San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan joined the "Tolbert & Lund" show on KNBR on Thursday, as he does every other week. He discussed several topics as his team prepares for the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Shanahan, still seeking his second win of the season, was asked about defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, tight end George Kittle, and something else he was hesitant to admit.
Your eyes were not deceiving you if you noticed Thomas playing more on the inside of the defensive line against the Los Angeles Rams. It's a position most analysts feel is a more natural fit for the young defensive lineman who has seen a lot of action along the edge.
"I believe his flexibility is his biggest asset," Shanahan said of Thomas. "I truly believe Solomon's strength is rushing the passer from the inside [...] He did get more reps last week. We rotated those guys more on the inside. Him and (Arik) Armstead both got a few more inside reps, went back to how they were earlier in the year.
"But throughout the year, on more run downs and certain personnel packages, Solly has been playing outside. Then when we go to rush situations, and they are in passing situations, we move him to the inside."
Much has been written about Kittle's impressive second season. He ranks third in receiving yards among all NFL tight ends and is Pro Football Focus' highest-graded player at the position.
"He got to play a ton last year," Shanahan said. "He played through a lot of injuries. He had a lot of ups and downs. We went into last year thinking he was one of our better guys last year and he got banged up a lot at the beginning of the year.
"He didn't miss a ton of time. He played through most of the stuff, went through a lot of ups and downs. He had times where he was successful. He had times where he failed. He used all those things and that experience. Sometimes that will really help a guy. Sometimes it will hurt a guy. But in Kittle's situation, I think he really learned through trial and error throughout the whole season that he could really play in this league and he can play at a high level.
"That's what you hope all players get with experience and things. You see how they react to it. Kittle went through that the first year.
"He came back this offseason. I think he learned how to take care of his body. I think he got a better grasp of what a 16-game NFL season is like, what you have to do day in and day out. So I think, just from his body standpoint, he went into the year much more prepared on how to handle the wear and tear. He knows how to take care of himself after games on Monday through Saturday to get himself recovered from the game before and ready to play again. So I think he's learned all that and how to be a pro.
"The next thing is, with the success he's had, you get stronger and stronger. You can just tell how he runs with the ball in his hands, how he attacks the ball when it's in the air. He's not worried about dropping it. He's not worried about getting hit. He's thinking about one thing, and that's going to the end zone. When you have that mindset with his talent, usually good things happen."
Shanahan has admitted that he doesn't have a lot of time during the NFL season to focus on anything except football. He doesn't get to watch college football on Saturdays because he is typically laser-focused on the 49ers' next opponent.
Shanahan was well aware of the performance Stephen Curry put on during the Golden State Warriors' 144-122 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. It wasn't, however, because he found the time to relax in front of the television and watch the game.
Currey had 51 points during three quarters of play and hit on 11 three-pointers.
"I don't watch it, but I can't lie, I'll probably get in trouble for this, but I have a Tesla, so I have some autopilot," Shanahan admitted. "So every once in a while, on my way to work, I skim through a couple of things.
"I saw that last night, and it's unbelievable. Has he ever had to play a full four quarters? How many three-pointers would he have if he did?"
That's when a short on-air debate started on whether or not you can trust giving a car that much control.
"You've got to treat it like speed control," Shanahan responded. "I mean, you can't go to the backseat and take a nap. You can't completely trust it. I'm not checking out. I just feel a little better if I randomly skim my phone."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.
