Film Room: Moore vs. Smith, etc.

This week in Film Room, the spotlight is on outside linebacker Manny Lawson. Also, there's been some controversy over Derek Smith starting over Brandon Moore at inside linebacker. So rather than make an argument one way or another, I've tracked both of them through each defensive play.

1st Series

1st down: W. Harris picks off Leinart, returns it 20 yards to the AZ 7.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RG.

Lawson reads pass and drops back into coverage. Doesn’t see Harris catch the ball, but quickly realizes what’s going on, turns around and hustles down the field to help block. D. Smith sits down in zone coverage at midfield, does not block on the return.

2nd Series

1st and 10: Shipp runs for 14 yards over RT.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over LT.

Lawson charges into the backfield on the snap, but Leinart, Arrington (in motion) and Shipp are all there and he doesn’t see the ball fast enough to react as Shipp runs past him.

D. Smith lines up on the LT’s side, but he doesn’t make it through the trash fast enough to be a factor.

Truthfully, this play was Patrick Willis’ fault. He thought the ball was going inside when it was going outside. He hesitated for a second, and that was a second too long.

1st and 10: James runs for 8 yards over RT.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside LT, Smith over LG.

Lawson reads run, stands his ground against the TE (play not to his side). D. Smith gets blocked by the LG, slides towards the play, doesn’t make the tackle. Trips over Willis and takes a spill as the play ends.

2nd and 2: Leinart shovels to James, who makes the catch but fumbles. Arizona recovers.

Formation: 4-2-5 Nickel, Smith over RT, Moore at RDE.

D. Smith reads pass, drops into coverage. James catches the ball right in front of him. Smith is close enough to paw at the ball once, but amazingly does not make the tackle as James runs away from him. Luckily Willis is there.

Interesting formation on this one with Tully Banta-Cain, Aubrayo Franklin, Isaac Sopoaga and Bryant Young as the four down linemen. Banta-Cain broke through a double team for the pressure. W. Harris had the ball in his hands, but dropped it and the Cardinals fell on it.

1st and 10: Arrington runs over LT for a loss of 2.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RT.

Lawson comes unblocked on a blitz (along with Michael Lewis) and chases the play down from behind, tackling Arrington in the backfield for a 2 yard loss. D. Smith reads run, slides toward the ball, but gets pancaked (sort of) by RG Deuce Lutui.

2nd and 12: James runs over LG for a gain of 2.

Formation: 4-2-5 Nickel, Smith over LT.

D. Smith sits out at midfield and lets the action come to him, but TE Pope (all 6’7” of him) comes and blocks him out of the play.

3rd and 10: Leinart throws a long incompletion down the middle of the field.

Formation: 3-3-5 Nickel, Lawson at LOLB, Moore at MLB

Lawson drops into coverage. B. Moore lines up as RDE, but before the snap stands up and runs out to MLB. Then he comes on a blitz to the left side of the line but is walled off by a double-team of the LT and FB.

This is a potentially great formation for the Niners. Banta-Cain was at LDE, Franklin at LB, Young at NT, and Moore at RDE. Franklin came in before the snap and put his hand down in a 3-point stance at the NT spot, Young slid out to RDE, and Moore dropped back to MLB. The backers were Lawson, Moore, and Willis. Interesting way to disguise the nickel by Manusky.

3rd Series

1st and 10: James runs up the middle for 5 yards.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RT

Lawson reads run and goes up against TE Leonard Pope. He holds his ground, but doesn’t really get in on the play. Smith takes on the FB’s lead block, slides to his right and gets an assist on the tackle.

2nd and 5: James runs over RT for a gain of 1.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RG

Lawson, up against TE Pope, stands his ground on a run to his side which goes absolutely nowhere. Smith drifts forward and basically jumps on the pile after Franklin makes a great play to shed C Johnson’s block and make the hit on Edge at the line of scrimmage.

3rd and 4: Leinart from the shotgun passes short right to Boldin for 5 yards.

Formation: 4-1-6 Dime, Moore at RDE

B. Moore gets a good push against RT Levi Brown, but C Johnson slides over to help and Moore can’t break the double-team.

1st and 10: Leinart passes short left to WR Fitzgerald for 2 yards.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside LT, Smith over LG.

Lawson plays containment in the flat, but Clements wraps Fitzgerald up instantly, so there’s no chance for anyone else to be in on it. Lawson was the next closest to the play. Smith reads short pass or screen and heads after Leinart, but doesn’t get very close as the LT gets in the way.

