IDP Update: 49ers Considering Scheme Switch Under Jim Tomsula
It’s been an eventful few weeks for the San Francisco 49ers. First, San Francisco missed the playoffs after three straight trips to the NFC Championship Game. Then the rift between former head coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Trent Baalke reached critical mass, with Harbaugh leaving to take the same position at the University of Michigan. Now, it appears that big changes could be in store on defense under newly anointed head man Jim Tomsula.
According to Bleacher Report NFL National Lead Writer Matt Miller (per David Fucillo of SB Nation ), the 49ers are expected to move to a 4-3 defensive front in 2015. Fucillo writes that “I don’t know that anything is ever locked in stone, but it sounds like this is happening. There has been some chatter about it recently, so this would not be an altogether shocking development. The 49ers have not hired a defensive coordinator at this point, but they obviously would like to find somebody to fit the kind of scheme they envision playing moving forward. Aside from Jim Tomsula’s promotion, it would appear they will have an entirely new defensive coaching staff in 2015.”
The Ball Says: Whether you think this move (and the Tomsula hire in general) is a good idea or a mistake, one thing can’t be denied — it means some big changes for IDP owners.
Up front, Aldon Smith would move from outside linebacker to defensive end, which is a nice boost to his IDP value provided the 25-year-old can stay out of trouble for 10 minutes. Given the relative lack of depth along the defensive line in IDP leagues and Smith’s pass-rush acumen (44 sacks in 50 career games), it’s not out of the realm of reason to think that this move could propel Smith into high-end IDP DL2 territory (if not higher).
There were reports that defensive end Justin Smith was going to retire after 14 seasons, but Baalke told Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area he isn’t conceding anything just yet. “Like any player at this stage of his career, he’s going — what I told him was we’re not even going to talk,” Baalke said. “When I left it with him, the next two or three weeks, ‘Justin, go home, take care of your family, see how you feel, and at some point in the next month, three weeks to a month, I’ll reach out and we’ll talk.’
Even if Smith does hang them up, the 49ers have rookie sensation Aaron Lynch , who had six sacks in part-time duty in 2014, waiting in the wings. Cornelius Carradine is healthy now, and after bulking up to 295 pounds to play the “five-technique” end spot, the two-year veteran should be able to kick inside to tackle with relative ease.
At linebacker, Miller envisioned this alignment:
49ers can put Borland at MIKE (off in nickel), Bowman at WILL, Willis at SAM is how I drew it up @BygMan85 @NinersNation
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) January 15, 2015
Jene Bramel at Football Guys, however, sees it a bit differently:
@IDPManor Tough call. Depends on Bowman’s health, Willis’ play. I’d bet Bowman SLB, Willis MLB, Borland WLB. Maybe interchangeable too.
— Jene Bramel (@JeneBramel) January 15, 2015
Both scenarios have logic to them, and much will depend on the status of Navorro Bowman ‘s surgically-repaired knee and Patrick Willis ‘ similarly-repaired toe, but the big takeway here IDP-wise is that the consensus (assuming health all around) is that Chris Borland will be the odd man out in subpackages.
That’s important, because as Fucillo points out the 49ers spent more time in the nickel than any other defensive formation in 2014. That’s hardly a rarity in today’s pass-wacky NFL, and it’s also not what Borland’s dynasty owners want to hear after his meteoric rookie campaign.
Gary Davenport is the IDP Senior Staff Writer at Fantasy Sharks, an NFL and Fantasy Football Analyst at Bleacher Report, a Contributing Author and Associate Editor at Football Diehards and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and Pro Football Writers of America. Gary’s IDP work has been featured in a number of national print publications and on both satellite and terrestrial radio, and he was a finalist for the FSWA Web Article of the Year in 2013.
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