- 2 minutes ago
Greg Cosell of NFL Films joins Willard and Dibs to break down the 49ers win over the Raiders, the team's trade for Keenan Allen, and more.
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00:00Trade deadline's over.
00:01There's new players up here in this town.
00:04Cosell's trade deadline grades coming up.
00:07That's right.
00:08Mop, mop.
00:09Probably not.
00:11I heard he immediately, immediately was like,
00:16why not Josh Downs?
00:18Why not?
00:20Overpay, you cheapskates.
00:23Let's find out if it's true.
00:25It's Willard and Dibbs,
00:26and we go live to our guy on the River Islands guest line,
00:30NFL Films executive producer,
00:31none other than the great Greg Cosell,
00:34every Wednesday here on 95.7 The Game.
00:37Hello, Greg.
00:38How are we doing today?
00:40I'm doing great, guys.
00:41Hey, I got to ask you a question.
00:42Sure.
00:44So, the Niners are 7-1, are they not?
00:47Last I checked, yeah.
00:48Bucks.
00:50I take it you guys would view that as being pretty good?
00:53Next to the best they could be,
00:55other than 7-0-1 or 8-0.
00:59Now, do you believe that they're going to go 16-1?
01:02They better,
01:03or else we're going to hold their feet to the fire.
01:07So, you're anticipating 16-1,
01:09and if they lose a game,
01:10then you're going to pretty much tell me
01:12that they're no good and they stink?
01:14Just for that day.
01:15Exactly.
01:16They get ready for that day.
01:19Just trying to understand, you know,
01:21just trying to understand, you know,
01:23what I'm dealing with.
01:23No, we anticipate a blemish or two or three.
01:28Okay.
01:28Yeah.
01:29Yeah.
01:29You know, it's life in the NFL.
01:33Because you guys know me well enough to know that
01:35I don't get caught up in, you know,
01:37if a team loses a game,
01:38and of course, there's always reasons
01:40why those things happen.
01:42I don't get caught up in,
01:43well, now they stink or they're no good
01:45or what's the big problem, you know,
01:47because, you know,
01:48good teams lose games in this league.
01:50It happens later on in the interview.
01:53We will ask you which of the remaining games
01:55they plan on losing.
01:56That's coming up with Greg Cochette.
01:59Okay, Greg, let's start with the obvious.
02:04Keenan Allen, what have you seen?
02:05What have you seen on film this year?
02:07How do you feel about the fit?
02:10Keenan Allen is your classic case of a guy
02:12that just knows how to run routes.
02:14He knows how to get into zone voids.
02:17Obviously, he's not a vertical dimension.
02:19He's a short intermediate receiver.
02:22He's, you know, to use a term
02:24that's probably overused but true,
02:26he's quarterback friendly
02:27because he understands defenses.
02:29He understands how to throttle down his routes.
02:32He understands how to change his routes.
02:34You know, at this point in his career,
02:36he's the kind of guy that could average
02:37nine yards per reception.
02:39But you know what?
02:39When it's third and seven, he gets eight yards.
02:42That's the kind of receiver he is.
02:43And, you know, obviously, we don't know what this means.
02:47I certainly don't know what it means
02:48about the other receivers who are injured.
02:50But, you know, they felt like they needed
02:52another receiver like that, you know,
02:55who is incredibly dependable
02:59and understands how to run routes,
03:02how to work with the quarterback,
03:04just how to play the position of wide receiver.
03:06Is he a boundary X or is he able to play
03:08other spots as well?
03:09No, he's not a boundary X.
03:11He's probably a movement guy, a slot guy.
03:15He's now, again, in an offense like Kyle Shanahan's,
03:20you never know.
03:20Does that mean he would never line up at boundary X?
03:23I couldn't say that.
03:24But he's not a true boundary X, no.
03:27While we're on the receiver topic,
03:29best game of the young career for Jordan Watkins.
03:33What are you seeing with his development?
03:37Well, you know, it's funny.
03:38With the receivers, there's multiple ways
03:41to look at receivers, guys.
03:42You know, sometimes receivers make plays
03:44because the route concept gets them open
03:47and the ball's thrown to them.
03:49Other times you look at receivers
03:51and you see it's man-to-man coverage and they win.
03:54So when the route concept gets them open,
03:57you know, I don't want to say any receiver could do that,
04:00but that's not necessarily a function of the receiver
04:02saying, wow, what an unbelievable receiver.
04:04I think Watkins is beginning to fit in well to this offense
04:08and to understand how to work
04:10and make sure that when a certain route concept is called,
04:14he runs it properly so that he's where he should be
04:17when he should be there.
