Did you get to catch New England Patriots QB Tom Brady carve up the Oakland Raiders over the weekend?
"I got to see a little bit of it, yeah. They played really well."
What was the Bye week like for you? Obviously not as much time off as other guys might have.
"It was a bit like training camp. Just putting in the time trying to get as much as I can down. It's a grind right now, but things are coming together."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan was saying that this was kind of the opportunity to get you a foundation, a baseline. How much do you think that can help accelerate since you seemed like you had to work it in backwards a little bit?
"It's kind of one of those things where you're calling certain plays and hearing things, but when we got to really sit down, me and [quarterbacks coach] Rich [Scangarello], he did a great job with me explaining the finer details, the basics of the offense. It really helped a ton."
How do you balance your eagerness to play with the understanding that it's a process and it's going to take a lot to have a good understanding of this offense?
"The competitor in me, obviously you want to get out there, play with your teammates and help the team win. But, it's a tough situation coming in midway through the season. It's going to be a process, but we'll get there."
What are your expectations with six weeks to go in the season?
"To learn as much as I can as fast as I can, really."
You expect to be out on the field at some point though, don't you?
"Whatever coach has planned for me. It's his call. We'll take it step by step."
If you had to play this week, how comfortable would you feel in the system?
"I'm getting to where I want to be. Like I said before, it's a process. Things are starting to come together. Some of the smaller, finer details are becoming more clear to me. It's just going to take time."
What is the biggest challenge? Is it verbiage? Is it motions and sets? What is it?
"It's a little bit of everything. Some plays you go out there, and you feel 100-percent comfortable with it, you know exactly what's going on, and other plays not so much. Just trying to get as comfortable as possible as fast as I can."
General manager John Lynch was saying the Patriots system is pretty unique. The pass concepts are somewhat similar, but it's the languages that are very unique. Is that accurate at all?
"It's just different. Any offense, I've only been in two offenses now, but every offense has its own little twists and little things that are unique to it. New England had certain things that I was just used to. After three and a half years of being there, you get comfortable with it. You feel like you mastered the language that they had. It's just trying to pick it up as fast as I can here now."
Did you get a break the last few days though over the weekend? You've been buried in that playbook for three weeks. Did you look at something besides X's and O's?
"Not much. Honestly. I watched a little bit of football on Sunday. I got to relax for a little bit, but that was about it."
When you were in school, did you ever learn a foreign language?
"I tried. I don't think it ever went very successfully."
Never very good at it?
"No."
How's that compared to learning Kyle's language?
"Not very similar. Football is X's and O's. This word means four different guys are doing different things on it. Some words tell all 11 guys. It's coming along, but it's a process."
What are your thoughts on how QB C.J. Beathard played against the New York Giants?
"I thought he played well. The offense as a whole. I've only been here for a couple of weeks, but I think they played well. The deep ball to [WR] Marquise [Goodwin], that was a heck of a play."
You're obviously from Chicago. You have no control over this, but would it be meaningful to start a game in Chicago?
"It's going to be cool. I've never gotten to go back there and play. When I was in New England, a couple of times the Bears came out to us. That'd be cool getting back to the hometown and everything."
Would you like to start that game?
"We'll see what happens."
* Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers
