Former Super Bowl guard on 49ers defense: ‘This is dangerous’
Another (Sun)day, another raft of superlatives and rose petals tossed at the feet of the 49ers defense.
You could dig into the numbers if you wish — the 49ers are holding opponents to 224 yards per game, and 4.12 yards per play, both league leading figures (by the width of a Wheaties flake over New England in both categories).
Interesting, but you don’t need a spreadsheet to confirm what your eyes tell you. Quantifying the San Francisco defense is visceral.
Alex Boone, who played guard for six seasons with the 49ers, starting in the team’s most recent Super Bowl, is hip.
“I mean, these guys like to be physical,” Boone said Monday morning on the “Joe, Lo and Dibs” show on 95.7 The Game. “They’re fierce, they’re violent, they’re working with each other. There’s no one guy that takes the reins on this, you know? And that’s the thing that sticks out for me, that it’s a whole collective. And when you can see a group really working for a common goal, everybody gets highlighted.”
Not disagreeing with Boone, but if any one of these defenders is destined to grab the reins and command the spotlight, my money is on Nick Bosa. Watch, learn and try not to damage the floor with your jaw:
Color Shannon Sharpe a believer as well.
“The San Francisco 49ers are legit,” Sharpe said Monday on ESPN’s Undisputed. “Their front seven is legit. Nick Bosa is the real deal. I don’t believe they’re going 16-0. Would I be surprised if they went 14-2? Absolutely not.”
Quick shot of the 1972 Miami Dolphins nervously giving their stash of champagne the side eye. Now back to the 49ers defense.
“This season didn’t start out and everybody was like, ‘All these guys are going to be great,'” Boone said. “That’s not what has happened, but now everyone’s like, ‘Hey, wait a minute, their back end is pretty serious, and their front end is even more serious, and these linebackers can go sideline to sideline.
“This is dangerous.'”
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