Defensive Coordinator Nick Sorensen Press Conference

Defensive Coordinator Nick Sorensen

Press Conference – November 27, 2024

San Francisco 49ers

What stood out most when you’re watching film of the Green Bay game? Is it the missed tackles or I guess is that it?

“That’s one of them. It was just the tail of the halves with the run game, especially in the first half, tackling was a part. Early on we got got with a call, we tried to pressure there early, and it worked for them and not for us. So they got us. We could have tackled them for eight and then there was a really, really good open-field spin move. They got 18 out of it. So you’d like it to cut it to eight and not be an explosive. But they had got us there and then just some other plays in the run game early. We made some adjustments and fixed that in the second half. But it’s hard when you get behind like that. We didn’t take the ball. I think we had multiple ops. They made their ops, we didn’t. It makes a huge difference in the game. So when they can control every aspect of it, starting with the run game and then we didn’t, five for five in the redzone, you can’t do that. I don’t care how they get down there. We can’t. The list is pretty long in my book. We did some things good, but there’s a lot that we can be better at. And our guys know it. We’re determined and we’ve got to fix it.”

What’s your coaching style? You missed 19 tackles, you’re the coordinator. Do you start throwing stuff? Are you calm or you start calling guys out? What’s the process?

“I don’t, I’m not a yeller. It’s pretty evident. It’s coach it up and we’ got to fix it or find someone else that can do it. But I think in that game there was a consistent not running our feet. And I think a lot of it came down to the running back too. I think we knew going into it, we had to get body on body. But he was really good. He’s a really good jump cutter. He is good on the spin. He is as good as they get in the league, I think. So with us, that’s why I continue to work at tackling circuit every week. It’s hard when you don’t have the pads on so even when we take them off we’re still going to do it because you can go a whole practice and not really get that. So it’s emphasizing running your feet, wrap, squeeze, drive for five and it showed up in the game.”

You were a player, so there are no acceptable excuses, but are you seeing fatigue with the players because sometimes when guys fall off tackles it’s just they get to a certain point they’re running out of gas a little bit?

“I don’t see that. I don’t think that because our guys train hard and they’re prepared. I just think it’s the consciousness of you see so many times people approach a tackle, and we talked about sprint tackling earlier in the year when we talked about the tackling. Runners like that, that can jump cut, they want you to come up and come to balance where a lot of people think you need to come to balance, sit in a chair. But the best thing you can do is just keep going, keep running your feet. It’s just continually repping it and having that mindset of just accelerating through and not, if you stop, he will juke you. He will catch you on a jump cut and get you moved. Especially with him because he could run through an edge, like run through his shoulder because how fast he could reaccelerate. So it’s just applying what we already know and being as detailed as possible on executing it.”

After the game, LB Fred Warner said they presented different run looks than what we had prepared for in the first half. Can you expand on that? What did happen there?

“I think there were some formations. They didn’t do it quite as much leading up to it. And they did it a few times in the game. We had repped them during the week, but not quite as much. So that was part of the stuff that we had to fix and make those adjustments.”

Are those adjustments ongoing?

“Yeah, we’re always talking through stuff and do we need to change a call? We see it this way. That’s why you have the little pads on the sideline, and we talk through stuff, how we saw it, we’re talking with the guys upstairs, talking with the players. Some games you adjust, sometimes you don’t. There’s always continuous, it just depends.”

Can you address the 12-men-on-the-field penalties back-to-back?

“Yeah, it’s pure communication. It’s starts with me. We emphasize and we have to fix it. We’re doing all we can to do it. Starts with non-verbal, then it turns to verbal. Know who’s in, know who’s out and what personnel grouping, whether it’s nickel, base or you go with more D-Linemen. I think the first one was they were approaching the huddle in a way that, to me it seemed quicker because they had subbed, got to the huddle. And that’s something for me, I feel like we should be allowed to sub. We’re still working through what the exact rules on that are because they subbed late into the huddle. So, we need to be able to sub. There’s kind of an argument about it. And then the second one, there’s no excuse. There’s no excuse. Players, coaches, all of us.”

With the redzone and the goal line you talked about, what have you seen out of the goal line defense this year? Are there any strides or is it simple breakdowns or what’s gone wrong?

“I feel like we’re getting hits on guys. It’s not like super easy. You just can’t let him get that many shots. And the closer you get, the harder it gets. We’re like hitting a guy but it’s on the one or the two and you keep getting a yard and a yard. It’s really cool if it was on the 15 and you hit them and they get a yard and you’re like, ‘alright, it’s second and nine.’ Or if they do it again, ‘okay, cool, it’s third and eight,’ but you’re down low. So, we’ve got to do our best to not let them get in the low, low and continue to find ways to execute the right way so they don’t get a touchdown. It’s a four-point difference. It’s a huge difference, especially with that many of them.”

What’s the challenge this week? Buffalo’s scored 30, I think, in five straight games and they picked up Buffalo Bills WR Amari Cooper, they got a couple different backs, the quarterback can run. What do they look like on film?

“It’s all that. I think it starts with [Buffalo Bills QB] Josh Allen. I think he continues to get better. He’s all what he’s always been, effective, being able to run and scramble and find guys. The difference I think with him this year is just being more effective. He’s grown as far as being able to throw on time. If you give him something, he has the arm to be able to rip it, wherever that given throw is. But he’s really good at moving guys in zones and being pinpoint accurate with it, but how fast and how he can accelerate the throws. And then with him it’s his size and his speed, the ability to throw it on the run, especially down the field. A lot of guys don’t have that vision downfield. I feel like he sees that really, really well and he can throw it really, really well. And he can find a gap that he needs to escape, but then also still stay alive. And in certain situations, he can run you over or he can slide. So, you have to be ready for both and be able to react to both.”

You’ve been doing this a long time as a player and a coach, you know how this works. The team goes to the Super Bowl and now they’re 5-6. There are all sorts of criticism for everybody and you’re getting some, ‘what’s wrong with this defensive coordinator?’ How would you assess your performance and just kind of how you’ve done this year?

“I’m just focused on each week. Honestly that’s the truth. If we don’t win, I feel like it’s not good enough. That’s the truth. That’s all I care about. I don’t know all the numbers, whatever. I’m not here to assess where I’m at. I’m about, are we winning? And then, are we getting better? Are we working hard to get better and are we winning the game? So if we don’t win, it’s not good enough. It’s never going to be perfect so we can always coach it and get better. I feel like our guys have gotten better because we’ve had some new guys and I like to see the development of them, but it’s not about moral victories in that way. It’s good to see our guys grow. I’m really proud of them and that they battle, and they get better. And I think as a unit we are getting better. You want to see it applied and win the game.”