The San Diego Chargers' offense is ranked sixth in the league. The unit averages over 350 yards and 25 points per game, and is loaded with weapons at each of the skill positions.Phillip Rivers is proving each week that he was worthy of a top five selection in the 2004 draft, having passed his way to a 94.5 efficiency rating through four games. Tight end Antonio Gates is second on the team in receptions and is always a threat inside the red zone. Keenan McCardell and Eric Parker are sure-handed, capable receivers. Running back Michael Turner is averaging an astounding 6.8 yards per carry in spot duty. And, of course, there's LaDainian Tomlinson -- arguably the best dual-threat back in the entire NFL.Then there's the San Francisco defense. Ranked 26th in the league and allowing more than 350 43 Polamalu white jersey
yards and 29 points per game.So how can the much-maligned 49er defense keep the Chargers out of the end zone? What does it need to do in order to keep the Bolts from turning the game into a carbon-copy of the debacle in Kansas City? It all comes down to three things:1. The defense needs to pressure Phillip Rivers. Sacks are not really necessary (though they will obviously help), they just need to make him rush a throw or two. He's not the most mobile quarterback in the league, so they should be able to affect a few of his throws if they can get a decent pass rush from their D-line.2. Manny Lawson needs to impact the game in some way; however, having him cover savvy veterans like Tomlinson and Gates one-on-one is not going to produce the desired results. Remember what happened with Tony Gonzalez? He's still learning his new position. Remember, he was a speed-rushing defensive end in college. 3. They need to account for and match up with the speed of Gates and Tomlinson on passing downs. They can not allow either of these two to be matched up on a slower linebacker.But how can the 49ers accomplish all this? What type of defense would be the most effective against the Chargers' offense? How can they pressure Rivers, use Manny Lawson to their advantage, and still match up with the speed of Tomlinson and Gates - San Diego's two leading receivers?To answer the question, I'm going to play the role of NFL defensive coordinator, but first a quick disclaimer. The following paragraphs were written by a member of the media. They are his opinions and do not reflect those of the San Francisco 49ers' coaching staff, front office or players. No coaches were harmed in the writing of this column.With that out of the way, this is what I would do.Despite claims that it runs the 3-4 defense, San Francisco has been lining up in a 4-3 on occasion. So why not keep the idea of the four down linemen but try something a little different against the Chargers?As I mentioned earlier, Manny Lawson needs to impact the game in some way, but he's not ready to cover elite players like Gates and Tomlinson, right? So in order to use his best attribute (speed) to my advantage, I would line him up as a defensive end in obvious passing situations to give the defense a legitimate speed-rush threat off the edge of the line. After all, that's what he did in college. That is why he was taken in the first round of last April's draft. Think about this for a moment, Carolina's Julius Peppers and Indianapolis' Dwight Freeney are arguably the two best pass-rushing defensive ends in the league right now. Yet in their pre-draft workouts, Peppers ran a 4.77 40 and Freeney clocked in at 4.48. Lawson ran a 4.43. Nearly every offensive tackle in the league has trouble stopping Peppers and Freeney when they come off the edge at full speed, so how many of them would be able to slide out in time to block Lawson? "Very few" is the correct answer. In order to help guard against Lawson's speed rush, the offense would be forced to keep a tight end on the line or shift a back to his side during the plays where he was lined as a defensive end. That's one less potential receiver that the rest of the Niners' defense would have to cover. Against the Chargers, that means one of their two leading receivers (Gates & Tomlinson) would potentially be taken away on passing plays.Granted, moving Lawson to the D-line would decrease the overall speed of the linebackers, but an easy fix for that would be to move strong safety Tony Parrish into a hybrid safety/linebacker position. After all, he is good enough at defending the run to help out if the offense were to throw in an unexpected running play, and, aside from Lawson, he's faster than just about any linebacker on the team. Furthermore, by lining Parrish up underneath the secondary, it would allow him to play short to intermediate coverage rather than trying to occupy a deep zone...something he has been inconsistent with all season long.With Parrish lining up next to one of the 'backers, I would bring in Mark Roman or Chad Williams to fill in at the safety position opposite Mike Adams. Let's assume it would be Mark Roman. Along with that, I would bring in even more speed to the formation by lining up CB Sammy Davis as Tomlinson's shadow. If L.T. released on a pass route, Davis would follow. If he stayed in to block, Davis would blitz.This personnel grouping would be accurately described 43 Polamalu black jersey
as a 3-2-6 dime package, but they would line up in a base 4-2-5 nickel formation. It would look something like this:DE: Manny Lawson DT: Bryant Young DT: Anthony Adams DE: Marques Douglas LB: Derek Smith LB: Tony Parrish CB: Walt Harris CB: Shawntae Spencer CB: Sammy DavisS: Mike AdamsS: Mark RomanBy lining up in this type of formation on third-and-long, the Niners would be able to match up with any personnel grouping the Chargers' offense might throw at them. With Lawson rushing off the edge and Tomlinson accounted for at all times, it would ease the burden on the secondary tremendously and help them keep San Diego's offense from getting too comfortable.Then again, I'm just a journalist. What do I know?Have a question or comment? Want to be a part of the next 49ers' Mail Call? E-mail Thomas Sorrell at tsorrell .
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