49ers Short Yardage Bread & Butter

It's one of the things that frustrates all of us as fans... Your team can't convert a 3rd and 1, 4th and 1, anything and 1.  "It's one freakin yard!" I've yelled it many of times. "That was a stupid play call", I've yelled that even more.  After watching the 49ers and Falcons game, one play really stuck with me.  Their 3rd and 1 call in the 4th quarter which gave the 49ers the go - ahead and eventually game winning touchdown.  I'm not sure if more teams do this, I know the Giants do not, but I'd love for them to install it.  It's just the OL out-manning the Falcons at the point of attack.

1) First thing the 49ers do is go to their "Heavy" personnel, they bring in Daniel Kilgore, a 300 lb Guard and put him at Fullback.

2) You don't see this, but they put him in motion and he gets in a 3 point stance aside Vernon Davis. (See Below)

ABOVE: Now that Kilgore is set outside of Vernon Davis, the Falcons have 2 down lineman in a 3 technique and 5 technique, and a LB in a 90 tech.

ABOVE: Now the 49ers send FB/WR/RB/KR/PP/ATH in motion to the strong side and he lines up right behind the RT Anthony Davis.  The Falcons adjust by sending the DE over the TE in 6 technique but the DT and LB stay the same and the FS follows in motion (man coverage)

 

ABOVE:  Here is the blocking scheme.  Double team the playside down lineman and Delanie Walker kicks out the LB.  

ABOVE: The RG and RT take care of their man in the 3 technique, flattened.  Vernon Davis and the big Guard Dan Kilgore block down and do their job. (Note how the big guard is lined up outside of Davis, more power to block down the DE rather than Vernon trying to do it and getting beaten outside)  Then Delanie finishes the play with a great block to kick out the LB.  It looks like the ILB has a chance to make the play, right? 

 

ABOVE: No chance for the ILB or the SS to make a play, they both were in the same gap and both got caught up in the garbage.  This leaves a huge lane for RB Dixon to run through.  If the SS played his gap correctly, he'd be right in the middle of it to make a play, perhaps to make the tackle for no gain.

ABOVE:  On 3rd and 1, the 49ers get 4 yards and go on to score a TD to put them ahead of the Falcons.

NOTES: 

-Well executed play by the 49ers, especially Delanie "Do It All" Walker.

-The 49ers sold out on the run, out-manned the Falcons at the point of attack, and went with their bruising RB in Dixon.

-Should be interesting to see the Ravens attack this with their big 34 DL and the instinctual Ray Lewis.