I’ve been writing weekly mailbags for more than a decade, so I know this to be true: Reader questions are always juicier after a loss than after a win.
Maybe that’s because there are way more questions — nearly 100 this week.
Thanks for all the great queries, which range from how Jim Schwartz has been consistently able to outfox Kyle Shanahan over the last 15 years to why the San Francisco 49ers’ vaunted defense seemed to flag in Cleveland.
As always, questions have been slightly edited for clarity and length.
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Why do you think Schwartz’s defenses are so good against Shanahan? — Joe B.
I’m sure a lot of people have seen the stat by now: Shanahan is 1-8 in games in which he’s the primary play caller and Schwartz is either the defensive coordinator or head coach. And his lone win was no offensive masterpiece. His Houston Texans won 13-12 over Schwartz’s Tennessee Titans in 2008.
One of the issues is that the Schwartz defense uses a Wide 9 alignment along the defensive line. It places a defensive end wide of the formation, which usually takes away the outside stretch runs that are the bread and butter of Shanahan’s running game.
The 49ers, for example, attempted a few outside runs Sunday in Cleveland, including jet sweeps by Deebo Samuel and later by Ray-Ray McCloud III. But they mostly tried attacking Cleveland’s defense between the tackles.
Schwartz’s scheme, of course, isn’t going to work well unless he has the right personnel, and he happens to have excellent pieces this year in Cleveland. The 49ers gained just 215 yards, the lowest in any Shanahan-Schwartz clash so far.
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To further put that number in perspective, the previous low was the 238 yards the 49ers gained when they visited the Schwartz-led Philadelphia Eagles defense in 2017. The 49ers were devoid of talent that year. Then-rookie C.J. Beathard was the quarterback and, due to injuries, the 49ers played the game with Garry Gilliam, Zane Beadles and Erik Magnuson along the offensive line.
The 49ers can expect to see the Wide 9 when they visit the Eagles on Dec. 3. (And again in the playoffs?)
Is the rain an issue for Brock Purdy? If so, how can they correct it? — Josh R.
Build a roof.
What’s Purdy’s hand size? — Mike D.
His mitts are 9 1/4 inches, which is just below average for an NFL starter. Some other players with the same size hands:
Patrick Mahomes
Jimmy Garoppolo
Baker Mayfield
Joshua Dobbs
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Going back to his college days, how much was the wet ball a factor for Purdy? Do we have a Troy Aikman situation on our hands? — Prutact G.
He had one real soaker at Iowa State, which came against Drake (the Bulldogs compete in the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League) in December 2018. The then-freshman handled the slop fairly well, completing 15 of 22 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown.
Notably, he wore a glove that day. So did Joe Burrow when the Cincinnati Bengals played in rainy Cleveland earlier this year. Burrow’s hands are 9 inches, among the smallest of an NFL starter.
Do you think teams will start dousing their home field with a hose when the 49ers come to town? Will arenas install a sprinkler system on the roof? — James G.
I heard Nick Sirianni is asking Eagles fans to bring water balloons to the Dec. 3 game. (And it being Philly, you better hope they fill them with water.)
Did you see enough from Purdy to feel confident in him winning the 49ers a game when they are losing before the last drive? — Ben W.
I thought that last drive was the best drive. The Purdy-to-Brandon Aiyuk connection finally got rolling and Aiyuk seemed like he was a half-step away from breaking a big touchdown. Purdy did his job against a strong defense and without two of his top four targets. Yes, I thought it was encouraging.
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I would love insight into why the 49ers are playing McCloud over Ronnie Bell. Bell certainly runs more like Samuel, and would be a better option than McCloud on screens. The jet sweep I get, but why only one snap for Bell? He seems like a guy built for a Cleveland game. — Matthew P.
It’s partly because McCloud is Samuel’s backup during the week. He did a lot of Samuel-like things at Clemson — lining up in the backfield, jet sweeps, etc. — albeit with a much lighter body.
But when Aiyuk missed the Week 3 game against the New York Giants, the 49ers also largely turned to McCloud, even though Bell is Aiyuk’s backup in practice. McCloud started the game and played 38 snaps. Bell played 31.
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Afterward, I asked Shanahan why McCloud, who ended up with zero targets against the Giants, started. I was wondering why he got the nod over not only Bell but also Jauan Jennings.
“We’ve got a lot of confidence in Ray-Ray,” Shanahan said. “He was having a hell of a camp before he got hurt. He’s come back, he’s had two good weeks since he’s gotten back and we planned on rotating him. I haven’t checked the numbers yet, but we were going into the game expecting it to be around 50-50. I don’t know what it ended up, but we had a lot of confidence in both Ray-Ray and Ronnie to step up and split those duties at X (receiver).”
I’d have to guess that some of the decision-making revolves around how exacting Shanahan is when it comes to rookie receivers. Remember Aiyuk’s experience? Shanahan had to play him a lot as a rookie because he had so few options at the position. Then he famously gave Aiyuk the rookie treatment early the next season.
I’m not saying Bell is being punished. I’m saying he has to reach a very high bar to be considered one of the top options.
So far, the run defense doesn’t seem to be that great. Any reason why? — Sunny D.
Well, the run defense wasn’t very good on Sunday. But the 49ers are only giving up 80.2 yards a game on the ground, which is sixth best in the league. And that’s including the Browns’ 160-yard game.
