SANTA CLARA – There’s a different feel to the 49ers' practice this week leading up to their Week 3 game against the Los Angeles Rams.
In seasons past, San Francisco would devote a large chunk of its game plan to finding ways to slow down or stop All-Word nose tackle Aaron Donald, to the point where it would be the dominating theme of practice.
With Donald now retired and trying to live the good life away from the NFL, the 49ers no longer have to deal with him and the havoc he rained down on the Red and Gold.
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San Francisco center Jake Brendel, for one, is not complaining one bit.
“I think all the offensive linemen across the league rejoiced a little bit when we saw the news break that he was retiring,” Brendel told NBC Sports Bay Area on Wednesday. “He’s a great player, and they could do a lot with him and they obviously did a lot with him. Not having to worry about that guy, I wouldn’t say it really changes much schematically for us.
“Instead of looking and worrying about where he is 24/7, we can just think about the scheme.”
A three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and 10-time Pro Bowl pick, Donald retired at the end of the 2023 season following an illustrious career during which he earned a reputation for being one of the fiercest defenders in the league.
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Donald had success against almost every team he played, with some of his best moments coming against the 49ers. In 18 games against San Francisco, Donald racked up 12.5 sacks, 21 tackles for losses, three forced fumbles and 33 quarterback hits – the third-most he had against any team in the NFL.
Not having to plan for the game-wrecker for the first time in more than a decade, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged a strange feel to it all.
“It’s definitely a little different. That’s been 99 percent of our brainpower for years,” Shanahan said. “It’s kind of weird not thinking that way, but schematically they’re still running the same fronts, the same coverages. But it’s definitely different.”
Brendel, the 49ers' starting center since 2022, was one of the few offensive linemen in the NFL to have any sort of success against Donald.
The two squared off in three regular-season games – Donald was inactive for the 2023 finale – and Brendel was solid both for the run and in pass protection. Donald was held without a sack in all three games and made just two hits combined on the quarterback during that stretch.
“We always had a pretty good plan for Aaron,” Brendel said. “It always came down to us executing the plan, making sure that we had good, proper communication at the line of scrimmage. It just came down to execution because the guy, he’s just going to be great. You just kind of had to make sure you’re in the way in the right way.”
With Donald no longer part of the picture, the Rams have had to alter their approach on defense, although the basics of their schemes remain mostly intact.
“There’s a few changes here and there,” Brendel said. “A lot of times when you lose a great player, someone thinks about trying to fill that void. There’s a lot of guys with potential. We’ll have to see who steps up.”
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