And if that team is the San Francisco 49ers, the wariness factor multiplies.
That's because the 49ers pass defense has been anything but solid so far this season, giving up 677 yards in the air combined at Carolina and in London against Denver before having a bye week in preparation for the Rams.
That's the most yardage the 49ers had allowed in back-to-back games since the 2005 season. On top of that, San Francisco has been burned for 26 completions of 20 or more yards, which ranks in the middle of the NFL pack (17th), but nine of the 26 have come in the last two games, which is scary.
"We've got to keep our eyes on the guys that we need to be covering across the board and not give up the big plays,'' defensive coordinator Greg Manusky told the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. "Keep it in front of you. That's the best motto I always had when I was playing. Make sure the ball's caught in front of you. At least you have a chance to make the play. And if you don't, at least you can tackle them. That's what we've got to do better.''
Reggie Smith is getting more playing time this week, ostensibly to take some of the strain off rookie Taylor Mays, who plays on all the special teams units, a bit of a break. But Mays has been part of the problem. He had 11 tackles against Atlanta in his first start, but just 15 in the four games since.
A three-time first-team All-American at USC, Mays has been more inconsistent than the 49ers are happy with.
"Got to make plays on the ball,'' Manusky said. "I don't care what position you're at. ... For him, there's times he's going to go through some growing pains, of course, (like) most rookies in the National Football League. The more and more that the kid sees it, the more and more that he plays, the better off he's going to be.''
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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/11/12/taylor-mays-dashon-goldson-leave-49ers-concerned-with-pass-defe/
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