How Sorensen assesses missed tackles by ‘aggressive’ 49ers defense originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The 49ers have had several concerns during their 2-3 start to this NFL season, ranging from countless injuries to late-game offensive struggles.

Now, another potential issue is emerging for San Francisco’s defense.

After missing a league-fewest 14 tackles through Week 3, the 49ers have had 29 missed tackles in their last two contests. Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner evaded eight tackles on his own in Week 5, which played a significant role in San Francisco’s second-half collapse.

On Tuesday, defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen was asked about his team’s recent struggles with tackling. Does fatigue play a role due to recent injuries, or is there another explanation?

“I wouldn’t say it’s fatigue. I think we miss tackles sometimes because we’re aggressive,” Sorensen told reporters.
We do coach our guys to take their shots. If you make me a cut-up of those tackles, I’ll tell you if it’s a good or bad one.”

In other words, Sorensen attributes those missed tackles to the 49ers’ defensive scheme, which allows players like linebacker Fred Warner to attempt to force fumbles.

“We play aggressive, we play violent,” Sorensen continued. “I think sometimes Fred shows up with quite a few missed tackles. But if a guy stops his feet and they have to take time, and that guy loses a yard, but you fall off, and now we’ve got two other guys coming, then that’s not a bad missed tackle. Sometimes they’re a little bit different. I’d have to quantify it by looking at tape, then I could probably talk you through if they’re good or bad or not.”

That assessment indicates a lack of major concern in the 49ers’ tackling, which typically is an area of strength. After all, San Francisco remains without injured linebacker Dre Greenlaw, whose eventual return should have a positive effect on that team-wide skill.

Nevertheless, this will be an important trend for 49ers fans to monitor over the coming weeks, especially against some explosive upcoming offenses; San Francisco’s next three opponents are the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys.

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