Why were the Browns so effective? As noted above, they run the same defensive front as the 49ers, so they were well-versed in it. And while the 49ers mostly avoided wide runs, Cleveland attacked San Francisco’s edges, usually with success.
Most of all, the 49ers never built a big lead, which allowed the Browns to be persistent with the run. Most of San Francisco’s opponents this year have virtually abandoned the ground game in the second half. Not the Browns.
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Second-half rushing attempts:
Week 1, Steelers: 5
Week 2, Rams: 9
Week 3, Giants: 6
Week 4, Cardinals: 10
Week 5, Cowboys: 12
Week 6, Browns: 19
Was the loss just a one-off, bad game or a more concerning exposure of the team’s vulnerabilities? Going in, it felt like the team was thinking about all-time greatness. Now … maybe still great, but more in the mix with a lot of other teams. — Torsten S.
I liken the Browns game to last year’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. No, it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison. The 49ers were pretty beat up for the 2022 game (no Nick Bosa), and the Falcons got a stronger performance from Marcus Mariota than the Browns got from P.J. Walker. (Psst: Walker is not good. He may not even be average.)
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But the Falcons shoved the 49ers around like the Browns did on Sunday, and like Cleveland, they leaned heavily on their running game. Fred Warner noted that other teams will likely try to attack the 49ers like the Browns did, and the defense will have to adjust. So in that way, you can look at it as a reset.
The next two games will be good challenges. The 49ers might have to face the Minnesota Vikings without the nucleus of their offense, Christian McCaffrey. Then they’ll have a short week to prepare for the Bengals and Burrow, whose calf issue seems to be improving by the week.
Bosa’s production was terrible on Sunday. His Pro Football Focus (PFF) pass-rush win rate was below 9 percent compared to 25-35 percent normally. Has he addressed the reasons why? — James G.
Terrible is a relative term. He wasn’t as effective as he normally is, but he did have a key sack and a batted pass.
ESPN has a pass-rush win rate statistic. Bosa’s is 21 percent. He ranks 15th among edge rushers, just below Maxx Crosby and just ahead of T.J. Watt.
How does Javon Hargrave look so far? — Josh L.
According to PFF, he’s been the second-best interior pass rusher behind the Rams’ Aaron Donald. Four defensive tackles have more pressures than Hargrave’s 21: Donald (30), the New York Jets’ Quinnen Williams (25), the Titans’ Jeffery Simmons (25) and the Eagles’ Jalen Carter (23).
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A couple of wasted third-round picks? Tackle Blake Freeland is playing well for Indianapolis while San Francisco tight end Cameron Latu is, well … — Adam O.
If I was a betting man — and thank goodness I’m not — I would have put my money on the 49ers taking Freeland with one of their three third-round picks this year. The Colts took him early in the fourth round.
He’s started the last three games. I haven’t watched any of them, so I can’t judge how well he’s played. But according to PFF, he’s allowed 13 quarterback pressures in that span. Colton McKivitz has given up 11 in twice as many starts.
Do advanced stats show George Kittle getting less separation? Seems strange he’d have such a small impact in a game without Samuel, although I know he chipped their D-ends a lot. — Ross H.
I couldn’t find anything useful as far as separation numbers. But I don’t think that’s the issue. The issue is passing targets. He’s had three or fewer targets in three of six games this year. He had three or fewer targets in three of 18 games last season.
That’s due in part to chipping at the line of scrimmage. He’s never going to be the first option when he’s delayed at the line. And it’s also partly due to Purdy going elsewhere with the ball.
Kittle was wide open in the end zone in Week 4 against the Cardinals when Purdy threw to an open McCaffrey, who would have scored a touchdown if he hadn’t been dragged down via his face mask. You also probably heard analyst Greg Olsen note that Kittle was wide open on a snap on Sunday on which Purdy went to Aiyuk for 33 yards, the 49ers’ longest passing play of the game.
If Sam Darnold tries to resurrect his career as a starter elsewhere, what do you think the strategy will be for the QB room going forward? Any appetite for a mid-round QB as No. 2? — Andy R.
I think that was the lure of Brandon Allen this year. He’s someone the 49ers would feel comfortable with as the No. 2 quarterback, or at least competing to be the No. 2. Of course, Allen also is scheduled to be a free agent in March.
A rookie? Yes, I think it’s smart to have a young quarterback in the chute. And who knows? Perhaps there’s another veteran like Darnold who would be eager to get a career reset under Shanahan. Drew Lock? Jameis Winston? Dobbs?
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How many chances do you think Jake Moody gets before they make a move? This could be a blip, but what if it isn’t? — Alex A.
The 49ers won’t give Moody a quick hook. But if he has more hiccups — like every rookie kicker since Justin Tucker seems to have — they have Robbie Gould’s phone number. I have no doubt Robbie is kicking field goals in some Chicagoland park while you read this.
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Note: Like Moody, Tucker has missed two field goals this season. He’s 11-of-13, Moody is 10-of-12.
Ethical question: Are you allowed to wake up napping grandparents by screaming, “Noooooo!” when Moody missed the field goal? — Ben Y.
Getting startled awake once every six weeks seems reasonable.
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(Top photo of Kyle Shanahan: Frank Jansky / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)