San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, and special teams coordinator Richard Hightower spoke with reporters before today's practice as the team prepares for its preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Here is everything they had to say.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans
Can you have DL Dee Ford out there with a couple of other guys? It appears you have options to get creative with your pass rushing? What does that do for the defense?
"I mean, having Dee and [DL] Arden [Key] and [DL Nick] Bosa and [DL] Samson [Ebukam], having all those guys available we can do a lot of things. All those guys are very talented and you have unlimited option with what you can do with all those guys. All of them are really great talents. All of them are awesome at rushing the passer. And we just want to utilize guys to their best ability. We want to be able to utilize them, utilize their strengths, to help us win games."
After two practices with Bosa out there in team reps, how does he look? How does he feel?
"Yeah, Bosa, he looked fine out there and I was happy to see him back out there, just get him into the flow of things. The biggest thing always coming off of an injury, is just the mental hurdle of taking a hit and hitting the ground and getting up and dusting yourself off and understanding that, 'Oh, everything is still intact. I'm still okay.' It's back to football. So, I think he got a little bit of that yesterday with his first day back and again today. So, I see him just continuing to progress. But physically, I think he's fine. It'll just be the mental hurdle of getting over it. And I see him progressing really well in the area."
Do you want or need to see him play in a preseason game on Sunday?
"Whatever Bosa needs for him to be mentally ready for Week 1, I'm all for it. If it's playing in a game or not, that'll be up to [head] coach [Kyle Shanahan] and his decision, whatever Bosa needs, we know the type of player he is. He's a great player. He means a lot to our defense, to our team. So, having him out there for Week 1, for me, is the most important thing."
When you were a player, what was your kind of preseason philosophy? Did you want to get out there and knock rust off?
"I guess when I was playing, we didn't have philosophy. It was set. You're playing. Starters are playing 15 plays the first game, a half the second game, you're playing a half in the first series of third game. And typically, you didn't suit for the fourth game. So that was always the standard from when I first came into the NFL. Now it's changed a little bit. It's changed a lot, where coach's philosophy has changed as far as playing guys, not playing guys. At the end of the day, you want to make sure that guys are getting really good work. I think you do that more with all of the joint practices that are now in the NFL. I think that helps guys get good competition. And with the preseason, you really want to see the young guys. You kind of know where your veterans are. You know what they can do for you. So, you kind of want to see the battle between the young guys and see who can rise to the occasion."
What kind of camp has LB Marcell Harris had and what can he gain from getting those first team reps this late in the process?
"Marcell has grown. I think every day Marcell has grown and he's becoming better at having a really good feel of playing at that second level at the linebacker spot. It seemed like a play he made yesterday, just him feeling the D-Line and playing off of the D-Line. I see him developing and transitioning into being able to help us there at that linebacker spot. So, Marcell, like I said before, he's a playmaker, wherever he is on the field, you know he's going to always be around the ball. He's going to find a way to get the ball out. And I'm just excited with his growth process at the linebacker position."
Do you view him as a guy who will exclusively be a linebacker? But if he's around, could he also still help you at safety? And how much does that help?
"Whatever we need from Marcell. I think he's been spending most of his time exclusively at linebacker. But like I said, when you have a playmaker of his caliber, you just need to find a way to get him on the field so he can help us with."
What is CB Jason Verrett dealing with?
"Oh, you have to talk to Kyle about that tomorrow."
Defensive passing game specialist/secondary coach Cory Undlin said at the start of camp with the rookies, you were just trying to get their feet wet and not throw too much at them. So, you weren't putting DB Deommodore Lenoir in the slot, but it's looked like he's worked there a little more. What are you seeing from him in that position?
"Yeah, we started him there yesterday and his head is spinning a little bit, but he's handled it really well. He's eager. One thing I like about him, he's eager to learn, he's eager to grow. So, when you have that type of mindset, you'll get better at anything you do. If you have the right mind for it. So, he's been fine in there. He's not out of place. I can tell you that. He's done a good job with the reps that he's been given and he's made a few plays in the backfield. So, he's done a really good job there at the slot position."
When you guys prepared for the New Orleans Saints in recent years, how much extra work, extra worry did having QB Taysom Hill as a possibility to come in give you guys preparing for that offense?
"Yeah preparing against those guys, it was always big time. You know Taysom Hill is coming in. You know you're getting zone read. You know the quarterback run. All the plays you can get, you have to prepare for it. So, it's tough preparing for it when you haven't seen it all year. And I think that's the value that we have now of going against Trey and the problems our offense presents us with the quarterback run stuff. It's been really great work defensively. I can't tell you how much that helps us being able to go back and study it and see where we can get better, things we've done well, things we've done not so well, things we need to tweak as far as how we fit in our philosophy for fitting the zone read. So, it's been really valuable work going against our offense."
