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49ers Offense/Packers Defense, Offensive Coordinator Norv Turner
Packers Bob Sanders was promoted to coordinator after coaching the Packers defensive ends in 2005, and he’s come under heavy fire this season with a defense that has overtaken the 49ers for allowing the most points in the NFL.
“They are in the first year of a defensive scheme,” said Turner. “They’ve had some real good moments and they’ve had a couple of tough games.”
The Packers are 29th in total defense and 30th in guarding the pass which seems to be a weakness for their secondary, despite have top caliber corners in Al Harris and Charles Woodson.
“They play press man coverage, and the corners are very aggressive. They line up on you and will jam you. Al and Charles are two veteran guys who are aggressive, they’ve seen it all. They are not going to let you trick them. I think teams have tried to stay away from them and attack other areas.”
Those other areas include attacking the Packers safeties who have allowed some big plays, but again, hit or miss. Green Bay signed Seattle safety Marquand Manuel this off-season and he and second-year Nick Collins are the two starters. Collins has been banged up some this season, leaving the Packers with all rookies to back him up.
Against the Jets last week, Chad Pennington threw for 263 yards, but the week before that, in snowy conditions in Seattle, they held Matt Hasselbeck to 167 yards passing and picked him off three times.
“Pennington had an unbelievable day. It was just one of those games where everything went his way. But, the Packers played extremely well against Minnesota and good against the Rams. I think it’s all part of putting in a new system, they’ve had ups and downs, but they always play very fast, very physical.”
One thing the Packers do very well is pressure the quarterback. High motor defensive end Aaron Kampman is tied for fifth in the NFL with 10 sacks, while Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila has five sacks in the year and has long been regarded as a quality pass rush end.
“Both of their defensive ends are good physical players and athletic guys,” said Turner. “Their defensive front really does an excellent job rushing the passer, especially on 3rd downs.”
Green Bay has been staunch against the run this season where they rank 17th. Rookie linebacker AJ Hawk has been a valuable addition all across the board, but he definitely knows how to wrap up and make a tackle. He’s got more than 30 tackles than any other Packers defender with 103 and will be an interesting match-up for fullback Moran Norris and tight end Billy Bajema.
“Those guys and even Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker will have to play a physical game against Hawk. He’s really just going to be an outstanding player. He’s learning what it’s like and he’s been very impressive as a rookie. We’ve got a big challenge.”
Offensively, Turner will look to get the 49ers rushing attack back in rhythm knowing that Green Bay will stack the box and try to mimic what the Saints did so well last week in holding Frank Gore to just 40 yards on the ground. If the Packers find success in stopping the run, Turner will need his unit to correct the small details from last week that prevented the 49ers from exploiting those holes and one-on-one coverage in the passing game.
“When plays are there, we’ve got to make them. They were there last week and we just have to hit on those if we expect to be successful.”
The biggest factor for this offense could be the break from the raucous crowd noise that they endured the last few weeks playing inside domes.
“We’ve been on the road three of the last four weeks so the big thing for us is to get back home and be in front of our crowd and get that energy going our way. We’ve been in front of opposing crowds and dealing with the travel and those things can add up against you collectively. I think it’s good for us to be back in our stadium and get some momentum going.”
**************************************************************
Norv is really being quite kind.
Interesting also in that the 49'ers really wanted to draft Hawk last spring.
Packers Bob Sanders was promoted to coordinator after coaching the Packers defensive ends in 2005, and he’s come under heavy fire this season with a defense that has overtaken the 49ers for allowing the most points in the NFL.
“They are in the first year of a defensive scheme,” said Turner. “They’ve had some real good moments and they’ve had a couple of tough games.”
The Packers are 29th in total defense and 30th in guarding the pass which seems to be a weakness for their secondary, despite have top caliber corners in Al Harris and Charles Woodson.
“They play press man coverage, and the corners are very aggressive. They line up on you and will jam you. Al and Charles are two veteran guys who are aggressive, they’ve seen it all. They are not going to let you trick them. I think teams have tried to stay away from them and attack other areas.”
Those other areas include attacking the Packers safeties who have allowed some big plays, but again, hit or miss. Green Bay signed Seattle safety Marquand Manuel this off-season and he and second-year Nick Collins are the two starters. Collins has been banged up some this season, leaving the Packers with all rookies to back him up.
Against the Jets last week, Chad Pennington threw for 263 yards, but the week before that, in snowy conditions in Seattle, they held Matt Hasselbeck to 167 yards passing and picked him off three times.
“Pennington had an unbelievable day. It was just one of those games where everything went his way. But, the Packers played extremely well against Minnesota and good against the Rams. I think it’s all part of putting in a new system, they’ve had ups and downs, but they always play very fast, very physical.”
One thing the Packers do very well is pressure the quarterback. High motor defensive end Aaron Kampman is tied for fifth in the NFL with 10 sacks, while Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila has five sacks in the year and has long been regarded as a quality pass rush end.
“Both of their defensive ends are good physical players and athletic guys,” said Turner. “Their defensive front really does an excellent job rushing the passer, especially on 3rd downs.”
Green Bay has been staunch against the run this season where they rank 17th. Rookie linebacker AJ Hawk has been a valuable addition all across the board, but he definitely knows how to wrap up and make a tackle. He’s got more than 30 tackles than any other Packers defender with 103 and will be an interesting match-up for fullback Moran Norris and tight end Billy Bajema.
“Those guys and even Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker will have to play a physical game against Hawk. He’s really just going to be an outstanding player. He’s learning what it’s like and he’s been very impressive as a rookie. We’ve got a big challenge.”
Offensively, Turner will look to get the 49ers rushing attack back in rhythm knowing that Green Bay will stack the box and try to mimic what the Saints did so well last week in holding Frank Gore to just 40 yards on the ground. If the Packers find success in stopping the run, Turner will need his unit to correct the small details from last week that prevented the 49ers from exploiting those holes and one-on-one coverage in the passing game.
“When plays are there, we’ve got to make them. They were there last week and we just have to hit on those if we expect to be successful.”
The biggest factor for this offense could be the break from the raucous crowd noise that they endured the last few weeks playing inside domes.
“We’ve been on the road three of the last four weeks so the big thing for us is to get back home and be in front of our crowd and get that energy going our way. We’ve been in front of opposing crowds and dealing with the travel and those things can add up against you collectively. I think it’s good for us to be back in our stadium and get some momentum going.”
**************************************************************
Norv is really being quite kind.
Interesting also in that the 49'ers really wanted to draft Hawk last spring.
