San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, and offensive line/run game coordinator Chris Foerster spoke with reporters after Thursday's practice. The team is preparing for its Week 8 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Here is everything they had to say.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
QB Jimmy Garoppolo
After a game like that, or actually a few games offensively, everybody's got their theories and their reasons why things aren't going the way that they should be. And one of them that's being talked about now is that the 49ers aren't the same once they get off their script. That they're really good early and then it kind of teeters out a little bit. Fair, not fair? What do you think?
"Everyone has their opinions. That's not changing any time soon and I wouldn't expect to. I don't know, it's hard to pinpoint one exact thing that this is the reason that we're struggling, or this is the reason, whatever. I think it's a combination of things. Script is nice and everything, it gets us off to a good start, but we just have to execute the plays. It's about making plays out there, staying on the field on third down, being able to run the ball. I think all those things play a key."
How has the chemistry building been with RB Christian McCaffrey over the first couple of practices?
"It's been good. It's been good. Trying to get as much time together as we can, just talking, trying to get on the same page. But he sees the field very similar to a quarterback. He just has a good feel for space, as all our backs do. I think all those guys do good on choices and things like that, but it's really just when you can feel that zone and feel that space in there, it's always a nice thing."
The last couple times you've faced the Rams, they've done a pretty good job of stopping the run. I think 50 rushing yards in the NFC Championship game and 88 a few weeks ago. How hard are they selling out to stop your run game?
"No different than any other team. I think it's just when two teams know each other as familiar as we do and coaches and schemes, all that stuff I think comes into play. It makes it difficult to run the ball. When you have that many bodies in there and things like that, it just gets tight, so sometimes you got pass to set up to run and vice versa."
How have you kind of come along with WR Danny Gray as he gets more incorporated in practices? What are you seeing from him in practice?
"Danny is, all these young guys, the mental capacity for this offense, you got ways to go when you're a rookie and especially when our core guys have been doing this for however many years together. Things keep evolving and growing and it's the rookie's job to catch up as quickly as possible. And I think Danny's doing a good job of that. He gives us some good plays. The dude's fast as hell. He really is. And there's a place for that. We just we need to find it."
I know it's not just one thing, but you have a lot of talent for being 3-4. Why do you think this hasn't totally come together just yet?
"We're only seven weeks into this thing, so obviously we'd love to be 7-0, but there's a lot of football left. So, it's one of those things that, whatever the offseason was, we need to get to where we need to get more quickly and just with a sense of urgency. I think that's the biggest thing. I think you feel it in the locker room. I've felt it throughout the week, honestly, just there's a sense of urgency with the guys. And we have to do this together. No individual's going to do it on his own. We have to do this as a team. And I think that's what has made us great in the past here. We just have to get back to that."
I imagine you're having a dialogue with the quarterback coach Brian Griese on the sideline at halftime during games, you had a relationship with former quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello, Brian's new. How is that dialogue during games coming along?
"It's been good. It's been good. Obviously. I think we got room for improvement. We could grow together, and we are throughout this whole year, but it's pretty cool. I've never had a quarterback coach that played quarterback. I think I've said this before, but he just sees it as a quarterback. It's different. Everyone thinks they see it as a quarterback, they don't. So that's the reality of it. But you know when you have a guy that you could talk the same language with, and [QB] Brock [Purdy] and [QB] Kurt [Benkert] have been great too, just all talking the same language, seeing the same picture. It allows you to play a little more free."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan talked yesterday about how, with almost an entirely new coaching staff on the offensive side, how it's changed his process. Do you feel that change in your position as well?
"Oh, yeah. Yeah. It's definitely different. Whenever something's new, new coaches, new players, whatever it is, it's always going to be a little different. But that's what I was kind of saying. It's our job as players to catch up as quickly as possible, get on the same page. There're no excuses at this point. We're in the season, we're in the grind of it, and we just have to play catch up now."
You guys have been outscored 49-13 in third quarters, why do you think that is? What's happening there?
"I don't know. I don't know. I think coming out to play ready in the third quarter, I think is a big part. Honestly, that's the first time I've heard that stat, so I'm not too positive what the reasoning is for that, but we definitely need to fix that. I think the third quarter is where a big momentum shift happens and we need to fix that."
The different sense of urgency is that it's late October, a couple more games it gets a little dicey or where do you think that comes from?