Where do you think the defense is right now? Are you feeling good just generally about it?
"I'm feeling really good about where we are. All of our guys, I just love the way they come to work every day. These guys are out here. This probably was our best practice today. And to be this far ahead in camp and it's just both sides, defense and offense. I thought it was a very competitive practice on both sides. I just love the mentality of our defense. Guys are swarming to the ball. They're doing everything we're asking them to do. They're playing fast, they're playing aggressive and they're playing for each other. They're communicating really well. So, I couldn't ask for our defense to be in a better space than they're in now."
I know we always reference 2019, but so much of that personality of that team and the defense, was the defensive line taking over practices. Do you see that happening?
"Yeah, I do see it happen with [DL Javon] Kinlaw back out there. [DL] DJ Jones, [DL] Arik [Armstead], Samson, Bosa, those guys always encourage them. They do a great job at it of reset the line of scrimmage. If they reset the line of scrimmage and the guys on our second level, we just play off of those guys. So, we allow them to attack and play aggressive and play physical. And they've done that this camp every day, they control the line of scrimmage."
Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel
How has it been going shuffling QB Jimmy Garoppolo and QB Trey Lance out every other play?
"Well that's just something that we've been doing lately, just for guys to get used to it, just to keep our options open for the season with defenses and opponents and plays and whatever. So, it's great work getting the quarterbacks working with various centers. That's very important in terms of ball handling. So, it's been fun. I think the guys have enjoyed it as well."
It was noted that T Shon Coleman hasn't played a regular season game in a long time. What, three or four years? Have you seen a progression from him since camp started?
"Absolutely. Absolutely. You don't know where guys are at when you're away from them for very long. And really, that's kind of like an issue that all coaches have, you get very stressed out about how they're going to be and he's done a great job really working into football shape. He's doing great things and continuing to progress, which is all we ask for really all of our players."
What do you see out of RB Trey Sermon and how has he done the last couple of weeks?
"Well, he was hurt. So, that was unfortunate, the timing of it. But this week specifically, I've been very encouraged with some of the coaching points that we've been giving him. It's an adjustment for a running back, any ball carrier in the NFL. The speed is just so different and the holes are different and you can't stop and start as much. So, we've been coaching him up and [running backs] coach [Robert] Turner [Jr.] has done an outstanding job at pushing him like he does with all the young guys. And this week specifically, I think his teammates have really noticed. He's been very deliberate and forceful. And it's been very encouraging this week."
You guys have talked about one of the big adjustments here is learning all of the pre-snap stuff. For you as a coach, what are the keys to kind of helping them through that process? Just knowing that's an additional thing that a lot of them, maybe haven't done in the NFL.
"Reps and you don't hold back early. One of the things we've been fortunate with is we've been there. Even though it's not always great to get fired in coaching and having different jobs, the opportunity it presents is you learn 'Okay, how do you best install your system so that it's ready for the regular season?' So, specifically with us, we start motioning and doing all pre-snap stuff from day one. So, we try and attempt to make it become who we are. So, it is an afterthought, guys get used to lengthy play calls, various motions, etc."
How often do you see maybe, especially from rookies, mistakes coming from that?
"Oh yeah. A lot. A lot. And so, you really have to be disciplined and again, we've been fortunate to have trial and error in various organizations. The key is that you don't quit and that's the one thing that we've really learned in the process is that just because they're messing up a motion doesn't mean you stop motioning. So, we continue to try that. It's just like cadence. We were having cadence issues at the beginning of the camp. We kept using it because we needed to and we're working through it and we are much better than we were the last time we talked. And so, you just don't really take the foot off the gas in that regard."
In 2012 with Former NFL QB Robert Griffin III did you guys learn a lot from that experience, just in terms of getting a rookie quarterback up to speed and sort of creating a specialized version of an offense?
"Oh, for sure. It really shaped a lot of our careers in that regard because we did learn so much. What was unique is [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and [former NFL] Coach [Mike] Shanahan, we didn't have anybody really on our staff that had experienced with any of that stuff. So, we really, as a staff had to kind of piece it together and learn for ourselves, which is the most powerful way to learn. And it really changed the way you look at defensive schemes in general. It's not just manifesting itself this year. That's been our whole career. It kind of opens your mind to how 11 men have to play defense and gap soundness and all sorts of things."
