playing, we don't know if someone like Jaden Duggar, who was a safety and now
14:50is a converted line into being a converted linebacker, you know, because he has a safety
14:56skill set, is he a factor when they go to their nickel defense?
15:00You know, we'll see.
15:01We don't know the answer to that.
15:02You know, we're not there every day.
15:03And then obviously in the preseason games, you know, they're not playing the starters.
15:09I mean, you look at the athlete that he is, though, again, he's got the athleticism and
15:14a range that he can probably do a lot of different things.
15:17But hey, he could also just be a special teams player once the regular season starts.
15:21We do not know.
15:22But certainly we know Fred Warner can do anything.
15:25All right, Greg, I'm never going to stop the fight.
15:28I'm going to try every single August to get you to play fantasy football.
15:33I'm never giving up.
15:35No, I'm not playing fantasy football.
15:36Come on.
15:36What's the right round to draft Dajon Stribling, Greg?
15:44Well, I personally thought that he was a first-round talent based on this particular wide receiver
15:51class.
15:53Okay.
15:55And therefore, what kind of numbers is he putting up this year?
15:57Let's hear it.
15:58Oh, yeah.
16:00Guys, really?
16:01You're going to ask me that?
16:03Yes.
16:03Just guy, Greg, I would never put you in that sort of a box.
16:07I mean, come on.
16:08Come on.
16:09You know, that's just silly.
16:11You know, there's no way to know that.
16:13No, there's no possible way, Greg.
16:15Of course.
16:15I'll ask it this way, though.
16:16Is there somebody that you like more than, I don't know, the general consensus?
16:22And forget fantasy football, but is there a player that you have your eye on around the
16:26league that you probably are more in favor of than most people?
16:31Well, I can think of one guy just because I've been conscious of who I'm seeing play
16:35tomorrow.
16:36And I know he's hurt now, but he'll be ready week one.
16:40And I think Luther Burden is a big-time receiver, and I think that he will put up big numbers
16:45in the Ben Johnson pass game.
16:47What about rookie-wide receivers?
16:49Like, if I just ask you, who are you most intrigued to see?
16:52Obviously, Stribling's on the list, but who else do you like?
16:55Well, he'd be first on the list because, quite frankly, Tyson's out for at least two months.
17:01Mekhi Lemon hasn't practiced yet with the Eagles, I don't believe.
17:03Or if he has, it's been minimal.
17:05So, you know, Stribling to me, and he's practiced every day, and he's performed in the preseason
17:12games.
17:12So, I mean, Stribling to me right now is probably the number one receiver in this draft class
17:18as far as just, as you look to the season getting started.
17:21What that means in terms of his volume targets and his numbers, that's hard to say, but he's
17:27going to play.
17:28I mean, it's not like he's not going to get snaps.
17:31He's going to play.
17:32When you look at the NFC North, and I'm not asking you to do win totals or predictions,
17:38but I'm struck by the idea of Kyler Murray going there and, you know, being a Viking.
17:43What do you think about his fit in that system and, you know, Minnesota's ability to maximize
17:49his skill set?
17:51Yeah, I rewatched a lot of Kyler Murray.
17:54I've been watching a ton of NFL tape from last year, just because that's what I've been
17:58doing the last month, because, you know, I'm more into, you know, watching the NFL from
18:03games that matter than all these preseason games.
18:05But I think Kyler Murray is going to be really interesting because he's actually very good
18:10when he can play short rhythmically.
18:12In other words, three-step drops and quick five-step drops, and the ball can come out.
18:17He's very, very efficient when he can do that.
18:20It's the deeper drops that are concerning with him, because the longer he's in the pocket,
18:26the less likely he's to be effective as a pocket player.
18:30So, obviously, he has the great ability to get outside the pocket, but, you know, there's
18:36certain areas where he struggles.
18:37So, I'm really curious to see what Kevin O'Connell, who I think is really, really good,
18:41and he knows all this, believe me.
18:43If I know it, he knows it.
18:44So, I'm really curious to see how that plays out.
18:47But Murray's very good when he can play rhythmically in sort of a quicker game, pass game.
18:53Greg, we've talked so much about Kalon Black and what's going on behind Christian McCaffrey,
18:59but Jordan James is back at practice as well.
19:01And I know this is not his rookie year, but super curious to know what you think of him,
19:06because they seem to be high on him as well.
19:10Yeah, he's another guy that's smaller but physical.
19:14I like Black more than James.
19:16So, you know, again, I don't know their feeling, but James, when he came out of Oregon,
19:21was a good prospect as well.
19:23Didn't think he was as good a prospect as Black, but he's another tough inside runner
19:29for his size.
19:30So, you know, they're looking for guys that can get those hard yards.
19:34And it's cliched but true that if you stay on schedule, because this offense is built
19:41on the play caller, on Kyle Shanahan.
19:43So, if you give Kyle Shanahan, you know, normal down and distance situations, then there's
19:49so much he can do.
19:50No matter how good a play caller you are, there are limitations when it's third and eight and
19:54third and nine.
19:55So, Greg, next time we talk to you, next Wednesday, everybody here at 95.7 The Game will have just
20:02had their work draft the night before.
20:06So, we're really looking forward to breaking that down with you next week.
20:09Well, we'll know the roster next week when we talk, that's for sure.
20:12That's right.
20:13We're going to know all of our rosters.
20:15And we're going to need your expertise.
20:18Well, I appreciate it, guys.
20:20You know, I love talking with you guys.
20:21It's one of the highlights of my week.
20:23It's not the highlight.
20:24I mean, us too.
20:25Us too, Greg.
20:26Hey, enjoy the joint practice tomorrow.
20:28Travel safe.
20:29All right, guys.
20:30Thanks so much.
20:31Okay, there it is.
20:32Greg Cosell, NFL Film.