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Divisional Round GDT - Vikings at 49ers


J-ALL-DAY

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5. So it looks like Kwon Alexander is going to pull a J.J. Watt. I’m told the 49ers linebacker has a “legit” shot to play on Saturday against the Vikings (ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first on this yesterday)—which would mean coming back from a torn pec in just over two months, similar to what Watt just pulled off. Alexander was a big difference-maker for the Niners earlier in the season, bringing a lightning-quick presence to the center of a defense defined by its speed. Now? Well, San Francisco has effectively replaced him with rookie Dre Greenlaw, who made the biggest play in the team’s Week 17 division-clinching win over Seattle. So maybe the jump in play won’t be that noticeable. But the players there have seen how Alexander has been grinding over the last month to be in a position to play in January, so there does figure to be a little bit of an emotional boost there. And I’m told that Alexander and Greenlaw will be together on the field some, along with middle linebacker Fred Warner, particularly because the Vikings are in base defense so much.

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I love how well Greenlaw has played for a 5th round rookie........HOWEVER, he is not CLOSE to the level Alexander is in coverage. Don't buy that one bit that the upgrade won't be noticeable. I mean if Alexander is able to play like he did at the beginning of the season, he's just a flat out play maker and beast in coverage. His instincts are on another level and he knows when to abandon his zone and pick up a receiver getting behind him. 

Still curious to see how much he actually plays on Sunday. 

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So, if Alexander is an upgrade over Greenlaw, and Greenlaw is an upgrade over Aziz, then we're upgrading two positions. Add the return of Ford and Tartt, and we have this set up for the return of the dominating defense we had early on. Hopefully they all seize this opportunity to show the rest of the NFL how good they can be. 

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Besides a better player the energy of Alexander makes a difference. And especially when it basically means less of Azeez Al-Shaair it really helps lift the defense. Add to that the added rushing prowess of Ford and Tartt being way more sound than Harris it hopefully will bring the D back to the levels we where reaching before the injuries.

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1 hour ago, Justone2 said:

Besides a better player the energy of Alexander makes a difference. And especially when it basically means less of Azeez Al-Shaair it really helps lift the defense. Add to that the added rushing prowess of Ford and Tartt being way more sound than Harris it hopefully will bring the D back to the levels we where reaching before the injuries.

Another aspect could be Harris + Al-Shaair being able to focus on special teams more now as well. Hopefully we see a boost in our coverage units because it has fallen down a bit lately

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