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Quarterbacks have it easy these days. Defenders have it hard. The rules have swung in favor of the offense.If you don’t believe it , try this: Five quarterbacks — Jared Goff (465 yards), Andrew Luck (464), Derek Carr (437), Kirk Cousins (422) and Matt Ryan (419) — passed for at least 400 yards this week. (With Patrick Mahomes still to go.) That is the most in any week ever.The NFL has seen 12 such performances in four weeks this season after only eight all of last season.So with the rules so far in favor of the offenses , 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman posed a question on Twitter:“My question is why won鈥檛 they just put flags on the QBs?” Sherman wrote. “They would rarely hit the ground then. Guys would be able to grab the flags, and that would be a sack. Guys are losing thousands of dollars just doing their job. Something has to change.”My question is: Who would want to play defense any more? It’s an impossible job. Ian Williams spent six years playing along the defensive line for the San Francisco 49ers. His final year with the 49ers was DeForest Buckner‘s first with the team after being selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.Buckner is coming off a career year for the 49ers. He had 12 sacks last year for San Francisco after combining for just nine in his first two seasons combined. He now has additional firepower around him on the 49ers defensive front as well following the offseason acquisition of Dee Ford from Kansas City and the selection of Nick Bosa in the first round of this year’s draft.Williams, now an analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area, believes that less could now prove to be even more for Buckner and the 49ers.“I hope they cut down on his reps this season because it starts to show later on in a game and later on in the season ,” Williams said of Buckner, via Matt Maiocco. “He can take some of these reps off.”Buckner played on 852 of the 49ers 1,073 defensive snaps last season with an additional 164 reps on special teams. Only linebacker Fred Warner was on the field more often than Buckner was in 2018, per Pro Football Reference.With Buckner , Ford, Bosa, Solomon Thomas and Arik Armstead along the defensive line in 2019, the 49ers should have more flexibility to dial back Buckner’s reps and maintain a similar standard of performance.“They’re in prime position to showcase their talents. Solomon and Arik , they went in the first round for a reason,” Williams said.If it also means Buckner can be fresher and produce even more, that would seem to be a win-win for the 49ers.
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