3 differences 49ers defense may employ under DeMeco Ryans
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers may use less zone, more press-man coverage
Still free-agent cornerback Richard Sherman was an epitome of a zone-style cornerback. While it’s possible the 49ers entertain bringing him back, the two additions of Ambry Thomas and Deommodore Lenoir signify a possible defensive shift away from the zone schemes Robert Saleh so often used over the last four years.
Both Thomas and Lenoir were primarily press-man corners at the collegiate level, playing up against the line of scrimmage to bump opposing wide receivers off their routes, then doing their best to stay lockstep in line with them throughout the remainder of their routes.
Read More: 3 things to expect from rookie corner Deommodore Lenoir
Going back to DeMeco Ryans’ opening comments, this is one of the ways the Niners defense can be more physical.
Merely bumping a wide receiver off of his route is a great way for undersized corners, such as Lenoir, Jason Verrett and Emmanuel Moseley, to guard against bigger-bodied pass-catchers instead of having to converge within a zone-style system. There also tends to be less hand-off from one defensive back to another, typical in zone coverages.
In man schemes, defensive backs usually just stay with their assigned receivers.
The problem, though, is a pass rush has to be just as good to ensure defensive backs don’t stay in coverage for too long a period, leading to another change Ryans is likely to implement.