Do you feel a lot more prepared or I guess in a better spot to work with somebody like Trey when you've already implemented that kind of stuff?
"Realistically, we wouldn't be the same coaches we are now at all. And with a lot of different schemes that we do, and again, not just this year, but in years previous. So, it's been very beneficial. I don't think whatever product we put out last year, this year, the next year moving forward, it wouldn't be the same without those years in Washington."
Kyle has said both quarterbacks will play this year. We've seen that in practice, most teams play one quarterback. What are the benefits of playing two?
"Most teams don't have two good quarterbacks. And so, the benefit is you can really do with players, things that they're really good at. And as long as you have the right unit, that's willing to work together, which we do, the right organization, the right people, where it's all about the 49ers winning football games, you just really try to problem solve what's the best way. And it's literally that simple. And so, the benefits to us is really that we can utilize skillsets from everyone and do it in a manner that everyone can cohesively play together."
Have you ever been in a situation like this and do you worry about splitting a locker room? Talk about that.
"Well, that's interesting because I could see how that would potentially be a situation at other places. Again, this is from top to bottom, really that's not really a concern at all in the 49ers organization because of the leadership and because of the players that we have in the locker room. Everyone really is, from our team meetings to our practice, so focused on just trying to do whatever it takes to win. Understanding that when you win, personal validations and successes happen to everyone. So, that common goal has really insulated us from anything. To be honest, I haven't heard really anybody's opinion on X, Y, or Z, in that regard, because no one really cares. Everyone trusts that their intentions are right and we're just trying to do the best thing for the 49ers to win and working forward in that regard."
How do you balance wanting to use Trey's running ability and also protecting him long-term?
"You try to teach him how to play football well. It's kind of that for every position, really. If you're carrying the ball, you have to know how to protect yourself. And if he carries the ball, he's going to have to know how to protect himself. That's different from position to position. We tell linemen to if they have the ball in their hands to get low and dive, because people are going to cut them. That's very different than a running back, very different than a receiver. So really, all of it is you're just coaching situations and quarterbacks have the ball in their hands literally every play. So, you have to coach him when you're running the football the same as when you're passing the football how to protect yourself."
Have you ever seen him slide?
"Yeah. I've seen him throw, slide, dive. I think we've had experience with quarterbacks and their various commitment to diving or sliding. Really, you're just trying to take advantage of space while keeping yourself out of harm's way. And so, each and every play is different. I'm sure there'll be situations where he slides, situations that he dives, might happen this Sunday. Hopefully it will."
You've basically gone the whole camp going up against the defense in team drills without DL Nick Bosa and DL Dee Ford. What's it like when they drop Bosa and Ford in there?
"Yeah, it's a very conflicting feeling because you're excited and it's also making your life miserable. So, you have to keep the common goal in mind where, 'Hey, good defense is great for us,' but as coaches you're trying in the practice to do well. But really when you sit back in the meeting room and you're watching the players play, if it's a really good player beating you, at least you feel better about that. You definitely could feel it in the last couple of days and I'm very excited for our team because of that."
Jimmy said that he talked to former NFL QB Drew Brees about what it was like to share snaps with another quarterback. Did you do any of the same thing in the offseason? Talk to other coaches who've dealt with it? What the pitfalls are, what the challenges are, that sort of thing?
"No, I didn't specifically. The mantra of that we've always operated by is 'Okay what makes the most sense for the team?' I know Kyle takes that super serious. He takes the responsibility of making the proper decisions for the team paramount. So, I wouldn't say that you're reaching out. You watch it and you think through it and then you try to apply your best foot forward in that avenue."
Special teams coordinator Richard Hightower
You guys have to trim your roster to 53 on Tuesday. Can you walk us through what that process is like from your point of view, how you kind of contribute to figuring out who those last few players are?
"Yeah, of course. What I do is basically look at the tape and we all look at the tape together, evaluate the tape, and then we rank the guys. So, I'll rank them at each position. And I'll give that information to [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and [general manager] John [Lynch] and they'll go through the roster. Obviously, they meet with every different position group on that, as well as special teams on that. So, from my vantage point, I just answer the questions that they ask. If they got questions on any guys, I try to give them the best answer I can and try to help in any way I can and give an honest evaluation of the players. And really, it's great because whatever they put on tape is really all you have to say. So, guys have done that and guys are continuing to do that and they'll get a chance to do that this game as well. So, this is big game for some guys."
Have you found that the guys that you had ranked highest in previous years end up making that roster?
