Veteran wide receiver Darrell Jackson previews Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals. Get a little bit of a scouting report and find out what he thinks some of the keys to getting a W are for this Sunday!
With Alex Smith out for a few weeks, we know that we've got to prepare to work for Trent Dilfer, and get used to his cadence, the way he throws the ball, how he likes routes ran and where he's going to put the ball – all of those things.
Trent brings his leadership skills, his veteran poise and his command of the huddle and the team and I think he played an excellent game last week. He really gave all of us chances to make plays. We've been waiting the whole season for those type of plays and he made some great throws, some great reads and I think he played a pretty solid game.
We need to capitalize on every ball and every opportunity we have. The drop I had last week, normally I make that catch and hang on to the ball and when those opportunities present themselves, we've got to make them. Every throw isn't going to be perfect so we have to concentrate on making the tough grabs, making the easy grabs and making plays to help this offense move the chains and score some points.
Arizona has a great defensive game plan. They really load the box and in our first game it was clear they wanted to stop Frank Gore. I know he's been frustrated and we're all frustrated. Running the ball makes it easier on all of us and it will start this week with our offensive line handling the front seven.
Up front for them, Darnell Dockett has set the tone. They've been waiting for him to really come on, and he's really playing up to his potential and doing the things they like for him to do. He is the king of that line, a run stuffer, he plugs the middle and is a very big, physical guy with a lot of attitude. He's played exceptional for their defense and is a reason why they've had so much success lately.
The linebacking group plays well. They don't give up much on short passes. They know their drops, they know their coverages and they know their assignments pretty well. They are physical and they like to play the run and the pass and they do a good job of staying where they need to be and making you beat them.
On the back end Adrian Wilson is their catalyst. They like to put him in the box, and match him up on tight ends. Eric Green and Roderick Hood are the two corners out there. They don't press a lot, they play a lot of three deep coverage, quarters coverage. Antrell Rolle is the more physical corner but he's in the nickel position right now. Hats off to you baby, NFC west defensive player of the week, three interceptions, that's balling.
Torry Holt is the other safety and he's a nice safety, he puts the guys in position where they need to be and makes sure not too many deep balls get thrown over their head and that they keep things in front of them.
All in all they've got a very well rounded secondary, and a great defense overall. They've played pretty well and have been together for a while and they know how to cover for each other and play to their strengths.
Anytime you go on the road, the home teem has the advantage, the toughest thing is winning on the road in the NFL. They've got a new stadium, they are playing well and still in the hunt for the NFC West, so they'll play with a lot of excitement. They've played exceptionally well at home, only losing one game so far, but that is one game so they can be beat and hopefully we go give them their second loss.
We've struggled on third downs and short yardage situations lately. For us, it all comes down to getting them, knowing how important those plays are to keeping the drives going, earning another set of downs and more opportunities. Those are the hardest plays to get done and sometimes it just takes more emphasis and hammering in how important it is to get them no matter what the play call is, no matter how many people are in the box, we've got to get those plays to keep moving the chains and give us opportunities to score points. We need a win and our defense and special teams have been playing well, now it's our turn to chip in too.
