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Willard and Dibs break down 49ers vs. Seahawks and discuss how the 49ers' defense can match up against the Seahawks offense.
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00:00Then you look at Seattle, and you had the MVP of the Super Bowl gone.
00:04You had Charbonnet, who is his Robin to his Batman.
00:07He's not playing.
00:09Like, Joe Mixon apparently was kind of signed and then not,
00:13and then kind of signed again.
00:14This is a good point that you're bringing that up.
00:16Listen, I'm going to keep saying this.
00:19We are acting like this game only has one offense and one defense.
00:25The entire assessment of this football game is only half of this football game.
00:31It's all I hear, and I get it.
00:34I really do understand it.
00:35It's because of where we've come from with regard to this matchup.
00:39But Mike McDonald's defense and Kyle Shanahan's offense,
00:43check me if I'm wrong.
00:44I know you're good with facts.
00:46That's half of the football game.
00:49Some would say a third, but, yeah, we'll put special teams aside.
00:52Yeah.
00:52You know, time of possession we're usually talking about
00:55when someone actually has the football, and that's all we're doing.
01:01Can Kyle beat Mike's defense?
01:04I get it.
01:05That's the first question I have, too.
01:07I think it's what the Niners need to come home with an answer to.
01:11At the same time, my confidence, to whatever level I have it,
01:17going into this football game stems from when the Seattle Seahawks have the ball.
01:20Well, that's what it stems from, because I don't think they've looked right.
01:26They look okay, but I don't think they look right.
01:29I remember when they really started going downhill on the Niners last year,
01:34it was a lot of their run game.
01:36Kenneth Walker had big plays.
01:38Remember those broken tackles?
01:39What was it, Grandy?
01:40Third and 18 or something like that.
01:42Martin Walker, he broke a tackle and converted a third down.
01:48He ran all over the Niners.
01:50He doesn't play there anymore, and his RB2 is not playing this weekend.
01:56And the first-round draft pick that they grabbed at that position
01:59is not playing this weekend.
02:00And all of these things, Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw are playing.
02:04Kenneth Walker and Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet aren't.
02:07I think this is incredibly significant when we talk about this game.
02:11And I think if you look at those matchups, the Seattle offense has been kind of mid,
02:15and the Niner defense has been slightly mid, but maybe even a little bit better than that.
02:20And then the Niner offense has been the best in football,
02:23and the Seattle defense is maybe the best in football.
02:26They're in the conversation.
02:28For sure.
02:28It is strength against strength.
02:30It's weakness against weakness.
02:31And I do think that, you know, having the game up there helps them a ton.
02:35But the bottom line for me is, who has the best player on the field?
02:40Well, it's probably Jackson Smith and Jigba.
02:42And then if you want to rank all the people who are going to play on Sunday,
02:45if you did a top 10, I think you'd probably get to five, if not six Niners of the 10.
02:52That's an interesting way to look at it.
02:54The top players on the field.
02:56I mean, most fans don't know the name value of defensive players on other teams.
03:05So I would think that most people listening to us, when you think about,
03:10okay, who are the best players on the field?
03:11You're like, okay, they got Jackson Smith and Jigba, and then the rest are Niners, right?
03:16Because who else are you going to point to?
03:20But Seattle's got wonderful players all over their defense.
03:23You know what I mean?
03:24They got a bunch of Fred Warners, too.
03:26They got a bunch of Nick Bosa's, too.
03:28So I don't know.
03:30I don't know how many Niners would make the top 10.
03:32But what I'm happy about is that the 49ers who would make the top 10, other than Nick Bosa,
03:39they're there this weekend.
03:41They're going to play.
03:43And so I can't wait to see what Raheem Morris can do with Fred, with Dre, Mikel Williams is going
03:53to play.
03:54Can you get Upton Stout back at practice?
03:57Can you get fancy?
03:59Can you get aggressive and force Sam Darnold, who will do this for you now, into some mistakes?
04:06Because really, if we want to break this game down, I feel very similar to it as to how the
04:12Niners approached last week.
04:14Let's see who makes the mistake.
04:16Are the Niners going to do a lot of 80-yard drives on this defense?
04:20Probably not.
04:21And I ain't going to be the one ripping quarterbacks the next day if they don't.
04:25Because really, very few do.
04:28I don't know who's up and down the field, 80-yard drive on the Seattle defense in Seattle.
04:35It doesn't happen very often.
04:36I think they need to be able to do it.
04:39And we'll see if they can.
04:41But you're not going to get a bunch of those.
04:42It's not going to look like the Dolphins game.
04:44We're like, oh, there's five drives, five touchdowns.
04:46That was fun.
04:47It's not going to look like that.
04:48Who's going to make a mistake in their own territory?
04:51That often is what games like this come down to.
04:54And if you look at their game against Washington, and I'm looking at it here,
04:58they had almost 200 more yards than Washington.