"I think it comes from the leaders in the locker room. I honestly do. It comes from the coaches too, need to have a sense of urgency, but I think the leaders, we've been in similar situations to this. I'm not going to say we've been in this exact situation, because every year's different, but we've been in difficult spots before and I think what's gotten us out of it in the past is just coming together as a team, being together and having that sense of urgency that we need to fix it, we need to fix it now, and it's worked well for us in the past. We just need to get back to that."
After the game on Sunday, WR Brandon Aiyuk was talking about how everybody needed to look inward and really focus on what they need to do on the field. Have you seen him change to more of a leader in that way in his third year?
"Hell yeah. Yeah, B.A. has taken some big steps. Really in the last couple weeks, it's been awesome. It's been really cool to see. B.A. is a pretty quiet guy overall, but when he gets talking and he's saying things to younger guys and you see it, just his demeanor, how he carries himself, his presence is felt. I'll say that. And it's really cool to see that happen."
Defensive Coordinator DeMeco Ryans
How do you address Sunday's game? Do you spend more time after a game where it's as one-sided as that one?
"No, we do the same. Tell the truth Mondays after a game. So we approach it the same, whether it's a win or a loss. I approach all those games the same. We go in and we talk about the corrections, the mistakes that happen, why they happen, the technique just so everyone understands what happened on a particular play. We can never get in a situation where it's one person pointing a finger at someone else. It's all, everybody knows in the room together. This is where the breakdown happened and this is why and this is what we have to do to fix it. So that's how we approach every game. Win or loss."
Is there a theme from that meeting? How do you explain what happened there?
"No theme. At the end of the day, we have to do our job better. Whatever the defense calls for, whatever that technique is, we have to do our jobs better, and that's all across the board. It's technique, whether it's eyes, whatever it may be. Everybody just has to be locked in and do their job better."
Did you find that a lot of them already knew without being told what had happened?
"Oh, for sure. Our guys know. You know from the sideline, looking at the pictures and the iPad. From the pictures, you can see what happened on the sideline. So guys knew what was going on and it's just a matter of someone stepping up and making a play at the end of the day in this game, you have to make plays on Sunday and that's what I was telling the guys. If you want to be a great player, everybody's favorite player, the player they root for, they're your favorite player because they make plays on Sunday. And that's what guys have to step up and do, it's not playing hero ball or being someone you're not. It just comes with everybody playing within the defense, playing within the scheme, doing what they're supposed to do. And you'll make the plays you're supposed to make.
What is the thought process by playing DB Jimmie Ward at Nickel and is that something you envisioned being a long-term thing?
"That's what we did last week for that game and we'll see how it goes, but Jimmie is a unique player in the sense that I think Jimmie can do things that other players just can't do. His versatility is very unique. He's probably one of the only guys in his league that can do safety, can come down in the box, play nickel. He can do it all, blitzing, covering. Not too many guys can do that. And that's the unique talent that Jimmie has a God-given ability that not many guys have. So that's what makes Jimmie unique. That's what makes him stand out amongst other players in this league."
He's expressed in the past to us and I'm sure to you guys, how much he prefers to be at Free Safety. Did you talk to him? What kind of conversations go on before that move happened?
"Yeah, we had conversations and that's between me and Jimmie. We had conversations about it."
Your defensive end oftentimes crashed down aggressively and the Chiefs took advantage of that, Kansas Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman's three touchdowns, Kansas Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire's touchdown. Was that a scheme thing as far as something specific to what the Chiefs were doing? Because obviously that doesn't happen every week.
"Yeah, I think you're speaking of the jet sweeps that happen. Those things right there, we have to fit better on the back end, so it's a fit thing from the back end level, whether it's the second-level guys and the safeties, it's just all about where they fit on that particular play and we have to correct those things and we didn't do a good job on Sunday of those."
Does CB Charvarius "Mooney" Ward have the ability to play in the slot in certain matchups?
"I think Mooney is another guy who can do whatever. He can play outside, play in the slot. I think he can do a little bit of both."
You know the Rams probably better than any offense you've faced, so what jumps out at you in studying them last week?
"The thing with the Rams is they're consistent. They're going to do what they do. I think I said last time, it's always the [Los Angeles Rams WR] Cooper Kupp show. That hasn't changed over the past couple weeks. You find a way to get that guy the ball and he's going to make a play for them. So that hasn't changed much for those guys who are still running their same scheme. They find a way to get their play makers the ball and guys do a great job of converting, whether it's a screen or a jet sweep type play. They do a great job of taking a short pass and taking it to the house. That's the interesting part. That's the cool part about their offense, relying on their play makers and you see the speed jump off with 15 [Los Angeles Rams WR Tutu Atwell], 19 [Los Angeles Rams WR Brandon Powell] in the back field, more screens to those guys. So they have a lot of different play makers, speedy guys who can make plays."
