SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Double-teaming Kobie Turner just gives him more people to beat. The Rams' defensive end expects that challenge and trains for the exact situations that arose on Thursday Night Football against the 49ers.
In the first half, Turner was doubled four times. He generated four pressures and two sacks (both on third down), the most of any player in a first half this season against double teams. According to his postgame interview on the Amazon Prime Video stream, Turner was ready for that treatment, and the entire front helped him win those reps.
"It all comes down to the four or five guys I'm rushing with," Turner said. "If they're not doing their job, none of that can happen. There's a number of plays where either it's (defensive end Braden) Fiske on a high-low (stunt) or (outside linebacker Byron Young) being able to scoop tight, (outside linebacker Jared) Verse being able to go back to power. There was nowhere for (49ers quarterback Brock) Purdy to go, I just cleaned it up.
"I had some wins tonight for sure, but it comes down to the whole team and the whole front."
His motor is endless, and he showed that time and again in a game where both offenses struggled to execute. Turner generated four stops among his five tackles as well as five pressures to go along with his second two-sack game of the season against the 49ers. Since the start of last season, no player has generated more pressures against double teams than Turner (42), according to Next Gen Stats.
"Alright, how 'bout that! I love it, that's cool," said head coach Sean McVay when he learned of the stat. "... One of the things that I thought stood out about him, especially as a rookie, was when he got in close proximity, he was a finisher and he was able to close space, take great exit angles, and be able to wrap and finish plays, and both of the sacks were reflective of that."
The first sack of the game came in the first quarter when Purdy performed an inexplicable leap, as he couldn't escape the pressure. Turner ran a stunt with outside linebacker Michael Hoecht, which brought him off the double-team after Turner used his hands to swipe them aside. He then tossed the 6-foot-5, 315-pound lineman Dominick Puni out of his way to bring down Purdy in the pocket.
Tuner's approach to double teams comes from the Krav Maga training he does with Al "Poodie" Carson. Turner's situational awareness and movements that follow double teams are all based in "fighting two or three people at a time," Carson said. The most important movement for Turner is a fast get-off that brings his hands forward, which is exactly what he did on his first sack against San Francisco.
"What's been working for him is his get-off has been so quick," Carson said. "And what we mean by that is... he's into the first initial guy so fast that he's actually pushing him back or turning his shoulder to where it's harder for the second guy to intercept with the double team.
"So, what we work in the offseason and things like that is, number one, that get-off and your hands and feet work together. So when that first step comes, his hands are coming right with him. It's the same thing as fighting."
In the second quarter, Purdy tried to escape the pocket on a pivotal third-and-11, but Turner had other plans. He penetrated the double team, using his hands to split the blockers and get leverage on both. Instead of a first down scramble, and likely more based on how much space Purdy had in front of him, Turner picked up his second sack of the game by wrapping up Purdy's legs from behind.
After the initial impact on the first player, Turner often does what's called a "gunt," Carson said, which is almost like a rip-though to split the double team. He also works a "downward parry" among other hand techniques to beat the second blocker.
In addition to his technical skills, beating double teams consistently requires a high motor, which is something that's always been an integral part of Turner's game.
"Going back to when I walked on at Richmond, you know, I wasn't sure on all of the techniques or everything, but one thing that I did know is that I'm going to make sure that nobody's playing harder than I am," Turner said a few weeks back. "And so that's something that's kind of followed me."
In a defensive battle, Turner led the charge for a Rams defensive line that lived in the backfield and stuffed the run consistently. On 19 carries, San Francisco averaged just 3.3 yards per carry and converted just three of their 12 third downs. The 49ers' 3.6 yards per play and 191 total yards were both the fewest in the Kyle Shanahan era (since 2017), and their six points were the second-fewest.
Turner, a team captain, was the centerpiece of Los Angeles' success on the defensive front, which played in tandem with the back end to shut down a usually-prolific San Francisco offense.
"I think (Turner has) really done a great job of pouring into his teammates," McVay said. "I thought that was our most complete defensive game as a whole, rushing (and) coverage working together. Kobie's been an instrumental leader for our group and he's been so steady, so consistent… He's only gonna get better just by being himself."