04:18And I think that that's the development of a young receiver
04:21in a Kyle Shanahan offense,
04:23not the fact that he's necessarily lining up outside
04:26and just winning one-on-one.
04:27What did you see from the route on his 37-yard touchdown
04:31that gave him an 18-point lead?
04:33He caught that one deep in the end zone.
04:35Yeah, that was an interesting play
04:37because I don't believe that he was the primary receiver,
04:41but I don't, you know, again, I don't know all that for sure.
04:44To be honest with you, the most fascinating part of that play
04:47was that they spied on Purdy.
04:48But anyway, it was a three-man pass rush.
04:51There was no pressure on him.
04:52He worked through the routes and the coverage
04:55and he saw the post safety react to Cowings' crosser.
04:59So he knew then that he had Watkins on the deep post
05:02one-on-one versus the corner.
05:05And that was, see, it's funny because he didn't,
05:07that wasn't one where he created great separation.
05:10It was actually a contested catch,
05:12but that was the right throw by Purdy
05:14given how the route concepts played out.
05:16And what I really liked about Watkins on that play
05:19because he's not big and he's not necessarily physical,
05:22but he went up and made an outstanding contested catch.
05:25So that was a receiver play by Watkins for sure.
05:28Greg, first game back for Nick Bosa, what did the tape say?
05:34Solid.
05:35You know, I thought, you know, he always shows up
05:36because he's just, he's so energetic.
05:39He's, he's, he uses his hands really, really well.
05:43He always shows up.
05:45It doesn't matter what the stats say.
05:46When you watch tape, you notice Nick Bosa
05:48because he's so physical.
05:50He's, you know, he's competitive.
05:52As I said, he uses his hands really well.
05:55You know, he's out there.
05:56So the pass rush as a whole has been a big topic for fans this week.
06:01No sacks against Kirk Cousins.
06:03I know that's just a stat, but when you look at that group,
06:07it's a group that people thought maybe they'd add to it,
06:09the deadline they didn't.
06:11What, what, what can you say about the,
06:13the pass rush as a whole in the game against Las Vegas?
06:17Well, they did add to it with Buckner.
06:19That just didn't happen.
06:20Right.
06:21Deadline day.
06:22Probably that game.
06:22Yeah.
06:23Right.
06:24So it didn't happen prior to that game.
06:27I thought that, you know,
06:29Odigy Zua had a really good game, both.
06:32Actually in the run game, he was really, really good.
06:35And that's an area that a lot of people thought that was not his strength,
06:38but he really showed his sudden quickness and active hands.
06:42You know, obviously they lost great in Halton.
06:44And I think that's a meaningful loss because I think he,
06:47he can give you pass rush as he would have continued to develop in this,
06:51his rookie season.
06:53You know, at this point, I wouldn't be worried about the pass rush.
06:57I mean,
06:57I don't think that's been a, an issue all season long where you go,
07:01my God, this team can't rush the quarterback.
07:04You know, was this their best defensive game in terms of that?
07:08Absolutely not.
07:09But, you know, to me again, it's,
07:11it's like what I asked you at the beginning, you know,
07:13one game like this and particularly in a game and they won,
07:16I'm not worried about the pass rush.
07:19If this becomes two or three games down the road and we see that they're not
07:22generating any kind of meaningful pressure, then,
07:25then we have another conversation.
07:27But I don't think that right now that's something to be concerned about.
07:30Could be interesting with Dallas because they do score a lot of points.
07:34What do they do offensively that could give the 49ers,
07:37if they don't pressure some trouble?
07:40Yeah.
07:40And, and it's funny because the key to Dallas,
07:42when you look at the, the body of work of their offense,
07:45the whole season guys, it's really about their run game,
07:48because when they've run the ball, well, they've been really good.
07:52When they've not run the ball, well, at times they've struggled to score.
07:56Now, I don't know what the status of George Pickens is.
07:59I think it's a hamstring, which you never know how that plays out.
08:03But yeah, obviously Dak Prescott is the kind of quarterback that if he feels
08:08really comfortable, he can play very well.
08:11He's a professional quarterback and he's makes throws.
08:15So pass rush will become, I think,
08:17more of an issue this week than it was last week.
08:21Although cousins is very good too.
08:23In some ways they're similar, but yeah,
08:26they'll need to generate pressure on, on, on Prescott and just speed him up.
08:31It's not a matter of sacks, but you want to speed him up.
08:34Just for everyone's information,
08:36George Pickens was a limited participant at practice today.
08:40As he works his way back in your right, it was a hamstring.
