- 12 minutes ago
Matt Maiocco joined Shan, RJ, and Bobby to share his thoughts on the upcoming Cowboys-49ers matchup. Maiocco discussed Osa Odighizuwa and Matt Eberflus' roles in San Francisco, Brock Purdy's development, and more.
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00:00As we head on out to California to preview the Cowboys in San Fran in his 32nd season covering the
00:0749ers, Matt Maocco here on your home of the Dallas Cowboys.
00:12Good morning, Matt. How are you?
00:13I'm doing great. Thanks for having me on your show.
00:16A couple former Cowboys. How are they doing with Osa Odigizua?
00:21And then I'm sure it's harder to actually come up with an answer for that.
00:25He's kind of our version of Mike Pettin. Matt Eberflus, the defensive coordinator here that some people are having second
00:31thoughts about after this horrific defense showed up again.
00:35Yeah. Well, let's start off with Osa Odigizua. He had a great training camp and I think really kind of,
00:44you know, it seemed like it took him a while to warm up to being a member of the San
00:48Francisco 49ers.
00:49It really felt like he was disappointed that that trade went down. I think it caught him off guard.
00:56He's been solid and I thought he was going to have kind of a breakout season and start being mentioned
01:02in that Pro Bowl, All-Pro breath.
01:06But I don't think it's quite happened yet. He's not putting up the numbers.
01:10But I do think that having DeForest Buckner line up next to him now, I think that the second half
01:16of the season is an opportunity for him to take off.
01:19So I would expect that he will have a really good game on Sunday.
01:24And as far as Matt Eberflus, you know, he comes in as a defensive assistant.
01:29You know, he doesn't have a position group.
01:31He doesn't, you know, he's not running the defense.
01:33And it's, it's kind of, he has kind of a nebulous title.
01:38It's basically do whatever Raheem Morris, you know, however he can assist Raheem Morris.
01:44But the few times I've talked to him, he seems to be having a good time and looking to kind
01:49of rebuild his brand after, you know, after a couple rough stints at his last two stops.
01:56Matt, we don't know what's going on with George Pickens.
01:59Yesterday he was limited, but when you look at the San Francisco defense throughout the season, what do you think
02:06are some weak points that the Cowboys could attack?
02:09Or where have they been more susceptible this year?
02:11Well, it might be in the defensive backfield right now, especially the cornerback position.
02:16There are three corners, the two outside guys and the inside guy, the slot, the nickelback, are pretty darn good.
02:24Renardo Green, Diamandour Lenore, and Upton Stout, a second-year player.
02:29However, there's some injuries going on there.
02:31Neither Green nor Lenore practiced yesterday.
02:35They both had injuries at the end of their game on Sunday against the Raiders.
02:40So they're pretty thin at cornerback.
02:44Nate Hobbs, a veteran guy, has been on injured reserve.
02:48They opened this practice window a week ago.
02:51So this is his second full week of practice.
02:54He should be probably activated for this game.
02:58But I'd say that the depth in the defensive backfield is the major area.
03:03They have tried to improve the pass rush.
03:07Last year they were absolutely atrocious when it came to rushing the passer.
03:11This year, a little bit better, but the last two games, no sacks.
03:15They did generate five takeaways against the Raiders in the second half of that game on Sunday.
03:20So it wasn't like that they weren't effective in that game.
03:25But, yeah, I would say the pass defense would be an area of concern for the 49ers
03:32in those two areas specifically, getting pressure on the quarterback
03:36and then having the depth right now to cover on the back end.
03:39Has it been a feast or famine defense in terms of points allowed?
03:45I mean, it's either around 29 or 17?
03:48Yeah, a little bit that way.
03:50I think the defense has played pretty well.
03:53You don't go 7-1 without the defense playing well.
03:58So I think Raheem Morris has done some really good things with the defense.
04:02They're a little bit more varied than what they've been in the past.
04:08They'll do more five-man lines than what they've done.
04:11They'll mix up their coverages a little bit.
04:14But, yeah, I would say that, you know, when you look at the strength of the defense,
04:20you know, it's probably still those guys in the middle.
04:23You know, it's Fred Warner running around, making plays, punching the ball out.
04:27You know, it's Dre Greenlaw just always kind of playing on the edge.
04:31And so getting those two guys back with Warner, you know, he missed most of last season with a fractured
04:37and dislocated ankle.
04:39Greenlaw was in Denver where things didn't work out all that well.
04:43So the defensive vibe is just completely different with those guys just kind of running around and creating havoc.
04:50How much do they blitz?
04:52Because all of a sudden the Dallas Cowboys have, like, forgotten on how to deal with a blitz concept this
04:57season.
04:59They blitz a little bit more.
05:00I mean, nothing like, let's say, the Minnesota Vikings.
05:03But, no, they mix it up.