05:01But they had three turnovers, and Washington had zero.
05:04And so you lose that game.
05:06And so that, I mean, it's obvious in any football game, the turnover battle, blah, blah, blah.
05:11But I think about the Niner game against Denver,
05:13where it didn't even really matter in the first half that they weren't scoring
05:17because you were not turning it over.
05:19You were punting, and they were punting.
05:21And both teams were playing it kind of milquetoast and, you know, tight to the vest.
05:25And then ultimately the one turnover turned into the whole game.
05:28And this game, to me, feels a little bit like that.
05:31We're going to play some Mike McDonald for you in just a second.
05:34I'm really glad you brought up that Washington game.
05:36But Willard, Dibbs, Washington busted 33 on the Seahawks.
05:42Want to know the numbers?
05:44Washington averaged 2.6 yards per carry.
05:48That's it?
05:48And Marcus Mariota threw for 183 yards.
05:53Washington did not move the ball against Seattle.
05:57You just pointed it out.
06:00Darnold threw two picks, and Jadarian Price fumbled in the red zone.
06:06Seattle, if you watch that game, Seattle is way better than Washington.
06:13It's not even close.
06:14Washington got every break and still had to hold them off at the very end and won by two.
06:21So, this is going to be a tremendous challenge.
06:27And I know I'm not going to win this battle.
06:29I mean this for Sam, for Brock, and everybody else.
06:33Remove your statistical analysis.
06:36This is not a fantasy football game.
06:38This is a real one.
06:39This is a top of the NFL type of a game, and I think both quarterbacks are going to struggle
06:45to get to 200 yards.
06:46Both of them.
06:47I think both offenses will struggle to get to 24 points even.
06:51I agree.
06:52Yeah.
06:52I think that this game will come down to, I mean, special teams, we always talk about it as being
06:57a third.
06:58It's not really a third, but in a game like this, it kind of is a third.
07:02Because if you get down to the 35-yard line, and it's a 52, 53-yard field goal, well, you
07:09have to make that.
07:09You better make it.
07:10And if you don't, then they get the ball at the 42 or the 43, and they have a shorter
07:13field.
07:14And I'm just looking at the drives from the Commander Seahawks game.
07:18And their first touchdown drive, they got the ball at the 21-yard line because of the fumble you talked
07:23about.
07:24So the Commanders marched down 21 yards in four plays, and they scored.
07:29But beyond that, they didn't really have that many prolonged drives because Seattle's defense, they don't allow that.
07:35They don't.
07:35They really don't.
07:36And so I don't think they're at the height of their powers yet by any stretch, but they're still really
07:43good.
07:43And when you look at a 3-1 team and know that their quarterback really didn't play much in two
07:50of those football games, like, respect.
07:52It's kind of like the Vikings right now.
07:54Like, their offense sucks.
07:56Like, yeah, well, your quarterback isn't great to begin with, and then they had to play two and a half
08:01games without him.
08:03So if you've got teams around the league winning games with backup quarterbacks, just like the Niners did last year,
08:10that's a respect builder.
08:11That's a salute if you can win games with your backup quarterback.
08:16Did Minnesota go 14-3 with Darnold?
08:20This is correct.
08:21And then they lost a playoff game, so he was 14-4, and last year they were 17-3, so
08:27that's 31-7, and then this year they're 3-1, so he's 34-8 in his last 42?
08:34Something like that.
08:35I mean, he didn't start all of the games this year.
08:36I get it.
08:37You're right.
08:37And that's unfair.
08:38Right, but no, like, right now when he plays, team usually wins.
08:44Right, like 75% of the time.
08:46Yep.
08:46He's cooking.
08:49Okay, let's hear from Mike McDonald.
08:51And then 888-957-9570.
08:54Where do the Seahawks sit on your hatred rankings right now?
08:57Bay Area sports fan.
09:00I'm moving them up to two.
09:02If the Niners win, I might move them back to three.
09:05We'll see.
09:06We'll see.
09:06Kind of take the teeth out of it, but right now they're number two.
09:09I mean, based on what Dave Softie Mahler from KJR Seattle says later today, they might go up to number
09:15one, because that man will run his mouth.
09:17Yeah, if you don't know who Softie Mahler is, radio guy, Seattle, bleep talker.
09:22That's it.
09:23That's the bio.
09:26Bleep talker.
09:27Totally.
09:27With a capital bleep.
09:29He'll be on in a half hour, and I'm pretty sure you won't like what he has to say, but,
09:33you know, I mean, you'll be interested in hearing it.
09:38Anyway, here's Mike McDonald.
09:40He's asked why his defense has had the Niners' number in recent meetings.
09:47This is from his press conference yesterday.
09:50We tackled really well.
09:52We limited, like, kind of extra yardage really well.
