Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 1453 Dragnet
The alarm bells have been sounded everywhere.

Shanahan realized that he had no time to be sad, or even surprised, because Reid would not miss the opportunity.

Being behind by one touchdown and being behind by two touchdowns are two different things, especially when facing the Kansas City Chiefs, they can't get into such trouble!
The experience of the New England Patriots' comeback in Super Bowl 49 was helpful to Shanahan. He immediately woke up, regained his footing, and immediately deployed troops and tried to regain the game state through the San Francisco ers' defense.

Everything returns to the original plan, and the defense is the key to this Super Bowl final.

Although the San Francisco 49ers had loopholes in the first wave of defense, which resulted in Levi taking the lead and scoring a touchdown; the strength of this defensive team is still unquestionable.

Currently, the only superstar in the San Francisco 49ers' defensive starting lineup is cornerback Sherman, and the only player to be nominated for the Pro Bowl or the All-American First/Second Team this season is defensive tackle DeForst-Buckner. The All-American Second Team is a recognition of him.

For bystanders, it is really hard to imagine that the defensive team with only one player selected for the All-American Second Team is ranked second in the league.

What exactly is going on?

On the one hand, Shanahan builds the team lineup entirely with blue-collar players, just like the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2017 season; on the other hand, Shanahan implements a rotation system, and like the offensive group, the players at the cornerback, safeties, and linebacker positions continue to rotate.

The starting lineup is a group of players, but in subsequent games, the lineup is constantly updated and changed, which continuously disrupts the judgment of the opposing offensive coordinator.

In other words, the players are not the point, Shanahan's playbook is.

Same with the offensive group.

This defensive team is best at zone defense, and it is undoubtedly the strongest in the league in the 2019 season.

Moreover, it is not limited to short and medium passes, but also long passes. The San Francisco 49ers are the team with the fewest long passes this season.

Of course, the detailed explanation is intricate and ever-changing, and is definitely not as simple as it seems on the surface, but if you simplify it, you can see it as a combination of two "Cover3", or the stacking of two triangular hats.

The so-called "Cover3" is a typical zone defense. Simply put, three players form a triangle and help each other.

The San Francisco 49ers defense arranged two triangular "Cover 3" in the front and back fields respectively, which is also one of Shanahan's killer weapons.

The first triangle, on the inside, covers the short pass area, taking into account both short pass and run defense, with two linebackers and a safety partner. Here, the safety is often played by the strong guard. Strong guard Jaquiski Tate, who returned from injury in time before the Super Bowl, is very good at this job.

Here, they have excellent discipline, move quickly, fill in positions in time, and help each other. They not only play an important role in ground defense, but also their short pass defense can set up an impenetrable net, which is similar to the Seattle Seahawks' explosive corps during their peak period.

Moreover, Shanahan has a hidden trick up his sleeve.

Generally speaking, the "4-3" configuration consists of three linebackers, but Shanahan uses two linebackers and a nickel back, who is often played by cornerback Keevan Williams. Keevan can defend against runs or passes, and can also serve as a raiding quarterback, ensuring the diversity and mobility of defensive tactics.

The second triangle is on the outside, covering the long pass area, with two cornerbacks and a safety partnering up. The safety at this time is the free safety. Free safety Jimmy Ward is often responsible for defending the deep position, and the cornerbacks help each other to prevent the wide receivers from sneaking long yards. The starting cornerbacks of the San Francisco 49ers, Sherman and Emmanuel-Moseley, have very different styles. Sherman is stronger and good at confrontation, while Moseley is good at speed and positioning.

Moseley was an undrafted rookie in 2018. Not only is he young, but his talent has not been recognized. However, he thrives in Shanahan's defensive system.

They do not need to keep a close eye on their defensive targets within the five or ten yard line outside the line of scrimmage. Instead, they can stay in their area and retreat slightly to an area ten or fifteen yards away, with "Cover3" working together to complete the defense. This ensures that they can always outnumber their opponents and gain a numerical advantage in offensive and defensive confrontations.

Even if there is a rotation and Sherman, Moseley and Ward are not the partners, the "Cover 49" of the San Francisco 3ers can still play a corresponding role, because compared with the individual abilities of the players, this defensive strategy relies on a chain structure and relies on team strength to complete the defense.

The inside should be in harmony with the outside.

Progress step by step.

To some extent, the San Francisco 49ers defense is indeed like the Pittsburgh Steelers' "Steel Curtain" during their heyday, relying on layer upon layer of defense to complete interceptions. They do not pursue eye-catching statistics such as sacks, interceptions, and fumbles, nor do they pursue clean and deadly defense.

Instead, it suffocates the opponent layer by layer and in an interlocking manner.

The opposing offense is often able to complete some advances, and the number of yards lost by the San Francisco 49ers defense is only in the middle of the league; but as the advance progresses, the opponent's offense will become more and more difficult, so the quality of the San Francisco 49ers' defense in the red zone ranks among the best in the league.

In other words, Shanahan is not looking for a beautiful game, but an ugly victory.

Everything, as Bart said "within the league", the San Francisco 49ers have a higher tolerance for errors.

So, when Shanahan calmed down and found his footing, the San Francisco 49ers defense played the role of emergency brake, slowing down the pace again, giving Shanahan room to think and the San Francisco 49ers room to breathe and adjust.

In fact, the San Francisco 49ers did it.

Although Reid tried to increase the tempo and rely on Mahomes' fast-paced short passes to get the game back into the frequency that the Kansas City Chiefs are best at; the San Francisco 49ers' targeted defensive strategy did create many difficulties.

What's more, the Kansas City Chiefs faced difficulties at the beginning of this offensive wave.

The Kansas City Chiefs completed the ball possession conversion with an interception, but Mathieu's return attack was unable to advance the distance, so Mahomes had to start the attack from the seven-yard line in front of his own end zone, a sensitive and dangerous position. If he was not careful, the situation might be reversed by the San Francisco 49ers.

Don't forget that the San Francisco 49ers are good at long pass defense. They are not afraid of Mahomes' long pass sneak attack. This requires Reid to be cautious in his tactical layout to avoid giving up the ball immediately after the ball possession is changed.

At the beginning, the Kansas City Chiefs had to be cautious and rely on short passes to advance steadily, but Reid soon found that he had fallen into Shanahan's trap. It was too late to adjust his strategy because Shanahan's smart scheduling immediately dragged the Kansas City Chiefs into his familiar rhythm.

In this round of coaching game, Shanahan has the upper hand, especially after a brief period of confusion and accidents, Shanahan showed his excellent on-the-spot reaction ability!

(End of this chapter)