2nd and 8: Leinart scrambles left for a gain of 4.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over LT

Lawson drops into zone coverage. Smith comes on a delayed blitz, gets held by the LT, but still manages to get off the block and chase Leinart out of bounds.

3rd down: Leinart scrambles left for 1 yard.

Formation: 3-2-6 Dime, Moore over Center

Moore sneaks up on the left side and blitzes with Willis. As he closes in for the sack, Arrington goes for his knees on a cut block. Moore gets up and pulls Leinart down by the jersey. Great play, should have been a sack.

On the ensuing punt, Lewis runs into the kicker giving Arizona another first down. Mike Nolan is not amused.

1st down: James sweeps right for a gain of 4.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RG.

Lawson drops back from the line before the snap, in man-to-man coverage on Boldin. Boldin comes out and blocks him, but he holds his ground until Levi Brown comes and helps out to push Lawson back.

Smith drifts toward the play, gets blocked by RG Lutui, but forces James to make a cut right into the waiting arms of Willis and Sopoaga.

2nd and 6: James runs over the LT for a gain of 12.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside LT, Smith over LG.

Lawson reads run and stands his ground, but the LT grabs jersey and James runs past. Smith drifts to his right (the offense’s left), runs around a block, but only gets one arm on James’ leg as the RB barrels past.

1st and 10: Boldin lines up at QB in the shotgun, takes the snap and runs right for 14.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RT.

Lawson draws a double team and gets pushed out of the play. Smith reads the play perfectly and has a clear shot at Boldin about 4 yards past the line of scrimmage, but Boldin exposes Smith’s limited range and just plain out-accelerates him. Truth is, Willis or Moore probably would have made this play.

1st and 10: James runs over the LT for a gain of 2.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside LT, Smith over LG.

Lawson stands his ground, sheds the TE’s block and makes the tackle. Great play. Smith is neutralized by LG Wells' block.

2nd and 8: James runs up the middle for a gain of 2.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside LT, Smith over RT.

Lawson drops into coverage. Smith drifts to his left (offense’s right) and slides in to make a nice tackle.

3rd and 6: Leinart throws for WR Johnson, pass broken up by FS Roman.

Formation: 4-2-5 Nickel, Lawson over LT, Moore outside RT

Lawson drops into middle zone coverage. Moore stunts around Young, but gets double-teamed by C Johnson and RG Lutui. He fights his way around them, but far too late.

Banta-Cain had nice pressure on this play, but Leinart spun away at the last second. He definitely should have had a sack here for a loss of about 8, though.

4th Series

1st and 10: Leinart throws center to TE Pope for a gain of 5.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson 3 yards off the LOS covering Boldin, Smith over LG.

Lawson bumps Boldin at the line, drops into coverage, assists on the tackle. Smith reads pass, sits down in zone coverage, wraps Pope up instantly after the catch.

2nd and 5: James runs over RT for a gain of 5.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over LG.

Lawson pinches down toward the Center, but the run is behind him. Smith drifts toward the play unblocked and is less than a yard away from James, but James runs right by him without getting touched.

1st and 10: James running left, cuts inside for a gain of 6.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside LT, Smith over LG.

Lawson gets blocked at the LOS, but doesn’t budge an inch, forcing James to cut inside. Smith drifts toward the play, but can’t get through the trash after James makes the cut. LG Lutui comes in and cheap shots him from the blind side even though the play is past them and basically over.

2nd down: Leinart passes right to TE Pope for a gain of 1.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RG.

Lawson comes off the edge on a blitz, but Brown slides out and walls him off. Smith drops into midfield coverage and is about two yards away when Clements makes the tackle.

1st and 10: James runs left for a 7 yard TD.

Formation: 4-4-3, Smith over LG

Smith reads the play perfectly, but instead of plugging the hole he runs right into Soap and the LT. James runs past for the TD.

Note: Willis was hit by a pulling guard. He shed the block, but got pancaked by the FB who was next through the hole. He still managed to grab James’ legs and drag him down, except James fell a yard deep into the endzone. Clements latched on too, but James was already falling forward.

5th Series

1st and 15: Leinart throws a screen Boldin in the right flat for a gain of 7.

