Nolan's Notebook - Part 2

From sf49ers.com

An excerpt from a Q & A with coach Mike Nolan


RE: Who will take Goldson’s place in the second group? “Darnell Bing and Vickiel Vaughn are the two guys working at that next spot.”

RE: How does Tarell Brown look? “He competes well. He has some size to him. He is young and makes mistakes like all young players do. We have put more demands on him since he is playing nickel corner. I don’t know if he has ever done that before. He is with the first nickel group. If you play nickel, your role is pretty important to the defense. If you play outside, it is just you and the receiver and you are one on one. When you get in the slot, you have to work with players. You are working with linebackers and safeties. It is a more complicated job and you need more reps in doing it.”

RE: Do you guys ever use six defensive backs? “Last year our entire sub package was six defensive backs. Chad Williams was the tight end side linebacker. This year we are trying to get both Patrick Willis and Manny (Lawson) on the field at the same time because of their size and coverage ability. Most people use a big safety, sort of like Michael Lewis when he was with Philadelphia.”

RE: Why did Arkee Whitlock go in before Michael Clayton? “Last week Thomas got to take the first handoffs and this week Whitlock did. Whitlock had 12 plays and Clayton had 27.”

RE: How did the communication go with your coordinators? “We left the defense like last week with Greg Manusky in the booth. We thought that was a good idea. On the offensive side, I thought it started out a little slow from a mechanics standpoint. It certainly didn’t seem to affect our offense because they did a nice job.”

RE: Has Alex stated a preference on whether he likes (Jim) Hostler down or up? “I haven’t asked him. I believe in the end, everyone is going to like the decision made, so I am not worried about it.”

RE: Do you have a timetable for when that decision will be made? “Right now, I am going to stay with the plan going into the preseason. We will look at it this week. The opposite will happen on offense (Hostler on the field). I would not like to be experimenting into the last week. It’s not going to be ego driven or give anyone preferential treatment, we are going to do what’s best for the team.”

RE: Did you see a better performance from your front seven in this game? “In the first group I did. I tell you this - this was probably the best game I have seen from Isaac Sopoaga. He did a nice job inside. He was disciplined in what he was supposed to do and he tried to do it every time. I was pleased with him. Ray McDonald has an outstanding quality in being quick off the ball. It’s amazing. He got called once for offside, but it is so close you can hardly tell. I don’t know if they tell him the snap count or what. That’s one of the reasons we drafted him because we saw that at the senior bowl as well. I haven’t seen it as much at practice. I think he was thinking too much about things, but in the game he was off on the ball. He still needs to work on technique and maintaining his gap and doing his job, because he is very quick. Ron Fields needs to do a better job. He wasn’t as consistent as the others. Most importantly I was excited about Isaac’s play and I saw the Ray McDonald we drafted as far as his quickness. We didn’t do a good job of setting the edge. There were more mental than physical errors. That was mostly the second group. Our first group did a pretty good job.”

RE: Do you want big outside linebackers so they can set the edge on running plays? “That is what everyone wants in a 3-4 defense. If you look at Dallas, New England, Pittsburgh and Baltimore, they all have big guys. If you are not big, you have to have a big wingspan like Manny (Lawson) has. Most guys that are good at that are ex defensive linemen. That is why you have a learning curve. It takes some time. Jay Moore is going through it. Parys Haralson is going through it. Once they get it, it is a great thing because you have a big, strong athletic guy who can rush.”

RE: Do you think Luke Getsy will play this preseason? “Before the preseason is over, he could. It might not be this week, but he might have an opportunity next week. I certainly wouldn’t rule it out this point.”

RE: Do you have a plan on how long you will play the starters? “I have something in mind, but I am going to wait until I say it. I would like to talk with the coaches first.”

RE: Would you like to have your lineup set going into the last exhibition? “Yes and no. Yes because you can solidify some things, but no because I like the competition that is going on. That is what the preseason is about. I am an advocate for four preseason games for good reason and I want to utilize them in that way. When you look at players from shorts to pads, it is kind of like evaluating them for the draft. You go to their games and see them play, then you coach them in the senior bowl and watch them in the combine and you meet them and find out who they are. We have practices and games still coming up so I am not in a hurry. I am pleased with the competition.”

RE: How did Joe Cohen play? “The coaches were pleased. I thought he did alright. The coaches pointed out things that they saw and they were accurate. Joe did a good job.”

RE: Status of Frank Gore? “It is the same.”