Kyle Shanahan Explains Why the 49ers Run Defense Can't Set Edges

If you've watched the 49ers defense recently, you've noticed it struggles stopping runs outside the tackles. This has been an issue all season.

Who's fault is this? Is it the defensive end's responsibility to set the edge in the 49ers' defensive scheme, or is someone else responsible for that job?

On Monday, Kyle Shanahan was asked about that on a conference call. Here's what he said, courtesy of the 49ers P.R. department.

Q: Are you seeing some a common denominator on some of the outside runs that the Packers and the Lions were running?

SHANAHAN: “Yeah, we haven't done very well, it’s been the common theme, on them. But people are going to get the edge when they block down on a defensive end. I thought there was a couple ones. I thought we did better with the crack tosses. There was a reverse yesterday on the fourth play of the game, one that we do a lot. The one that we call dope. That's a really tough reverse to stop. They pull a guard, they block two people down, which will get the edge, you will pin the defensive end, which they got with [DL Nick] Bosa. They'll block down on the next guy. Then they have a guy kick out. Then you need pursuit on the field and that play was disappointing to me because I thought our pursuit was as bad as it's been all year on both the two long runs. We did get the edge, not with the defensive end because they blocked down on him, but we get it with the next guy to turn it back. When he turned it back, our pursuit wasn't there. That was the biggest disappointing thing about both those touchdown runs.”

Q: On some of those plays the defensive end seems to be crashing down automatically. Is that the proper way to handle that? Are they coached to do that on some of those plays and on others they're kind of taking better care of the edge?

SHANAHAN: “Yeah, it depends on which play because they're all different. But like the reverse touchdown, it was a pulling guard with a fake away. So it looks like it's a run away and the tackle comes down. So you should be crashing down. Then you get the reverse to the wideout going the other way. So they turn back right into the pin block. The ones that immediately happen, they want to go at it, but they're still going to get pinned. The defensive ends, it's not defensive ends. When you crack down on that you are getting outside. It's our force player. That could be a cloud. It could be a strong safety in three deep. There's different things you can do with that. That’s why there isn't one clean answer. It depends on the scheme, depends on offensively and depends on the fronts and coverages you're playing. But for the most part, whoever is setting the edge, which it usually isn't the defensive end, our defensive ends are setting the edge when people aren't blocking down. But it's our clouds. It's our safeties. It's the pursuit of the backside because when someone does block down, that means someone's picked. And when someone's picked, everyone else can run over the top. We just have gotten crease too much and we better figure out a way to fix it.”

TRANSLATION: The safeties have been whiffing left and right, and the 49ers seriously miss Talanoa Hufanga, who tore his ACL and is out for the season.

This issue isn't going away.