"Yeah. If we do it right, if we rank them right. But, you always make mistakes at times, but for the most part, the guys that can play or the guys that are at the top and it usually pans out that way. So, the good thing is here we've got a lot of good guys to choose from. We've got a lot of competition on this team. It's exciting to see. And it's at not just one position, it's at several different positions. So, that's what makes those decisions. I know they're tough for John and Kyle, but decisions are hard because they've put together a really good roster. There's a lot of competition. So, that's been the fun part see these guys compete."
What kind of jealously does it create in a room when you have a kicker who has a rap song about him?
"I don't think it creates any jealousy (laughter). I think it creates more support for him. The guys love [K] Robbie [Gould]. It is crazy. He has a song, he's a rock star, he has a song and the guys love it. The guys love the song. I mean, they play it at times when he kicks field goals and I've seen [CB] Jason Verrett and [TE] George Kittle and those guys bob their head to it. They get into it. So, it's pretty neat. It's pretty neat to have your own song."
Robbie, not to be negative, but he's missed a couple of extra points in the preseason. They don't count, but why did he miss the kicks and what are you seeing from him on film?
"Yeah, I have all the confidence in the world in Robbie. He's one of the best kickers to ever play in this game. And obviously, he wants to make all his kicks. We want him to make all his kicks. But again, it's not just Robbie out there. There's protection involved. There's three people that are involved in the operation. So, he's done a phenomenal job. This week, he's made every kick this week in practice. He's had 12, he's made all of those. He's kicking with confidence. I have all the confidence in the world of him. We're very fortunate to have him. He's one of the best kickers in the game. So, we'll just see it. We'll see it translate. We'll see what happens this week. And I've got all the confidence in the world that he'll knock them in."
Is LB Marcell Harris one of your top special teams guys?
"I think when you take a look at a guy like Marcell Harris, I think over the years Marcell has proven himself. Guys can see that on tape. So yeah for sure, he's one of the top guys. He's always been one of the good players here. He makes a lot of tackles. He commands a lot of double teams and he quite honestly breaks through those double teams and still makes tackles. So, Marcell has been a good contributor for us and that was a hell of a draft choice that they drafted Marcell because he's come in and done everything that we expected him to do and more. So, I've been real pleased with Marcell."
When it comes to cut down day, has there been a time where you've gotten on the table for a guy, really fought for him to be on the roster?
"Yeah, that happens at all positions, just not my position. It happens at O-Line. It happens at defensive back. It happens throughout, but I will get on table for any guys that lay it on the line for their teammates. So, if guys fight for their team and guys fight for one another and guys can help us win, I don't have any problem getting on the table for anybody. I'll stand two feet on it. I'm not very tall, but I'll stand two feet on the table for anybody. And I think all the coaches will. And then as well, I'll give an honest opinion if a guy can't help us, I'll give an honest opinion on that as well because all of us we want to win. The bottom line is winning. So, if a guy can help us, definitely we'll get on the table for him."
You have one of those positions where you have the opportunity to work with rookies that can really have a learning curve. What have you seen from your rookies this year and how has their development been in the last couple of weeks?
"That's a great question. I've seen it from, especially, in particular [CB] Ambry Thomas and [DB Deommodore Lenoir] D-Mo. Those guys have grown from game one to game two at a rapid pace. The guys are picking up everything as they go. And it's just like anything. It's just like reporting. I bet the first time you guys did it, you got better the second time you did it and the third time you did it. It's just repetition at everything. So, I've seen those guys grow. And a lot of those guys, what's interesting is a lot of guys don't play special teams. Some do, but a lot of guys don't play special teams coming out of college because they're all the superstars. So, you really have to teach them and mold them and train them and rekindle the fire for them to play special teams. Some places are different. Alabama they play a lot of special teams. LSU, those guys play special teams at times. But not every place, their stars don't play special teams. So, you really have to teach them the fundamentals and you really have to make sure you grow them."
D-Mo said that when he first got here, he was lost and had nowhere to go and you yelled at DB Jimmie Ward to make sure that he took them under his wing and kind of show them around. How important is it for you to have a guy like that that can lead them through there.?
"Yeah, I think it's critically important. Guys like Jimmie Ward, guys like [RB] Raheem Mostert that done it for us. Guys that can go and put their arm around guys, even George Kittle, believe it or not. He's one of the leaders that gets guys going and gets them around. And [LB] Fred Warner is the same way. So, we have a culture where guys embrace special teams and they grab the young guys and they get them and they teach them and they show him. So, it's like having extra coaches on the field to be honest, it's critically important."