08:44Before we fully move on from last week, Greg,
08:47Marquis Siegel was back and the 49ers kind of put a three man rotation in.
08:53Yeah.
08:54At safety.
08:54What did you see?
08:55And, and was that interesting that they didn't just kind of let two of them
08:59lead the way?
09:00Well, obviously they feel Siegel's a good player because Mustafa played the
09:04most snaps, 41, Brown 32 and Siegel 28.
09:07So they obviously feel that he brings something to the table because he played
09:1128 snaps and he was in rotation with Mustafa and Brown.
09:15So in their mind, that's their best way to play with three safeties.
09:20I've always liked Siegel.
09:22I remember watching him in college and I'm trying to remember,
09:25was it Kansas state?
09:26Um, cause I see so many guys when I do the draft, but I remember liking him a lot.
09:32It was Kansas state.
09:33Yeah.
09:34Yeah.
09:34I think so.
09:35Yes.
09:35Yeah.
09:36And I remember liking him a lot and I knew he wouldn't be a high draft choice cause he
09:39wasn't quote unquote special, which whatever that means, people like to throw that word
09:43around when it comes to the draft about players.
09:46Um, but I, I thought he was a really solid player.
09:49You know, there, there's always safeties who are like that, who are not, you know,
09:54unbelievable athletes who don't jump off the film, but when you watch them, they do everything
09:59well.
10:00And I thought Siegel was that kind of player.
10:02And clearly the Niners see him the same way because now that he's healthy again, they
10:07clearly wanted him out there and not just as a, you know, to spell, uh, Mustafa and
10:13Brown, but to be part of a meaningful rotation.
10:15When you looked at the overall approach, the scheme from Raheem Morris, it seemed to me that
10:20they brought extra pressure fewer times.
10:23Is that what you saw when you looked at the film?
10:25Yeah.
10:25Yeah.
10:26Well, they rushed five or more on eight of Cousins, 32 dropbacks, which is 25%, which
10:31is in the ballpark for Raheem Morris.
10:33I mean, he's had games where he's done more than that, but they're not one of those teams
10:36where you say every week, man, he's just coming after the quarterback.
10:39I think he's more specific to the, to the opponent.
10:43Um, you know, Cousins was, was actually good against the bleds.
10:46He was six for eight for 101 yards and a touchdown and five of the six completions resulted
10:51in first downs.
10:52Um, so, um, you know, that obviously they'd like to be better when they rush the quarterback
10:57with five or more.
10:58Um, you know, they're predominantly a zone team, the Niners.
11:02Um, they've not been a higher percentage man coverage defense this year relative to
11:06the NFL.
11:07Uh, their coverage foundation has been more zoned than man, but they do mix in single
11:12high and two high concepts.
11:14So, um, uh, you know, that's, that's the way they, they play.
11:18Um, yeah, I think their D line is, you know, with halting out, but I still think they have
11:22a really interesting group on their D line with players that, you know, can line up in
11:27multiple spots.
11:28Greg, uh, we've reached the, uh, the potential speculation warning.
11:32Um, I want to put that out there because I know you don't know why Michael Williams only
11:39had 20 snaps, but I don't, but I noticed that yes, it's sparked interest.
11:45And the best thing that I could come up with is maybe because he is a little bit better,
11:51um, against the run than, than he is against the past traditionally.
11:55And the Raiders really weren't running the ball and fell down early.
11:58Does that make sense to you?
12:00Or do you think that fans would be right for that to be a little bit of a, of a,
12:04you
12:04know, yellow flag?
12:07Well, again, we don't know the reason why.
12:09So it's, it's hard to say, you know, that, you know, there's a problem here.
12:13It may have also just been the way the game played out, um, or it could have been planned.
12:18We don't know the answer and they're not going to tell you that.
12:21Um, I think we have to wait and see going forward because in previous games, since he came
12:25back from his injury, he did play more snaps.
12:27Um, you know, this year they've used him, I think pretty much on every snap that he's
12:33played on the outside.
12:34Uh, so look, he could end up getting more, you know, with Halton out, now you have a
12:39different situation because they'll need another body that can play inside because they're not
12:43going to play Buckner and Odizzi, uh, Diggie Zua each at 60 snaps.
12:48You know, they're going to get the Thompson and Valdez in maybe Williams moves inside at
12:52times.
12:52Now, I think we have to wait and see how that plays out.
12:55But yes, I did notice that, you know, I'm watching the tape and I'm seeing, you know,
12:59I'm thinking to myself, where, where's Mikel Williams.
13:01And then I looked up the snap count and obviously only played 20 snaps.
