Niner Noise
FanSided

Cardinals vs. SF 49ers: Breaking down Niners offensive game plan

By Robert Morrison

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
George Kittle #85 of the SF 49ers (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
George Kittle #85 of the SF 49ers (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images) /

SF 49ers must attack the rookie

With their first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Cardinals took defender Isaiah Simmons out of Clemson, a sort of Swiss Army knife type player who slotted at linebacker, safety, and cornerback for the Tigers during his career.

Yet the Cardinals seem intent on leaving him in as a coverage linebacker, not taking advantage of Simmons’ versatility, but instead asking him to stay at what may be his weakest position.

And in spite of Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury coming out and saying that Simmons was not drafted as a “George Kittle stopper,” you have to wonder if he saw visions of safety Budda Baker’s head bouncing off the turf in his head when Simmons was drafted.

But no matter how you look at it, Simmons will be in his first NFL game trying to learn the defense inside of a shortened offseason experience. A lot is being asked of him even under the best of circumstances, and this season is not that.

On top of that, it isn’t just Kittle that can patrol the middle of the field and force Simmons and Baker to make choices.

On top of Kittle, last season’s All-Pro at the tight end position is a finally healthy running back Jerick McKinnon, who looks to feature as a pass-catcher out of the backfield who the 49ers can get into space and let his superior skill with the ball in his hands take over.

Next is former Washington tight end Jordan Reed, who will provide Shanahan a one-two punch at tight end unlike any other in the league, provided he can stay healthy.

So while Simmons may not have been drafted to stop Kittle, it certainly was in the Cardinals’ minds when they brought him in. The only trouble is that Kittle is not a solo act in the middle of the field as he often was in 2019.

Instead, the SF 49ers should attack the rookie with everything they got and force the Simmons and the rest of his teammates to make tackles in the open field, something, according to Pro Football Focus, they did not excel at in their two games against the Niners last season.