Nick Sorensen Discusses the 49ers' Communication Issues on Defense

Sounds like a poorly coached defense.

May 10, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen holds a press conference before the 49ers rookie minicamp at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. Mandatory Credit: Robert Kupbens-Imagn Images / Robert Kupbens-Imagn Images

On Thursday, defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen was asked to explain the 49ers' communication issues. Here's a transcript of his responses, courtesy of the 49ers' p.r. department.

Q: There were several times this year where veteran players were quoted as saying there were communication issues. What do you do to address that with the guys you have on the roster and the people that you’re potentially going to have on the roster next year?

SORENSEN: “Yeah, we just, it's frustrating. And then that's why those veteran guys say that, we're all frustrated with it. It shows up and it's, sometimes it's different people, but it's immediately they know that they shouldn't have done that. So a lot of it is, the continue to push is the pre-snap communication is everything because most guys, if he's off the ball, he's probably going to move. So there's got to be, we just have to keep being better at it. And it's, you can't do it after the play. It's got to happen before. And then when it happens, someone starts moving during the play then you've already expected it, you've already pre-thought it. It's just something we’ve got to keep getting better at. And it hasn't, it's kind of shown up in critical parts of critical games.”

Q: Is it repetition, repetition?

SORENSEN: “It is, it is. Like anything, if it's young guys or new guys, it starts with me and then the coaching and then the players have to execute. But it's a culmination of all that.”

ME: On fourth-and-goal from the four, what was the breakdown on that play and why not call man-to-man coverage to try to take away the quick throw?

SORENSEN: “Well, the zones were working pretty good. It was a different zone, but we had played man before on the two-point play and had a bust. So, there are certain things that go throughout the game and then based on what they did, we should have it figured out, we just didn't. We didn’t kind of push wide enough in our cloud and that’s basically what it turned into. A lot of times when I'm in doubt, I like to go man, but you can't do that all the time. And there were a lot of those, like you said with the breakdown, sometimes you’ve got to mix it up. Or if you do it all the time, then guys can scheme you. So you’ve got to, just based on the situation.”

MY TAKE: It sounds like the 49ers have missed assignments and busted coverages whether Sorensen calls man or zone. And that sounds like a poorly coached defense.

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