09:55I thought we rushed the quarterback with discipline and married the coverage, so that's what it takes to play.
10:01Just really good football in general, you know, but the guys played really hard, played physical, played well situationally.
10:06Mike kind of sounds like the defensive version of Kyle, actually.
10:09And stuff?
10:09And stuff, yeah.
10:11Wow, that personality just smacks you in the face.
10:15It just pops off the page, exactly.
10:17I don't know what else he's supposed to say.
10:19No.
10:19And I do think that what he said is exactly what you see when you watch them on tape, where
10:23they pressure the quarterback, and then they marry the coverage behind it, meaning if it's going to be a four
10:29-man pressure, and you've got seven in coverage, then you'll play either some man, some zone behind it, or you're
10:35going to blitz, and you're going to bring five or six, and now you're going to play man behind it.
10:39This was an interesting, when he was asked, is it harder to prepare for a Niner offense that doesn't have
10:46use check?
10:47Listen to what he said.
10:48It's harder to anticipate how they're going to deploy their people.
10:51They've done such a great job over the years of, you know, the next player playing at a high level
10:57and filling in those roles and kind of tweaking how they deploy their people.
11:00So, a lot of respect for how they've done business.
11:03Kyle's been extremely durable over the years, so there's not a lot of things you can go to and see
11:08how they actually did it with the people that are on their current roster.
11:12So, shout out to him for being able to play all those games.
11:16But I don't think they're going to end up in an 11-person all game, you know.
11:19I don't think that's how they want to operate.
11:21We'll have a plan for 11, but we're anticipating, you know, multiple tight end people out there, and we're going
11:27to have to adjust throughout the game to kind of test how we think they're going to play it.
11:30Shout out. Shout out to Kyle Juszczyk for being durable.
11:34Well, and they won't be in 11, which is one running back, one receiver.
11:38They probably won't do that a ton, but to Mike McDonald's point, when you don't have Juszczyk, is it harder
11:44to prepare?
11:44Yes, because you're going to have two tight ends, and one of them might, like, come into the backfield like
11:49Willis did when Juszczyk got out.
11:51And so, you have to figure out exactly what Shanahan wants to do and how he's going to, you know,
11:56get some of the run attack that Juszczyk normally is the centerpiece of.
12:00The Seahawks are really good at rushing the passer.
12:02Brock Purdy and the Niners, really good at not giving up sacks.
12:06Not sure if y'all heard, Niners haven't given up one all year.
12:11So, McDonald was asked about that.
12:13Hey, how have the Niners, like, never, ever been sacked?
12:17Really good team football.
12:18They're running the ball.
12:19They're staying ahead of schedule.
12:20There's very limited third downs.
12:22When they do throw it, they're playing on time.
12:24There hasn't been many occasions where there's people unaccounted for for the quarterback, and when there has been, he's gotten
12:30rid of the ball.
12:31So, now we just spoke about how he's been able to extend plays and take care of the football and
12:36still have that element of creativity and playmaking that keeps the ball moving forward.
12:42So, they've been doing a great job.
12:44I don't know about you, Debs, but the more they sit here and compliment the Niners, the more I'm getting
12:47pissed off.
12:49You feel like they're trolling?
12:50No, no.
12:52I just think that, like, both coaches are doing exact, of course, there's a healthy amount of respect there, but
12:59we're fans.
13:00I don't want to respect the Seattle Seahawks.
13:03I would like the 49ers to beat the Seattle Seahawks.
13:05We all would, but at the same time, like, you can't look at an offense that's not allowed a sack
13:11yet, and is he supposed to come out and say, well, they haven't played anybody defensively yet?
13:15Of course not.
13:15We're going to get him four or five times.
13:17I guarantee that.
13:18You can go ahead and mark the tape, and so you have to be respectful of the fact that they
13:22haven't given up a second four games.
13:24That's crazy.
13:25Do you see Kyle Shanahan as having what's being called a Mike McDonald problem?
13:30Yes, I do.
13:31Yes.
13:32Okay.
13:32How so?
13:33So far, because Mike McDonald does what he does on offense, but he does it on defense, and it is,
13:39we're going to show you this, and we'll either switch it up before the snap or when the ball is
13:44snapped, and Brock Purdy is a maestro at doing what?
13:48Like, looking at defense and saying, okay, I see the safety's up, so the deep middle will be open, or
13:55the safety's back, and so I think if the linebacker goes this way, then the middle of the field will
13:59be open, and I think that Brock Purdy, when he gets the snap, and he looks up, and Seattle's doing
14:04something totally different than what he saw pre-snap, it becomes more difficult.
14:09You know, this Christmas Day game is fascinating to me.
14:13When McDonald was in Baltimore?