Formation: 3-4, Lawson over slot, moves outside RT, Smith right by Banta-Cain over LT

Lawson comes on the snap, but Leinart gets the screen out behind him. Manny spins and runs toward the play, but isn’t a factor as Boldin is tripped up by W. Harris after gaining 7 yards. Smith comes on a blitz, engages the LT Gandy, slides nicely off the block in the direction of the ball, but the play is over before he gets close.

2nd and 8: Leinart throws center to Fitzgerald for a gain of 6.

Formation: 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over Center.

Lawson drops into man coverage with TE Pope. Smith drops into zone coverage at midfield, tackles Fitzgerald by the ankles. People complain about Smith making ankle tackles, but this was actually a good play as he saw the ball in the air from a couple yards away and ran in for the stop.

3rd and 2: Leinart scrambles but gets sacked by Banta-Cain and Douglas for a loss of one.

Formation: 4-1-6 Dime, Moore at RDE

Moore bull rushes RT Levi Brown, pushes him back about three yards, disengages as he sees Leinart on the move and gives chase only to get a shove from the blind side by Cardinals LT Gandy.

Arizona got a 1st down off a phantom illegal contact penalty on CB Spencer. Even Fitzgerald had no idea what the flag was for -- he saw it in the air and turned to the referee with confused body-language. Nolan was so not amused. CB Hudson came on a nice blitz and speed-rushed around Gandy for the pressure that got Leinart running.

1st and 10: Leinart scrambles left for a gain of 6.

Formation: 4-1-6 Dime, Moore at RDE

Moore is pretty much stonewalled by RT Brown, but gives chase when he sees Leinart on the run. He was too far away to be a factor on the play.

DT Douglas should have had a sack on this play, but RG Wells shoved him in the back as he broke through towards the QB. Adding insult to injury, Wells then put his head down and went for Douglas’ legs, but missed. Banta-Cain was responsible for collapsing the pocket with a nice bull-rush on LT Gandy.

2nd and 4: Arrington runs up the middle for 2 yards.

Formation: 4-1-6 Dime, Moore at RDE.

Moore rushes upfield, but it’s a draw and he’s out of the play.

ILB Willis outright abused Arrington on this solo tackle. Golic and Ditka then praised him effusively.

3rd down: Arrington runs right for a gain of one.

Formation: 4-1-6 Dime, Moore at RDE

Moore gets pancaked by Boldin on a brutal crack-back.

K. Lewis almost blocks the ensuing punt.

End of the half.

Second Half

1st series

1st and 20: After two consecutive false starts, Leinart throws incomplete short middle.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RT

Lawson gets chipped by TE Pope, then blocked by RB James. Smith comes unblocked on a delayed blitz and is a step away from Leinart before the throw.

2nd and 20: After Willis blows up the play, Leinart dumps a screen to Shipp for 7 yards.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RG

Lawson drops into zone coverage, runs all the way across the field and devastates Shipp by the left sideline. Smith comes on a blitz right behind Willis, crashes through C Johnson’s block, chases Shipp after the ball is thrown, dives at Shipp’s ankles but belly-flops to the turf. Good play, but marred by his inability to run with the RB.

This is the play that Willis flew through and destroyed.

2nd and 24: Arrington runs up the middle for 5 yards.

Formation: 4-2-5 Nickel, Smith over LT

Smith drops into zone coverage, reads run and comes over a step behind Willis who makes the tackle. Afterward he points at Willis and slaps him five with body language that seems to say, “See? Just like I told you, kid. Great job.”

Great line by Mike Greenberg, “To call this series ugly would be an insult to ugly series everywhere.” C Johnson was injured on this play.

3rd and 19: Leinart throws incomplete short left.

Formation: 4-2-5 Nickel, Lawson at ILB, Moore over RT

Lawson drops off the screen into deep coverage.

Moore spins past Brown, chases down Leinart and throws him to the grass. This should have been a sack and a safety, but Leinart half-threw the ball as he was going down. There was no intentional grounding flag even though he was between the tackles, as the ball was vaguely in the direction of the fullback. Great play.

2nd series

1st and 10: James runs right for 1 yard.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RG

Lawson busts through the TE‘s block and tackles James right at the line of scrimmage. Smith reads run, but gets caught in trash.

2nd and 9: Leinart throws left to Boldin for a gain of 6.

Formation: 4-2-5 Nickel, Smith over LT

Smith drops into mid-zone coverage, breaks toward Boldin as the ball is thrown and arrives a half-step behind Spencer who makes a clean solo tackle.

