SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers certainly have higher hopes for their defense than allowing 384.7 yards per game and ranking 27th in the NFL by allowing 29.7 points per game.
There have been issues at every level of the defense, but the team's biggest shortcoming is proving costly.
“I think the most obvious one is we’ve got to tackle better,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday. ”I think you guy can see that statistically. You can see it with your own eyes just watching the game. We have to tackle better in order to improve.”
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The 49ers had 17 missed tackles Sunday in a 38-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, according to Pro Football Focus. Second-year linebacker Reuben Foster had a team-worst six missed tackles, and rookie linebacker Fred Warner missed four tackles.
“The main thing from what I’ve seen, when we do run and hit, you can’t just hit, you have to wrap up and roll him,” Shanahan said. “You have to drive him through the ground. Guys in this league are big. Guys are strong. You can hit them very hard and they still stay on their feet.”
Shanahan: Team is better than last year
Quarterback C.J. Beathard will have a better chance to succeed this season because he has a better supporting cast, Shanahan said.
San Francisco 49ers
“I think it’s a lot better,” Shanahan said. “I thought it was a lot better at the end of last year. When C.J. came in, it was pretty bad timing. Right when C.J. came in, we lost Pierre (Garçon), which was tough because he was our main veteran out there.
“We had to play with a lot of younger guys, or guys who hadn’t had the experience. Those guys kind of grew throughout the year. They finished the year strong. So, I think they’ve come in better this year. I think we’ve added a couple new guys this year. So I think he does have a better group.”
Beathard ain’t no 'roody-poo'
In showing his support for a teammate, Foster channeled his inner Dwayne Johnson to use a term that he made fashionable during his wrestling career as The Rock.
"We got support for Jimmy,” Foster said Sunday after the loss to Kansas City and the loss of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a season-ending knee injury. “That’s a hard pill to swallow. That’s Jimmy G, you know. But guess what? We got C.J. up next. And C.J ain’t no roody-poo.”
Beathard was asked Wednesday for his reaction to Foster’s comment.
“Yeah, people asked me about that, and I still don’t know if I know what that means,” Beathard said.
Suffice to say, the gist of Foster’s assertion is that Beathard is no slouch.
This ‘n’ that
The 49ers filled their three openings on the practice squad with the signings of defensive lineman Ryan Delaire (Towson), offensive lineman Christian DiLauro (Illinois) and defensive back Dexter McCoil (Tulsa) to the team’s practice squad. McCoil appeared in eight games for the 49ers last season. The 49ers had three openings on their practice squad from the promotions of quarterback Nick Mullens and safety Tyvis Powell to the 53-man roster, and defensive lineman Daeshon Hall signing with the Houston Texans. ...
Running back Matt Breida is tied for the NFL lead in rushing yardage with Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott. Both players have 274 rushing yards. Breida has carried just 32 times for an 8.6-yard average, and Elliott has carried 48 times for a 5.7 average. ...
The 49ers will get a seventh-round pick from the Detroit Lions as part of the Eli Harold trade. The 49ers receive the conditional pick because Harold will spend at least four games on the Lions’ active roster. Harold has three sacks for the Lions in three games. Harold, who was never used as a pass-rusher with the 49ers, had five sacks in 48 games with the 49ers. DeForest Buckner leads the 49ers with 3.5 sacks. All the other players on the 49ers have combined for 3.5 sacks.