Does that put special onus on tackling?
"Yeah, always. It always comes down to tackling. Our game is fast and it always comes down to fundamentals of football. Whatever happens, however a play breaks out - are you sprinting to the ball? Do you have effort? Is everybody swarming to the ball? And when we show up, are we tackling with the proper fundamentals? If you do that, no matter what happens, you have another chance to stand up and make a play. So it'll always come down to the fundamentals."
You mentioned guys not needing to be heroes or play hero ball. Did you see a little bit of that in the Chiefs game?
"No, it's not that. I just always remind the guys that you're not out there by yourself. You don't have to be the savior coming to do something outside of what we ask you to do in this particular defense. I just always remind the guys that, so when things do break down, someone doesn't leave their assignment to try to go and cover somewhere else. Just to make sure everybody is accountable to their job and what they're asked to do, just do that to the best of your ability and our defense will be flying around making plays."
When they come in on Monday, do you want them angry or do you want them angry and analytical? What do you want to see when they come in?
"Whatever emotion they have. I think that's it. It's free. Everybody's able to express themselves differently. Some guys are angry, some guys can be analytical. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter to me either way. We're going to correct what we need to correct and move forward, but it's the freedom of guys just to be themselves. And that's the special part of being here with the Niners, allowing guys just to be themselves, express themselves how they need to and everybody's together on everything we do to get it corrected."
In back-to-back games, the defense has given up three-and-long situations. What are you seeing in those situations specifically?
On those, you are in an advantageous position as a defense and you feel like these plays we should get off. But I think it goes back to, what I said earlier about the screens and things like that. It's making sure we're fitting it properly and making sure at the end of the day we're tackling the guy and getting him on the ground. When you are in a long situation, no matter what happens, somebody has to show up and make a tackle."
How does CB Jason Verrett look this week?
"Jason's done good. We opened his window. Happy to just have him back out there seeing him working, it's great. I always say it's great to have just Jason back out there. I was showing the guys some clips of Jason from a couple years ago, how it looks from a pro, and that's one thing I always take back for our young guys and teaching them, just showing them examples of how it looked and things that Jason did at the corner position when he was healthy and flying around just to show those guys and you can learn so much from J.V. So it's exciting to have him back out there. Happy for him"
Are you seeing those same things on the field now?
"Well, he's working his way back in and we'll see where he is in the process."
Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator Chris Foerster
T Mike McGlinchey talked yesterday about how it wasn't good enough on Sunday and he's talked in the past about kind of getting in his own head. Do you talk to him or do you approach him differently, knowing his past and his background after a game like that?
"Yeah, I talked to him during the game, I spoke with him and it's hard to watch him individually during the game because you're trying to see defensive schematics, you're trying to see everybody, so it's hard to get him in-game other than to just try and say, 'Hey look, just get back to your fundamentals,' but yeah, definitely have addressed it afterwards. And he's better than ever. This is, regardless of the result, the follow through afterwards, everything leading up to this has been much better than in the past. So yeah, there were some rough plays there at the end of the game for him. And not good enough by any stretch of the imagination, but it's different than in past years. Definitely his approach, like I said, his approach since coming off the injury, his approach last year before getting hurt and then how he's worked on himself throughout was much better. Was the result what we wanted, no. It was still not a good enough result and there's no excuse for it, so we have to continue to work to fix that."
When you say approach, you're talking about just how he handles it mentally?
"Yeah, the approach to what? Okay, so a bad play occurs, one of Mike's things has been preventing the next bad play. Sometimes it's kind of one play has led to another and that happened a little bit on Sunday. How do I fix this? This happened, okay, what do I do? And a lot of people are just, hey, just get back to my fundamentals and realize it was just a bad play, so that's been the approach. He's been much better that way as far as not letting one bad play affect another, which happened, you saw early in the year. Early, one of the first pass plays of the season, we got a sack in Chicago, then settled down and had a really nice game. That's been his mindset all the way through, so it was unfortunate. Not a good game, really good player in a game that got out of hand and we have to do a better job."
With RB Christian McCaffrey, he didn't have much time to get up to speed before playing the other day. He talked about how coaches and other people were helpful in helping him in that process. Can you just kind of shed light on what that's like, if you were involved in that especially?
