49ers' use of Walker should challenge Seahawks

<p>SEATTLE – As Delanie Walker runs onto the field to join his teammates in the 49ers’ offensive huddle, he looks for an immediate reaction from the opposition.</p><p>Walker is listed as a tight end. But there is no consensus around the NFL on how to account for the 242-pounder. Is he just another tight end on the field, along with Vernon Davis? Or is he really a third wide receiver? That is why Walker will be eager to see today how the Seattle Seahawks plan to counter his presence. It’s the same every week, as the 49ers put the onus on the opposition’s defense to determine the best plan of attack against an offensive personnel of one back and two tight ends. </p><p>“As soon as I come in, they usually change their defense,” Walker said. </p><p>“They’re looking at our sideline to see the matchup and they see our personnel, and then they make their change right away. Sometimes I want to look so I can be ahead of the defense to see if they’re bringing in nickel (five defensive backs) or keeping their base front.”</p><p>The 49ers face a critical game today in their quest for an NFC West showdown against next week against the division-leading Arizona Cardinals.</p><p>If the 49ers (5-6) win, and the Cardinals (7-4) lose tonight against the surging Minnesota Vikings, the stage would be set for a game at Candlestick on Monday, Dec. 14, for the division lead. The 49ers already have beaten Arizona once this season.</p><p>Walker should be one of the big factors in today’s game – and it might not even be obvious.</p><p>After all, his statistics this season are far from spectacular. Walker has just nine receptions for 133 yards. But each week his role seems to be increasing in the 49ers’ evolving passing game.</p><p>“He can be a challenge personnel–wise on how you treat him,” 49ers quarterback Alex Smith said. “To come in as the second tight end, you can treat him as a receiver. As a tight end, we can do a lot of blocking stuff with him as well, so I think that he’s kind of a personnel match-up problem for a lot of teams as to how they view him.”</p><p>In the chess match that takes place every Sunday, 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye is always eager to see the defense’s reaction the first time Walker takes the field as part of the 49ers’ “12 personnel” group. </p><p>“We have a contingency for both, but it is a big part of what we do because he is a run-blocking tight end that has wide-receivers skills,” Raye said. </p><p>“So they have to make a decision either to stay with their base personnel, run-down personnel, or they sub and put in an extra defensive back, which gives us – as we think of it – five DBs on the field and one less run-stopping defender.”</p><p>In other words, if the defense remains with its base personnel, the 49ers believe they hold an advantage in the passing game because of the likely mismatch of Walker being covered by a linebacker in a pass route. </p><p>And if the defense subs an extra defensive back into the game, the 49ers theoretically hold a size advantage over the defense that could pay dividends for Frank Gore and the run game. </p><p>“That’s a dilemma,” Seahawks coach Jim Mora said, “and you hope you make the right decision at the right time based on the information you have going into the game.” There might not be a receiver with so few credentials as Walker who creates more consternation among opposing coordinators. </p><p>“I’ve always had a lot of respect for him, and he’s developed into a tenacious player,” Mora said. “The combination of him and Vernon and (Josh) Morgan and Michael (Crabtree), and Gore in the backfield, that’s a lot of weapons. </p><p>“They’ve done a nice job of making you defend the whole field. Walker is a fine player. He might get overshadowed a little bit, but we have a lot of respect for him.” Depending on what kind of decision the Seahawks make today, Walker could have a nice statistical game, such as the one he posted last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who kept their base personnel on the field.</p><p>Walker, matched against a linebacker, caught a season-high four passes for 52 yards and took a handoff for 11 yards in the 49ers’ 20-3 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars last week.</p><p>Walker might not be a factor at all in the passing game, but he could still provide an impact for the offense. Raye said Walker’s impact on the game stretches far beyond how many passes he catches.</p><p>“If they’re going to play with five DBs and take one of the linebackers or down linemen out, we should have an advantage if he is matched as a run blocker against a defensive back, as opposed to a fullback blocking a linebacker,” Raye said. </p><p>For more on the 49ers, go to Instant 49ers at blog.pressdemocrat.com/49ers. You can reach Staff Writer Matt Maiocco at matt.maiocco@pressdemocrat.com</p>