Interesting blitz here, with Young, Sopoaga, Franklin, and Banta-Cain as down linemen. Willis comes on the snap over the RT Brown while Banta-Cain picks his hand up on the snap and drops into coverage.

3rd and 8: After a false start, Leinart throws incomplete short right.

Formation: 3-3-5 Nickel, Lawson at MLB over center, Moore at OLB over LT.

Lawson drops into coverage. Moore comes on the snap side by side with Willis, but the overloaded blitz causes a pile and Moore can’t find a way around it. Meanwhile, the replacement Center pancakes him with help from LT Gandy.

Manusky sent Moore, Willis, and Banta-Cain all simultaneously through LT Gandy, but Banta-Cain knocked over LG Wells with a spin move and Wells created a small pileup that ultimately prevented Willis and Moore from reaching the QB. Good idea. This play will be a sack for a loss one of these games instead of a pileup.

3rd series

1st and 10: Leinart throws short center to Bienemann for 6 yards.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RG

Lawson drops into coverage, but closes instantly on the TE after the catch and assists Roman on the tackle. Smith comes unblocked on a blitz, but the ball is gone by the time he reaches Leinart.

2nd down: James runs left for 3 yards.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over LG

Lawson holds his ground against TE Pope’s block, but the run is to the opposite side of the field. Smith slides toward the play but gets walled off by C Sendlein.

3rd and inches: Leinart sneaks up the middle for 1 yard.

Formation: Pinched 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over C.

Lawson and Smith both angle toward the center, but the Arizona line outpushes the Niner line.

1st and 10: Leinart throws incomplete short right.

Formation: 3-4 Under, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RT.

Lawson drops deep into man coverage on TE Pope. Smith drifts out to cover the flat.

2nd and 10: Leinart throws incomplete right.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over LT

Lawson stunts through the middle and pressures Leinart out of the pocket. Gets pushed in the back just as he gets close. Smith drops into middle zone coverage.

This was the play when Willis ran up and blew Leinart away.

3rd and 10: Leinart throws left to Johnson for 12 yards.

Formation: 3-3-5 Nickel, Lawson over the slot WR, Moore at MLB.

Lawson drops into man coverage and shows up a step away as Spencer makes the tackle. Moore comes on a blitz, bull-rushes LG Wells back into Leinart’s face and gets an arm up as the ball is thrown, but he doesn’t bat it down.

1st and 10: James runs up the middle for 1 yard.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RG

Lawson holds his ground against TE Pope’s block, but doesn’t go anywhere. Smith hops over a stumbling G, but the play is over too quick for him to be a factor.

2nd and 9: Leinart throws incomplete deep center. M. Lewis drops the interception.

Formation: 3-4 Over, Lawson over LT, Smith over C.

Lawson drops into mid-zone coverage. Smith comes on a blitz and blows up RB James in the backfield, but doesn’t get to Leinart in time for the sack. Good pressure, though.

3rd and 9: Leinart throws long and incomplete to the left. Hudson drops the interception.

Formation: 3-2-6 Dime, Moore at ILB over C.

Moore shows blitz, but drops into mid-zone coverage.

Clever formation here, and it was the only time Moore dropped into coverage all game.

4th series

1st and 10: James up the middle for 6 yards.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside LT, Smith over LG

Lawson gets both double-teamed and held (no call) as James runs through the LG. Smith reads the play correctly and comes up for the stop, but gets pancaked by TE Pope. In his defense, the block was kind of a blindside.

2nd and 4: James runs left for 10 yards.

Formation: 4-2-5 Nickel, Smith over LT.

Smith gets spun on a block by the C, but recovers and trips up James as he passes.

1st and 10: Play-action, Leinart throws middle incomplete.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside LT, Smith over C

Lawson is blocked by the TE Pope. May have been in man-coverage on him. Smith bites a little on the fake, but drifts to zone coverage.

2nd and 10: James runs left for 2 yards.

Formation: 3-3-5 Nickel, Smith at OLB outside LT

Smith stands his ground against TE Pope’s block, clogs up the running lane pretty good.

Very creative formation by Manusky here. Young, Franklin, and Sopoaga were on the line with Banta-Cain and Smith as the outside linebackers and Willis on the inside.

End of the 3rd Quarter

3rd down: Leinart dumps the ball off to James who runs for a gain of 13.

Formation: 4-1-6 Dime, Moore at RDE

Moore gets a good push against a double-team, but doesn’t go far enough to bother Leinart who is back in the shotgun.

