DeMeco Ryans Reveals why Charvarius Ward Doesn't Shadow No. 1 Receivers
Charvarius Ward has been a tremendous addition to the 49ers.
Their defense has benefitted so much from his stout coverage and ability to defend against the run adequately. Looking back at the 49ers defense last year, they were hurting from a lack of a good cornerback. Ward has anchored that for them this year by turning a variable position into a constant.
However, Ward isn't asked to shadow an offense's No. 1 wide receiver. Now, he did do so against the Seahawks versus D.K. Metcalf and he put the clamps on him. It was the first time all season he has But Ward didn't shadow Davante Adams when the 49ers faced the Raiders. It would've been better to task Ward to travel with Adams throughout the game.
Instead, Deommodore Lenoir was forced to defend one of the best receivers in the game on several occasions. Adams probably doesn't have as monstrous of a game if Ward shadows him. So why don't the 49ers assign Ward to do so?
DeMeco Ryans revealed why Ward doesn't shadow No. 1 receivers.
“When it comes to traveling, all of that is pretty much dictated on coverage," said Ryans. "So it could be, coverage that Mooney is traveling and it may not be, so it is all gameplanning. It's all based on different calls and it's not the same call every time we line up, so there will be different looks. We won't give an offense the same look. We won't be that predictable all the time and whoever lines up out there is expected to just make the plays, play with the proper technique that they're supposed to play with. That's what we expect. It doesn't matter who lines up across from you.”
Ryans has a brilliant mind with scheme, technique, and understanding opposing offense, but he is dead wrong with this one. It definitely does matter which receiver lines up across certain defensive backs. Some present clear-cut mismatches that not even the scheme can aid them. This past week against Adams proved that. I get why Ryans doesn't have Ward or anyone else shadow. Having anyone do that for the whole game can be predictable.
But at the very least, Ryans can uptick the amount of times Ward can shadow and make adjustments accordingly. The gap between Lenoir and Ward in skill is vast. Adams most likely still decimates the 49ers defense this past week with Ward on him, but at least there would've been a better chance at limiting the damage. Looking around the league, defensive coordinators don't normally ask their top corners to shadow top receivers nearly as much as in years past. Still, there are times like against someone of Adams' caliber that shadowing is necessary.
Take the Packers for an example. They had Jaire Alexander, their best corner, travel with Justin Jefferson for most if not the whole game. Now, he most likely wasn't on an island for the whole time, but Jefferson didn't do anything productive in that game. Again, I am not saying Ward would've done this to Adams or any other elite receiver in the future, but it gives the 49ers defense a significantly better chance at limiting damage.
Hopefully Ryans will consider this when the 49ers are in the playoffs.