"Well, I would've had to wait in line because between [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and and Bobby Turner and [running backs coach] Anthony Lynn, he got plenty of tutoring from everybody. Last week was much more about getting him up to speed on the nuts and bolts of the offense. Cadence, snap count, formations, all those types of things and then his specific package for the game and how much we could get him involved in learning the package for the game. So there was much more just that one-on-one, very specific learning, so I was not involved much at all. I was encouraging and just saying, let me know when he is in there and we will try and block for him."
So does that change this week? Have you been more involved?
"No, it's actually now even more so with those guys because he's more involved in all the gameplan and obviously, we've talked specifically about plays that are good for him and things like that, but it's pretty much working with the running back coaches."
How was T Trent Williams' first game back?
"He was good. He was good. It was good. I said to him after the game, to be perfectly honest with you, he seemed a little calm, because Trent's very competitive and he always gets wired during the games. He wants to compete and play hard and play well. And he did, he was more it was a long day. 80 plays for a guy that hasn't played in a few weeks. He was making sure that he kept his wind the whole game and did all that, so he did a nice job. I think he'll make another step this week."
RB Jeff Wilson Jr. ran so well against Kansas City it almost looked like he was making a statement. How has he responded to the addition of Christian?
"Yeah, I think he's worked really hard. Like I've said, you guys have heard me say before how much I respect Jeff and the job that he does and I think he's handled it like a professional. Anybody that you bring another player in at the position, you're thinking, Okay, is this guy here to take my job? I can't speak for Jeff on that, so I think he's risen to the occasion. He has competed to say, Look, I'm still here and I still do a great job. I think it's great that we have more than one. I've said that before as well. I think you need more than one guy back there and when we get [RB] Elijah [Mitchell] back there, we'll have three guys and then the young guys are coming along as well, so I really like the group that we have, and Jeff will continue to run hard, as will Christian as will the other guys."
Kyle talked yesterday about how the process of building his gameplan for a game has changed just a little bit because it's all different personnel on the coaching staff on the offensive side. How have you seen it because you've been around for quite a bit with him?
"It's all different. We talk about it often. I don't think there's anybody on the staff that's doing the exact same job that they did a year ago. Even though I was the offensive line coach, I didn't have the duties of run game coordinator and I think every single person you could point to on the offense is in a different role. It's the same, but it is different. It's just to all of us, how Kyle uses each one of us, how we all have to supplement helping him formulate a gameplan. It's just different. He had [Miami Dolphins head coach] Mike [McDaniel] for so many years, who knew what Kyle needed and could go around the staff to get what Kyle needed and help Kyle with all those things. And so now it's more and it's a process of realizing, okay, this is what Chris is going to be able to do in this role and still be able to coach the offensive line. This is what [offensive passing game coordinator] Bobby Slowik is going to bring the table. This is what [tight ends coach] Brian Fleury is going to bring to the table and then you see people's strengths and weaknesses. It's like during the season you realize, hey, [OL] Aaron Banks pulls better, he's a better puller than [OL] Spencer Burford, so if we're going to pull somebody, we're probably going to pull Aaron a little bit more. Not that Spencer can't do it or if the play calls for it, but same with coaches. This coach is a little bit better at this, this coach a little bit better at that. My strength isn't making sure that the Excel spreadsheet is set up properly with exclamation points, parentheses, and all of a sudden who knows what the game plan would look like, so somebody else is going to do that. McDaniel was really good at working the Excel spreadsheet or whatever it might be, so that's a random example, but you get my point."
Let me know when McCaffrey's ready to go and we'll we get him blocked, what kind of overlap is there for how you would block Christian versus WR Deebo Samuel?
"I meant that more like, whatever Christian's in for, we're going to block for anybody who's in there, but no, there isn't much difference, I'd say between any of the guys. It's just the style of play and I think with Christian, he really does everything. There's some Deebo plays, obviously, but it's not like you say, hey guys, we got the Deebo package going in. Or hey guys, we got Christian coming in. It is going to be whoever's up for the carries and we're going to be ready to block whatever it is. And we're more preparing for what we think is going to be good against the defense. And then if there's something that we say, Hey, boy, we'd really love to get, we think this play's going to be good and this would be a good play for Christian, or this would be a good play for Jeff, then let's put him in for that play."
One of the few teams that, maybe one of the only teams that, where Los Angeles Rams DL Aaron Donald is concerned, he's formidable, but he doesn't totally wreck the game against you. Like he has with so many other teams. How many people does it take to do that?
