Opportunity is slipping through San Francisco’s young defensive backs’ hands.

SANTA CLARA http://www.minnesotavikingsteamonline.com/irv-smith-jr.-jersey , Calif. (AP) — Through 12 games, the 49ers have just two interceptions — the fewest in the NFL — and it isn’t always for lack of being in position to make big plays. Their pass defenders simply can’t secure the football when it does come their way.“Every game it seems like the ball’s on the ground or we’re missing an opportunity,” 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said. “They are going to come in bunches, but it’s baffling to me that we haven’t been able to get (more interceptions).”Losing the turnover battle goes a long way toward explaining the 49ers’ 2-10 record as they prepare to host the Denver Broncos on Sunday.San Francisco’s minus-20 turnover margin is the worst in the league. The 49ers have turned the ball over 25 times but generated just five takeaways themselves.Part of that, at least in terms of pass defense, can fairly be attributed to the youth and inexperience in the secondary.Former All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman lends veteran wisdom in his first year with the team. But second-year cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon has been picked on by opposing quarterbacks on numerous occasions this season.Witherspoon also failed to haul in a potential interception on a slant pass that he defended well last week against Seattle.Due to injuries, the 49ers are expected to start a pair of rookies at the safety positions Sunday in D.J. Reed and Marcell Harris, who have a combined 15 games and two starts of NFL experience between them.Reed, at free safety, is replacing the injured Adrian Colbert, who is only in his second season himself.Sherman said young defensive backs often get themselves in position to make plays but lose concentration on the most important part – wrapping up the football for an interception.“The old saying was the reason they play ‘DB’ is because they can’t catch, but I don’t think that’s as true anymore,” Sherman said. “Some of it is just guys panicking. Guys getting big eyes and seeing the end zone and seeing space in front of them and not going through the last second of looking the ball in.”But Sherman, a four-time Pro Bowl player in his eighth season, hasn’t helped in this department either. He entered the season with 32 career interceptions, most among all active players since 2011 http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/dexter-lawrence-jersey , but has yet to record one in 2018.In Sherman’s defense, he isn’t getting that many opportunities since opponents are choosing to target Witherspoon in coverage more.Never has Sherman recorded fewer than two interceptions in a season.Is he aware of that stat?“Yeah, (but) the ball will get where it gets,” he replied.Denver quarterback Case Keenum threw 10 interceptions through the Broncos’ first eight games, but he hasn’t been picked off a single time over the past four.NOTES: Receiver Marquise Goodwin practiced for the second day in a row and looks poised to return to the lineup after missing the past two games while being away from the team for personal reasons. With fellow starting receiver Pierre Garcon (knee) not having practiced Thursday, there seems a decent chance that rookie Dante Pettis draws the start opposite Goodwin against Denver. Pettis is coming off a breakout game against Seattle (5 catches, 129 yards, 2 TD’s). … Safety Antone Exum (knee), cornerback K’Waun Williams (knee) and linebacker Malcolm Smith (Achilles) were limited in Thursday’s workout. For the second time in four NFL drafts, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have selected one of the best kickers in college football.They can only hope Utah’s Matt Gay, the 2017 Lou Groza Award winner, doesn’t turn out to be another Roberto Aguayo.The Bucs took Gay early in the fifth round on Saturday, ending a string of five consecutive selections used to secure help for one of the league’s worst defenses.“He’s a big guy with a big leg, and he’s also accurate,” general manager Jason Licht said.“That’s a big selling point. Strong-legged guys that can kick it from far distance usually have some accuracy issues,” Licht added. “This guy has not http://www.oaklandraidersteamonline.com/josh-jacobs-jersey , so far.”In two college seasons, Gay set a school record with eight field goals of 50-plus yards and compiled the second-best career field goal percentage (86.2 in Utes’ history by converting 56 of 65 attempts.Gay said the Bucs stayed in touch with him in the weeks leading up to the draft but never provided an indication that they had “extreme interest” in him. He said he thought he might be drafted in the sixth or seventh round, so he was surprised when the phone rang earlier than expected.More Tampa Bay Buccaneers newsJameis Winston aims to realize potential under guidance of new Buccaneers coach Bruce AriansBuccaneers sign 5th overall selection LB Devin WhiteNdamukong Suh practices with Buccaneers for first time, dons customary No. 93 jerseyNdamukong Suh agrees to terms with Bucs, replaces 6-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoyBuccaneers release 6-time Pro Bowl DT Gerald McCoy after nine seasons“I got a call, it was a Tampa number. I looked at the board and saw they were two picks away,” Gay said. “I was kind of like, ‘No way, not right now.’ … It was amazing, honestly.”Iowa defensive end Anthony Nelson was Tampa Bay’s first pick on the final day of the draft, landing with the Bucs in the fourth round after the club added linebacker Devin White, cornerbacks Sean Bunting and Jamel Dean, and safety Mike Edwards over the previous two days. They finished by taking speedy Bowling Green receiver Scotty Miller late in the sixth round and Missouri defensive tackle Terry Beckner, Jr., with the first pick of the seventh round.In all, six of the team’s eight selections are defensive players. Offensive line and running back are areas of need that Licht and coach Bruce Arians did not address in the draft.“We’ve stood pat so far Ben Banogu Jersey ,” Licht said, speaking specifically about the offensive line. “I say time and time again, we’re not lining up tomorrow to play regular season week one. We still have time.”Gay played two years of soccer at Utah Valley before spending the past two at Utah, where he made all 40 of his extra points and was 30 of 34 on field goal attempts to win the Groza award as the nation’s top kicker in 2017.Aguayo also was a Groza winner during a standout career at Florida State. The Bucs traded up 15 spots to select him in the second round of the 2016 draft, only to release him following a disappointing rookie season.Gay will compete for a job with incumbent kicker Cairo Santos, who joined the Bucs early last season after one of the team’s key offseason acquisitions, Chandler Cantanzaro, got off to a slow start and was cut.“We’ve exhausted everything we can to find a kicker. We’ll continue to, like every other position,” Licht said of the decision to select Gay.“To me, to us, it was a small price to pay to get a kicker,” the GM added. “You wouldn’t say the same thing for a receiver. If a receiver didn’t work out a couple of years ago and you took him in the second round, would you be afraid to take a receiver in the fifth round? No. It’s a very, very important position.”