05:05They're not a heavy blitz team, but certainly more than what they've been in the past.
05:11I mean, boy, for most of Shanahan's time here with several different defensive coordinators, they just lined up and played
05:18cover three and four-man rush.
05:21And it was just very much, we have better players than you do, try to beat us.
05:25Now there's a lot more, you know, game planning.
05:29There's a lot more, you know, different approaches, different looks that they're giving.
05:34So, yeah, if they find that that's the way to go, then that wouldn't surprise me to see them blitz
05:40maybe a season high times if they see a vulnerability there that they can attack.
05:4549ers beat reporter Matt Mayocco joining us here on 105 Through the Fan.
05:49Matt, I'm curious, you know, Brock Purdy is a guy who, when we discuss him around the show, we feel
05:55like I think he's generally underrated in the national conversation.
05:58And there was obviously a changing of the guard period there with Jimmy Garoppolo and then into Purdy.
06:04And there's some question about, like, all right, how much of this is just Shanahan versus Purdy?
06:07What's the perspective there in San Francisco in terms of the type of player Brock Purdy is?
06:13And is everybody just comfortable at this point saying that's a franchise quarterback and we're good here?
06:17Yeah, I think so.
06:18You know, I think that conversation is mostly on the outside, and I get it.
06:23I mean, the guy was the last pick in the 2022 draft.
06:26So nobody likes to admit that they were wrong.
06:29You know, nobody wants to put him in the franchise quarterback system, you know, or in the franchise quarterback category
06:36because that tells you that, well, boy, everybody misread on him, you know, really did not have him where he
06:45should have been back when he was coming out of the draft.
06:49But he's so good.
06:52He's just, you know, Kyle Shanahan calls him automatic.
06:54So basically, you know, whatever the play call is, whatever the defense is, the ball goes where it needs to
07:01go.
07:01It's on target.
07:02And it happens, you know, he could do it blindfolded.
07:07He's, you know, he doesn't have the physical attributes.
07:09You know, he's not six foot four standing in the pocket.
07:12He doesn't have a, you know, a rifle for an arm.
07:14But he's just a smart, heady player.
07:18He throws with anticipation better than I think any quarterback I've ever seen, to be honest with you.
07:24And his teammates have, you know, such a high degree of respect for him.
07:30And, you know, take it for what it's worth.
07:32But, you know, earlier this season, he reached the 1,500 pass attempt mark, which now puts him atop the
07:41all-time list for passer rating.
07:43So, yeah, again, you know, if you...
07:46And you covered Steve Young.
07:49Yeah.
07:50Steve was different now.
07:51Like, Steve had such an incredible ability to use his athleticism.
07:57But that was definitely a work in progress.
07:59You know, he was kind of, you know, kind of an untamed horse there for a while until, you know,
08:04Bill Walsh kind of took many years to kind of get him to where he could play the quarterback position
08:10the way Bill Walsh wanted it to be played.
08:14Brock Purdy came in with, you know, four years of being a starter at Iowa State.
08:18And one of the things that George Kittle pointed out pretty early on was that he felt like playing at
08:24Iowa State where he had good seasons, like as a team, good times, bad times, and everything in between, he
08:32felt like that really prepared him for the NFL because, you know, a lot of guys who just have nothing
08:38but success in college, they don't know how to handle adversity when they get to the pros.
08:44And, like, kind of the interesting thing is, I think Brock Purdy's had a lot more adversity in college than
08:50he's had in the pros.
08:51So, he's just a really solid, good player that will, I mean, I'm always amazed just kind of watching him
09:04where he's throwing, how he's able to just understand, you know, whatever it is, geometry or whatever instinct he has
09:16to put the ball where the guy is going to be and where the defender isn't.
09:20So, he's just got an incredible knack for playing that position.
09:24They didn't call it Brocktober for nothing, by the way, in college.
09:27They don't, that's right.
09:29That's exactly it.
09:30Matt, you know, in terms of the running game for San Francisco, because everybody's seen, the receivers have just been
09:35decimated.
09:36I was just looking up, I think when you eventually get Keenan Allen there, I think that's the 11th receiver
09:40that's going to take a snap on offense this year for San Francisco.
09:43But the running game, obviously, is super efficient.
09:47It's one of Kyle Shanahan's masteries.
09:49And, you know, we talk about Brock Purdy here, and it looks like he's running a lot more, like five,
09:54six of his ten highest rushing yard games are this season.
09:57How are they attacking teams in the run, and what's Purdy's role in that?
10:00Is it RPO stuff, or is it more just him scrambling and avoiding sacks?
10:05Yeah, he's really good about just moving in the pocket, buying time, and he's also picked up a lot of
10:13first downs with his legs.
10:14So, no, there's no real element of, you know, RPOs or keepers or anything of that nature.
10:21You know, their running game is what it's been in the past.