13:05So believe me, I wish I had an answer, but I'm not Raheem Morris or the staff.
13:10So I don't know the reason.
13:11And of the 20 you saw, did you see a guy who's really not flashing at the way that, that
13:16you
13:17would hope when you watch the film?
13:19Well, you know, it's funny.
13:21And again, even when he came out and I know he was a first round pick, but you know what?
13:26There's 32 first round picks and there isn't a personnel department in the league that wouldn't
13:33tell you that, you know what?
13:34There's 32 first round picks, but there's probably 15 guys that are first round grades,
13:38but fancy a guy having a, being a first round pick.
13:41And they assume automatically he's a superstar, but Williams to me is not a flashy player to
13:48Williams to me, because he's not a great pass rusher by trade, because he's a little upright
13:53and stiff.
13:54He's a physical power player who's good against the run.
13:57And I think, you know, what solid did with the previous staff playing him inside in, in
14:03passing situations might be the best way to deploy him in passing situations.
14:08So we'll see how that goes, but he's not a true edge player.
14:11Pass rusher, but because he was a top, what, 15 pick, 20 pick, I forget where he was drafted.
14:1713th, maybe 14th.
14:18Was it something like that?
14:19I think so.
14:20Yeah.
14:21People automatically assume that, that he's a great pass rusher.
14:25And if he's not rushing the quarterback, that he's a bust, you know, and that's not true,
14:30but he's not a great natural pass rusher.
14:32Greg Cosell, NFL films with us every single Wednesday on Willard and Dibbs 95.7, the game.
14:38Greg, I can't wait for your answer to this because we've been talking it out for the last
14:42couple of days, especially since the 49ers now acquired a wide receiver at the trade deadline.
14:49We all know that this team is better when Mike Evans is playing, but there, with the way he's
14:57played this year, many 49er fans see this as potentially not even a real Super Bowl contender
15:04if they don't have Mike Evans.
15:07To what level would you say this offense is dependent on his health?
15:15Dependent might be too strong, but the kind of player that dramatically helps.
15:21I mean, don't forget, you know, look, I know they didn't make the Super Bowl last year,
15:25and I know they got handled by Seattle, you know, in the playoffs last year, which of course
15:30didn't happen when they played Seattle this year, but that you always want better players
15:37than not better players, and he gives you a dimension to your offense that they do not
15:41have without them, and it's a necessary dimension, you know, if you want to be as good as you can
15:47be.
15:47I mean, just think of the touchdown he caught against, it was, I believe, Arizona when it
15:52was one-on-one and he threw the fade.
15:54You know, they don't have that kind of receiver without Mike Evans, and you would love to have
15:59that in your offense.
16:00So does that mean they can't be a Super Bowl contender?
16:03I wouldn't say that, but obviously you would, he's, you're way better with Mike Evans.
16:11There's no question.
16:12Can Keenan Allen and Mike Evans both be on the field at the same time and thrive?
16:17In other words, do they do too much similarly that they shouldn't both be out there?
16:22No, I don't think they're that similar at all, actually.
16:25Evans is a boundary X.
16:27Evans can win one-on-one from that boundary X.
16:30Keenan Allen is not that guy at all.
16:32Keenan Allen is kind of an inside, work between the numbers, throttle down, find voids and zones.
16:40He and Mike Evans are not the least bit similar.
16:44Greg, why isn't Dallas's defense better?
16:49That's a great question.
16:51I think that, first of all, I don't think the back end is very good.
16:55I think they're struggling at the corner position.
16:58And I think when you're struggling at the corner position in this league, you're having problems.
17:03Based on film study, which is the only way I talk about it,
17:06I don't think Kenny Clark has played at a high level at defensive tackle.
17:10You know, he's over 30.
17:11Who knows?
17:12Maybe he's on the downside.
17:14I think Quinnen Williams has been a flash player, but not a consistently good player.
17:19They don't really have an edge pass rush.
17:22So their linebacker situation is, they're working through it.
17:27This week they played Winters and Shamar James, the second year player from Florida.
17:33They literally, you know Winters obviously well.
17:36They literally played those two guys every snap.
17:39I still think they're searching for what their best linebacker situation is.
17:42So I think at all three levels of their defense, they've had issues.
17:46And, you know, when you have issues at all three levels and your so-called good players are not playing
17:52consistently well week after week,
17:55your defense is bad.
17:56I mean, they're a bad defense.
17:58They're the worst third down defense in the league, far and away.
18:02They're 31st in run defense.
18:04They're bad against the run.
18:06And they're not good on the back end.
18:08So other than that, you know, other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?
