49ers Defense Turns to the Elephant

In hopes of salvaging their season and helping out their offense the 49ers are turning to the pachyderm. With one of the worst defenses in the league the 49ers are trying anything they can think of to improve the play of their defense. Head coach Mike Nolan has already toyed with the starters by starting Mark Roman over Tony Parrish and Ronald Fields over
Anthony Adams, this time around Nolan is going old school and bringing in an Elephant.

The Elephant is an old defense which highlights a pass rusher that was devised by former head coach and defensive coordinator George Seifert. In the time when the 49ers successfully ran that defense the players who filled the role of the Elephant were Charles Haley, Tim Harris, Rickey Jackson and Chris Doleman. The 49ers currently do not have a player of that caliber (yet) to play the Elephant role, but that will not stop them from giving it a try. The players who will see time in that role and look to become the next Haley are Brandon Moore and rookie linebackers Manny Lawson and Parys Haralson.

"What we do to a large degree is very much like what you had with (Charles) Haley and (Chris) Doleman, and those kinds of guys with the 49ers," coach Mike Nolan said. "That guy is always the 'rush' guy, but he flip-flops sides. That's really basically what we're doing. They used to play it here."

Along with the Elephant it will mark the switch back to the 4-3. The current lineup will feature rookie Melvin Oliver and Marques Douglas on the ends and Bryant Young and rookie Ronald Fields in the middle with Lawson, Derek Smith and Jeff Ulbrich as the linebackers. On passing downs, Moore, Haralson or Lawson will become the pass rushers. If the Elephant doesn't help turn the defense around look for Nolan to start pulling
names from a hat for next weeks starters.