Eric Reid needs to rebound or San Francisco is investing in the Reid option
What a difference two seasons makes…
At this time following the 2013 season all signs pointed to Eric Reid being on his way to joining the elite safeties in the league. After a rookie year where he made his way to the pro bowl everything seemed to be trending upwards for Reid, but similar to a Vh1 behind the music special it all changed in 2014. Perhaps it was the turmoil surrounding the Jim Harbaugh situation or it could have been a result of tallying up three concussions by the end of the season. Whether that caused him to hold back on his physical style of play or literally limited him in terms of reaction time is up for speculation.
Regardless of the reasoning behind it, he simply did not seem to be the same player from 2013 as he ended up with a 50% drop off in total tackles. After starting the year with an interception in game one he only managed two more for the rest of the season. Granted that his total of three was only one behind his rookie year but a drop off in tackles and passes defensed validated the sophomore slump Reid seemed to be experiencing.
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The 2015 season started out with Reid looking more like his sophomore self on film even though his stats would make you think otherwise. Playing the “center field” role more often in Eric Mangini’s defense seemed like the ideal spot for a player with his skill set. Yet he found himself late on deeper throws and took poor angles on various plays in front of him. Whether it was a lack of understanding or comfort in the new defense it seemed like he wasn’t reacting as naturally that rookie year.
Whatever the issues were in the first half of the season, the bye week certainly seemed to be the catalyst for Reid to find his pro bowl form. On a defense that sorely needed someone to help out NaVorro Bowman it was Reid that stepped back into the spotlight as he finished third in the team on tackles.
Almost any article that covers the 49ers issues from last year will have to also mention the massive departures from the previous off-season. With a majority of departures being on defense it brings up the question that Reid’s early success could have been a result of the immense talent that surrounded him. As a group the 49ers had previously racked up recurring pro bowl caliber players at every level of the defense. Along with those departures, the change in coordinators from Vic Fangio to Eric Mangini was a drop off in every sense of the word.
I know what you’re saying: “weren’t the same players that surrounded Reid in 2013 still there in 2014”? Short answer…nope. Bowman sat out the entire year rehabbing his knee injury, Patrick Willis missed ten games due to a foot injury, and Aldon Smith was only on the team for seven games because…well…he continued to be Aldon Smith. While those opportunities opened the door for guys like Chris Borland and Aaron Lynch it was still a drop off in talent and the fact that it was all injury and/or suspension related meant there was no adjustment period for the rest of the defense.
As more offenses have transitioned to a shotgun centric approach it is required to stay in nickel and dime coverages more than ever. This puts the secondary under the microscope and forces safeties to be much more consistent in recognizing where their support is needed.
New defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil will have to figure out how to help Reid pick up where he left off in the second half of last year. With a difficult schedule staring back at the 49ers it will take pro bowl caliber seasons from players like Reid to surpass the five win season from last year.
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