18:12Yeah, and she might have enjoyed it for a while, but then things definitely turned for Mrs. Lincoln.
18:17Do you think about the Ritter game?
18:19Was that a byproduct of the Niners' offensive line getting better and better?
18:23Or was it another case of a bad run defense that let the Niners have some more success?
18:30Well, they're a bad run defense, no question.
18:32But you know what?
18:33You're still playing an NFL game.
18:34And I thought through the first part of that game, I thought the O-line for the 49ers was just
18:41absolutely dominant.
18:42I thought Pune was dominant through the first couple of possessions.
18:45I thought Colby was really strong.
18:48The interior, I thought, played really, really, really well throughout most of the game.
18:53Second half, there were a few, you know, not so great plays.
18:57But, you know, when you're playing 60 or whatever number of snaps, you know, that happens in a game.
19:01But I thought that through the early part of the game, they were just dominant in the run game.
19:07Greg, obviously we're reaching the second half of the year, and Niner fans have their eyes completely on the prize.
19:12So other teams around the NFC, even outside the division, are of interest.
19:16Just how much, beyond the obvious, how much more dangerous is Minnesota now that they have Kirk Cousins?
19:26They become significantly more dangerous because he's a professional quarterback.
19:30And, you know, this week doing research, you know, because that's obviously a featured game in my matchup show this
19:35week.
19:36You know, Justin Jefferson put up ridiculously huge numbers when Cousins was there.
19:42In fact, he was the Offensive Player of the Year, I believe, in 2022, if memory serves me correctly.
19:47And Hockinson put up huge numbers when Cousins was there.
19:53You know, Cousins is a very, very good quarterback.
19:55Even this year, I think he's second in the NFL in touchdown passes, you know, on a team that can't
20:00run the ball at all.
20:01So, you know, he's been a good player for a long time.
20:07So, yeah, they're a totally different team with him.
20:10Now, whether that happens this week because he's just getting there and, you know, that can take a little time,
20:16that I can't answer.
20:17But he, you know, he makes them much better.
20:20And that defense is a very, very hard defense to play against.
20:24Look, we've seen that the last two weeks.
20:26Two really good offenses, the Lions and the Bills, struggle to score points and move the ball with any true,
20:32meaningful consistency against the Vikings defense.
20:35They're a hard – they're unlike any other defense in the league.
20:38Yeah, I can't wait to see that game in Mexico City, but we'll save that for another episode.
20:42I wonder about Chicago and their defense and just how big of a step up they took with the acquisition
20:48they made at the deadline.
20:50And Dennis Allen, now we have two weeks of Jeffrey Simmons, and he's clearly decreased his blitz frequency dramatically because
20:58of Jeffrey Simmons.
20:59There's no question he's the reason, and they can pressure the quarterback because Jeffrey Simmons is the best D tackle
21:04in the league and a dominant, dominant player.
21:06And now he can change up, and he does not have to blitz anywhere near as much, and he can
21:11be selective with his pressures as opposed to feeling as if I can't pressure unless I blitz.
21:17And that's a bad position to be in for a D coordinator, that unless I blitz, I can't pressure –
21:22unless I pressure, I can't get to the quarterback.
21:25Greg, this was wonderful.
21:27How informative was that?
21:29Thank you so much.
21:30Great stuff.
21:31You know, guys, I just make this stuff up as I go, you know.
21:34Oh, really?
21:36All right.
21:36Well, that's the way I – that's what a lot of people think.
21:39You know, it's amazing.
21:40I get on Twitter every once in a while people telling me, you know, you should watch the games.
21:44You're obviously not watching the games.
21:46I mean, if that's the case, then what's the final score going to be this Sunday?
21:51Of the 49ers game?
21:52Yeah.
21:53I know what the score will be at the beginning of the game.
21:56Okay.
21:56That's a lead right there.
21:57That's a really good response.
21:58I appreciate you giving me the follow on Twitter, but you never answered my question, so maybe next time.
22:04I know.
22:04I saw that.
22:05You know what?
22:05I don't – all I do on Twitter, guys, is – I mean, I have to be on it, but
22:10I pretty much just retweet stuff.
22:12I don't spend time – you know, nothing against you, Dibs.
22:15Oh, yeah.
22:15But composing tweets is not the best use of my time.
22:19Yeah, it's a mood question now, so we'll get them next time, Greg.
22:23All right, guys.
22:24Greg, we'll talk to you –
22:25Thanks so much.
22:26I love talking to you guys.
22:27You, too.
22:27We'll talk to you next week.
22:28We'll talk to you next week.
22:28We'll talk to you next week.
22:28We'll talk to you next week.