How Sorensen rates missed tackles by 49ers’ ‘aggressive’ defense originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The 49ers have had several concerns during their 2-3 start to their NFL season, ranging from countless injuries to offensive struggles late in games.
Now, another potential problem emerges for San Francisco’s defense.
After he has missed at least 14 tackles in the league In Week 3, the 49ers missed 29 tackles in their last two games. Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner avoided eight tackles alone in Week 5, which played a big role in San Francisco’s second-half collapse.
On Tuesday, defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen was asked about his team’s recent struggles at tackling. Does fatigue play a role due to recent injuries, or is there another explanation?
“I wouldn’t say it’s fatigue. I think we miss tackles sometimes because we’re aggressive,” Sorensen told reporters.
We train our guys to take their photos. If you give me a breakdown of these tackles, I’ll tell you if it’s a good one or a bad one.”
In other words, Sorensen attributes these missed tackles to the 49ers’ defensive system, which allows players like linebacker Fred Warner to try to force fumbles.
“We play aggressively, we play violently,” Sorensen continued. “I think sometimes Fred comes in with quite a few missed tackles. But if a guy stops his feet and he has to take time, and that guy loses a yard, but you go down, and now we have two other guys coming in, so it’s not a bad missed tackle sometimes they’re a little different, I’d have to quantify it by watching the tape, then I could probably explain to you if they’re good or bad or not.
This assessment indicates a lack of major concern in the 49ers’ tackling, which is usually a strong point. After all, San Francisco remains without injured linebacker Dre Greenlawwhose possible return should have a positive effect on this skill at the team level.
Still, this will be an important trend for 49ers fans to watch over the coming weeks, especially against some explosive offenses coming up; San Francisco’s next three opponents are the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys.