14:14Yes, Mike McDonald was the defensive coordinator in Baltimore a few years ago, Niners play the Ravens on Christmas, you
14:22all remember it, it was billed as an MVP showdown between Brock Purdy and Lamar Jackson, the Ravens win the
14:28game 33-19, Brock Purdy throws four interceptions, and then leaves the game, so Sam Donald can come in, and
14:37then he throws an interception,
14:39so there were five interceptions in the football game, I really believe that that football game gets misremembered more than
14:49any football game I can remember, at least recently, and here's what I mean by that, and this is why
14:55I'm so fascinated by this matchup right now, I don't think Kyle Shanahan has a general Mike McDonald problem, I
15:03think he has a problem against Mike McDonald with this personnel.
15:09This, to me, right now, Mike's great, but it's a little bit more about the Seattle players than it is
15:16about the scheme.
15:18They picked off Brock Purdy four times, those count, Brock gets the demerits for those, but the idea that the
15:2549ers didn't move the ball that day is inaccurate.
15:28It does not, it did not look like the games against the Seahawks. Purdy, despite four picks, threw for 255
15:36yards.
15:37Christian McCaffrey ran for over 100.
15:39George Kittle and Brandon Ayuk both went over 100 yards as receivers in those games.
15:45That does not sound like the Seattle games.
15:48It's so, it's different, and I guess what I'm saying is I want to credit the Seattle players on defense
15:55maybe a little bit more than Mike right now in this particular matchup.
16:01I think McDonald is wonderful, but I think the reason that they were able to do what they did against
16:06the Niners late last year was a personnel thing, and a lot of those guys, most of them are still
16:12there.
16:12But the Niners are going to offer a lot of different personnel on their offense.
16:17I agree with that part of it, but if you go back to that Christmas game, it was more of
16:21a Mike McDonald thing to me than the Seattle last year, because Seattle last year, they were just better.
16:27You rolled up there, and you didn't have Kittle, and you certainly didn't have Mike Evans, you didn't have Debo,
16:32and you had a depleted offense, and Seattle defensively was humming, they could run the ball, etc.
16:37But I go back to that Baltimore game, and I'm going through the play-by-play now, and it was
16:42a case where, I mean, Baltimore was not that great defensively, and yet he confused Brock Purdy, and he got
16:49himself into some sticky spots, and he threw four picks.
16:52Yep.
16:53And look, you know, you'd have to dive deep to know, like, did he fool Brock?
16:58Did Brock just play poorly?
17:00We've never seen Brock really have a game like that.
17:02I mean, maybe the Panther game on Monday night last year, but four picks?
17:06Come on.
17:07Like, that's not the Brock Purdy we know.
17:10Rod and Vallejo, thanks for calling.
17:12You're on with Willard and Dibbs.
17:13What's up, Rod?
17:15Great show, guys.
17:16Love listening to you.
17:17Thanks, man.
17:19Yeah, I just want to point out something.
17:21That playoff game against Seattle last year was very unfair to the 49ers.
17:27They had that late game Sunday against Philadelphia, which was very physical.
17:32Very physical game.
17:33Took a lot out of them.
17:35They didn't get back to Santa Clara until 3 o'clock in the morning Monday.
17:39Tuesday was a wash.
17:41A brief workout on Wednesday and up to Seattle for a Saturday game.
17:47I mean, Santa Clara for a Saturday game.
17:52And that game, the NFL should have scheduled that game for Sunday.
17:57The 49ers had no springs.
17:59They had no energy.
18:01They were playing on dead legs.
18:03You could see it.
18:04I'm not saying they would have won the game, but it wouldn't have been like that.
18:08Well, Rod, like, thanks for calling, first off.
18:11I think I can acknowledge the challenge that existed,
18:16but I would stop way short of calling it unfair.
18:19That's life in the playoffs.
18:21Like, the TV schedule is going to rule, and if you want it to be super advantageous,
18:27then beat Seattle in the final regular season game and have home field advantage,
18:30then you don't have to worry about that stuff.
18:32Yeah, and they were one of three teams to do that last year.
18:35I'm just looking at it here.
18:36Houston goes to Pittsburgh as the five seed.
18:39They win, and six days later, they have to go back to New England.
18:42So they probably went from Pittsburgh back to Houston and then all the way to New England.
18:47They had a six-day gap between their games and the same thing with Buffalo.
18:51Buffalo beats Jacksonville in Jacksonville, and then they have to go to Denver,
18:56and they lost to Denver 33-30 on a six-day gap.
19:00So there were three teams that did it, and all three lost, by the way.
19:03And so it's not – I'm not saying it's not a thing, but you've got to deal with that stuff.
19:07You know what I mean?
19:08Sometimes they send you to Australia, and you've got to deal with it.
19:12You've got to go down there early and not be a moron.
19:16So you do it.
19:17I resent that.
19:18You should.
19:19I didn't call myself that.
19:21I said I wasn't very smart.
19:23No, no, no.
19:23My words.