1st and 10: Flea flicker, Leinart throws a deep incompletion into double coverage.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RG

Lawson bites on the flea-flicker and goes to tackle James. By the time he realizes it’s a pass, the ball is gone. Smith doesn’t bite and stays in zone coverage.

2nd and 10: Leinart throws middle to Pope for 5 yards.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RG

Lawson sprints past Pope unblocked, but Leinart throws the ball almost instantly. Smith comes on a blitz and gets his hands in the air as the ball comes out, but doesn’t knock it down.

3rd down: Leinart throws middle incomplete.

Formation: 4-1-6 Dime, Moore at RDE

Moore gets upfield quick, but Leinart is in the shotgun and gets rid of the ball quickly.

5th series

1st and 10: James runs left for 3 yards.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside LT, Smith over LG.

Lawson stands his ground against a block. James runs to his side but has to cut because Lawson clogs the lane. Smith drifts right and comes up to make a solid assist on the tackle.

2nd and 7: James runs left for 6 yards.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson over slot WR, Smith over RG.

Lawson drops into coverage. Smith reads run, closes to make the tackle but gets blocked in the back by C Sendheim (no call) and James cuts away from him.

3rd and 1: Leinart takes it on a QB sneak for the first down.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over LG

Smith and Lawson are too far from the play to make a difference.

1st and 10: James runs up the middle for a loss of 3.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RG

Lawson crashes upfield through Pope’s block and stops James in the backfield for a loss. Smith reads run and sheds RG Lutui’s block nicely, but Lawson has made the tackle before he even reaches the line of scrimmage.

2nd and 13: Leinart is sacked by Young for a loss of 4, but there’s a flag. Formation: 4-2-5 Nickel, Smith at ILB over LT

Smith reads pass and drops into zone coverage.

This was the phantom 15 yard facemask call.

1st and 10: James runs right for 3 yards.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RG

Lawson forces Brown back, gets held (no call), but James turns inside and gets 2 yards. Smith reads run but gets caught up in trash.

Lawson probably would have stopped this play in the backfield but Brown held on Manny’s right arm and prevented him to reaching out to make the tackle.

2nd and 8: James up the middle for 5 yards.

Formation: 4-2-5 Nickel, Smith over RT

Smith takes on RG Lutui’s block but can’t get away.

3rd and 3: Leinart scrambles left for 20 yards.

Formation: 4-1-6 Dime, Moore at RDE

Moore stunts to the right and tries to bull-rush RG Lutui, but goes nowhere.

1st and goal: Play-action, Leinart throws complete to Boldin for a 5 yd TD.

Formation: 4-4-3 Goal line

Everybody bites on the fake. Everybody includes Smith and Lawson.

6th series

1st and 10: James runs left for a loss of 2.

Formation: 3-4 Over, Lawson over LT, Smith over RG

Lawson stands his ground and helps wall the line. Smith hovers right and gets blocked again by RG Lutui.

2nd and 12: Leinart throws left, a WR screen to Fitzgerald for 15 yards.

Formation: 3-4 Over, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RT

Lawson reads run and holds his ground, but the play is a screen to the opposite side of the field. Both he and Smith are non-factors.

1st and 10: Banta-Cain throws James in the backfield for a loss of 5.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over RG

Lawson bursts through the backup TE’s block and chases the play down from behind, but it’s over just as he arrives. Smith drifts right, but is a nonfactor on this play.

2nd and 15: James runs left for 3 yards.

Formation: Base 3-4, Lawson outside RT, Smith over C

Lawson crashes down and shoves a double team back into the play, but doesn’t make the tackle (D. Smith and M. Lewis do). Smith sheds Lutui’s block runs right and assists on the tackle.

3rd and 12: James up the middle for 3 yards.

Formation: 3-3-5 Nickel, Smith at OLB outside RT

Smith holds his ground, but doesn’t factor into the play.

Last Series

1st and 10: Leinart throws an interception deep left to CB Spencer.

Formation: 4-2-5 Nickel, Lawson deep at ILB/DB. (Note: Haralson at RDE)

Lawson pretty much just backpedals on this play and tries to keep everything in front of him.

Final Analysis
I THINK IT'S probably obvious that Manny Lawson held up well in the first game of his second season. Derek Smith seemed to play much better in the second half than in the first. I thought Moore had a great game throughout. Either way, the controversy continues.