10:24You know, outside zone, Chris McCaffrey, obviously, is a great fit for that.
10:29And on third downs, he's an incredible threat, catching passes out of the backfield.
10:35And then they have a rookie third-round draft pick from Indiana, Kalon Black, who they feel more comfortable with
10:42putting in there on first and second downs than any back that they've had since McCaffrey's been on the team.
10:47So, yeah, the running game kind of struggled last season for reasons I really still can't figure out.
10:54This year, they seem to be back running the ball very effectively.
10:56Matt Maioco, 49ers insider for 32 years, previewing Sunday here on 105.3 The Fan.
11:03Why is this a three-and-a-half-point spread?
11:07That's a good question.
11:09I don't know.
11:11I don't think there's anything, like, lingering health-wise that would be a surprise.
11:19Yeah, I mean, I think that—
11:20Mike, do you think this is going to be a beatdown, right?
11:24You know, it's so difficult to say, but I think that'd probably be my first thought.
11:29I don't know about a beatdown, but, you know, I would think that the 49ers should win this game handily.
11:37Oh, you know, by whatever, by a touch.
11:39I think, you know, people give the Cowboys a lot of respect for the roster that they appear to have.
11:45And, you know, I don't think anybody can deny there's talent on that team and that they haven't put it
11:53together.
11:53I mean, even, you know, this last game, facing a team that had basically, you know, given away all their
11:59top players, you know, they had to struggle to win that game.
12:03So, I would assume that there will be, you know, a lot of 49er fans there, and it's a game
12:11that, you know, maybe—I don't know.
12:14You know, I don't believe in trap games.
12:16The 49ers always take games against the Cowboys.
12:18Super serious.
12:19It's a big rivalry, even though, you know, it's not the 80s or the 90s.
12:25But, yeah, I don't know.
12:28Is that a topic of discussion, why this game is—the point spread is—
12:33It should be a 12-point spread.
12:34It is for me.
12:35It is for my bank account with the amount of money I'm putting on this.
12:38I don't understand.
12:39I don't understand.
12:41He's had, like, the best team in the league against a team that got embarrassed by a backup Tampa, Arizona,
12:49and then Indy.
12:50They barely won.
12:51It doesn't make sense.
12:51We're midway through the season, not game two, three, or four.
12:55Yeah, I think both teams will score.
12:58You know, I think this will be a game where, as long as the Cowboys, you know, don't turn it
13:07over, which I guess is a big if,
13:10I think the Cowboys can score with the 49ers.
13:13So, hey, I mean, it's the NFL.
13:15I'm shocked every week by stuff I wouldn't expect to see.
13:19So, I don't know.
13:20I think it'll be a back and forth.
13:22I think it'll be a high scoring.
13:23I think it'll be an entertaining game for sure.
13:25Matt, Cardinals, Commanders, Falcons, those are not considered world beaters by any stretch of the imagination.
13:31They have all played San Francisco close this year.
13:34Atlanta beat them.
13:36What is it that happened in those three games, you think, or a common theme that maybe ran through there
13:40that the Cowboys may try to capitalize or may give them opportunity?
13:45Well, the 49ers have generally taken care of the football, but that game against the Falcons, they did not.
13:50You know, there were two fumbles, two interceptions, and it was a minus four takeaway giveaway differential.
14:00And that's how the Falcons won that game.
14:03And the other games are, I think, it's maybe minus one for the 49ers.
14:07So, you know, the giveaways, if the 49ers give the ball away, then Dallas stays in it.
14:14And I think in the game against the Commanders, that was the game that right before halftime, Mike Evans got
14:22injured, and he hobbled off the field.
14:25And at that point in the second half, they really didn't have any answers.
14:29Debo Samuel was out for that game.
14:31Demarcus Robinson was out for that game.
14:32Mike Evans was out for the second half of that game.
14:34So, they just didn't have any threats at all on the outside, and the 49ers' offense kind of bogged down.
14:41You know, now they're starting to get some players back.
14:44They won't have Mike Evans back, but, you know, they did add Keenan Allen.
14:49Debo Samuel looks like he's going to be back.
14:51Demarcus Robinson's been back.
14:53Jordan Watkins, a second-year player, fourth-year pick from Ole Miss.
14:58He's started to play pretty well.
15:00So, you know, offensively, they should be in pretty good shape and even better shape going forward as they, you
15:07know, get these guys back.
15:09And then defensively, you know, they're pretty healthy.
15:12They're, you know, other than the cornerback situation, and those guys are listed as day-to-day, so I would
15:17think that they'd be able to play.
15:19But if they don't, then the Cowboys are going to have some opportunities to make some big plays.
15:24Matt, thank you so much for the preview.
15:26Keep up the great work and enjoy the weekend and the rest of the season.
15:31Thanks.
15:32All right, Sean.
15:33RJ, Bobby, thanks so much for having me.