"I think Aaron Donald's a great player and has had great games against us. I think it's a group effort. I think whether it's the protection plan, whether it's the quarterback getting the ball out and how we design the passing game, whether it's the types of runs we run and where we run them. I will say that he is a focal point for us on every single play. There isn't a play that we don't run where Aaron Donald isn't considered. And I've been real fortunate in my career when I started with [former] Minnesota Vikings [DL] John Randle was the three technique, and [former Tampa Bay Buccaneers DL] Warren Sapp was in the division in the three technique in Tampa. Then I went to Tampa and went against John Randle and I would always talk to my friends when they'd go against us at both places. And in the olden days before the spreadsheets and the computerized blocking sheets and everything else, you did them by hand, but every single time you would circle there's where John Randle is, there's where Warren Sapp is, there's where Warren Sapp is and then there's where [NFL HOF DL] Reggie White is and you better know where those guys are. And Aaron Donald is just one of those players and it happens weekly. Shoot the guy with Atlanta last week [Atlanta Falcons DL Grady Jarrett], the guy from Kansas City [Kansas Chiefs DL Chris Jones]. These guys are exceptional players and they will tear your game up if you're not aware of where they are. And I think that that's something that you really have to do. And Aaron Donald obviously is, I've said it before, you're dying a slow death. You're doing the best that you can to make sure that you try and do it. And there's things that they can do to make sure that he gets his 1-on-1 matchups and has a chance to wreck the game and do things to you. And even when you've set everything up right, he still does things. And I think of the last play the Super Bowl, the Cincinnati Bengals slid to him, the Cincinnati Bengals were doing everything they could to protect, and he beat the guy in the area that should be the most protected. He still won the battle and got to the quarterback and wrecked the last play of the Super Bowl. And they had everything set up right. And there you go. Primetime, great players. I can't tell you how many times I kept saying, I think Reggie White's finally slowed down. I think Reggie's finally okay, we don't have to worry. And then next thing you know, man, you better have the whole plan set up or Reggie's famous hump move and I can't tell you how many offensive tackles I coached that went flying across Lambeau Field as Reggie did one of his famous hump moves on a guy when I thought Reggie had finally been done. And it's the same thing here, man. It just doesn't end. It's a challenge every week and whether we've done good or bad, it's a team effort, but I'll just say he is considered on every single play."
When you talk about that last play of the Super Bowl, does that remind you a bit of the last play of the NFC Championship game as well?
"A little different, I think that our last play, he did a great job. I'm not taking anything away. There was another problem going on in the play, which then led to the breakdown of the protection and then he was able to make the play in a critical time of the game. It wasn't as much as that one where legitimately we had X, Y or Z going on with him, and then all of a sudden he broke through all that. It was more of something else was going on that, that led to him being able to make a good play, but again, you're not going to block him for long, so if something else breaks down, he'll take full advantage of it."
You've been through a lot of NFL seasons and this season is odd because you guys have a lot of talent. There have been injuries, but you're 3-4, why do you think it hasn't all come together?
"That's a gigantic question for people that aren't Chris Foerster, but it's always a challenge. You heard me last week, I got excited last week talking about a few things that I really believe that every season is a challenge. And when you look at it, I was looking at it the other day, I was looking at how many teams, I think there's four teams in the AFC and four teams in the NFC that are outside of that .500 or below range. And there's only one team this week in the NFC I was counting, I was looking at it too. There's only one team that can set themselves apart from that again this week and that's Seattle. Everybody else, if everybody else wins, except for Seattle, we'll still all be around 500. And that's just kind of where we are right now. And I don't think we're not living up to expectations. Yeah, we want to play better and so do all those other teams that have talent and have good players and are around .500 right now. And that's what the season's about. I really think it's a product of, not necessarily this team, I just think the two years of COVID, the lack of offseason, the lack of training camp, I think it's done great things for player safety. Players aren't getting hurt in training camp. Players barely play in the preseason not getting hurt there, but then one coach was talking, I won't mention names, but said, I was talking to a guy the other day that said when something's broke, like we're not good in a third-and-one. Well, you don't go out in full pads for three days and have short-yardage scrimmages or goal-line scrimmages, you just don't, you just have to fix it within the process of playing games. So it's not an excuse. It is what it is. You just have to continue. I think it's an explanation to you develop during the season and so the more available you have your players, the more they're available to play every Sunday, the more you're able to practice every week, you start to stack one game on top of the other. And with the availability, with the health of the players and with the reps, you hopefully get better. So now is the time you separate, between now and Thanksgiving, we're going to find out, who stays at .500, who starts to creep above that, or who falls below that. And that's what, as I said, that's the challenge of the season with whoever the next man up is. And that's where the challenge becomes even greater."