San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and quarterback Brock Purdy spoke to reporters on Friday as the team finalizes preparations for its preseason matchup against the New Orleans Saints. Here is everything they said.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Head Coach Kyle Shanahan
On Monday, you said that S Talanoa Hufanga had an important doctor's appointment yesterday. Did he have it and what were the results?
"He did. It was good. I think he got back late last night. He cleared him for the next steps, which is that we can push him a little bit harder. Not against players, but more football stuff and those type of dynamic cuts and everything. Hopefully he has a real good week of it and we can talk about easing him into practice."
Have you decided if you're going to play your ones on Sunday?
"I want to play a number of them. I won't say all of them, but would like to get a lot of them in there for at least a little bit. We wanted these three practices to go through before we could evaluate that. So we haven't told each player specifically. But yeah, the plan is that you guys will see some ones"
Does that include QB Brock Purdy?
"Most likely. Right now I plan on Brock going, but that could change. But most likely."
Did you decide who is going after? QB Josh Dobbs?
"We haven't told them yet, so I have to tell them first."
OL Aaron Banks?
"He broke his pinky, had surgery this morning. We're hoping to have him back by Week One."
How would you characterize wanting to have these practices and then you had to cancel it with injuries, we know who is out. Would you say it's been disjointed, just because of that at camp or do you think things are going okay?
"No, I think we've had, we've definitely been in the situation before with injuries. I thought we had good luck the last two years with them. I wouldn't say our luck has been horrible this year, because there hasn't been a lot of long-term ones. We had one week where we missed a lot of starters and the twos and threes had to do a ton for one week. Had to carry it all versus Tennessee. And then just to get them on a plane two days later to take them to L.A. to scrimmage New Orleans, to then come back here two days later. And then to get on a plane three days later to go to Vegas. It was just, it was too much. That was the smart thing for the scrimmage and the way we had it out. But I wouldn't say it was any more drastic than it's been some other years."
Is WR Ricky Pearsall far enough along that you think you can get him ready for Week One?
"I hope so. We'll find out when he gets back and where he is. We have another week here of camp, we have two weeks after. I forget what the days are, I think it's like 27 days or something. That's enough time. He's able to run and do all those things, do our walk-throughs, things like that. But just want to protect him from hits and things like that so he doesn't have a setback."
When you look at OL Dominick Puni, S Malik Mustapha, CB Renardo Green, does this rookie class look like you guys can have people that can contribute right away as opposed to maybe farther along?
"Yeah, I think it does. You hope that's not the case, but that's stuff you can't control. It's always next man up and we've had a number of rookies who've gotten a lot of reps here in training camp, who've done very well with their opportunity. I think those guys will be ready. We'll see if they need to be."
When do you get to the point on a hold-in where you say, "Okay, we're done with this. You either have to practice or you're getting fined?"
"I think it has to do with when they have injuries and stuff. I don't sit there and kind of play that game. That's how the league works right now. That's how the rules are. You have a hold-in, guys usually have something wrong with them, so they can keep doing that. And so I just coach the team."
Not getting into specific finances, but with this team as close as it is to a championship, do you understand maybe fans or whatever saying, "Why not just keep going with the money? Why would you risk your best chance at a Super Bowl over whatever the money terms are?" Do you understand that?
"I understand the question yeah, but I don't look into anything just as a one-year deal. I think everything is tied together. I think we're as aggressive as we can be every year. And everything is connected to each other too. And wherever you go one spot, you have to go less at another. So it's not as simple as that perspective. I totally get that from a fan standpoint and everything. If it was that simple, I think it'd be a lot easier to figure things out. But too many things do connect and tie together with that. That's why these things can be difficult."
You've been pretty adamant about how much you enjoy joint practices. Now that it's Friday, what are the pros and cons of not having joint practice this week?
"Just how bored we are going against each other. That's the main thing. I came in today and it was the same routine that we've done a number of days, or a number of weeks, in a row. I remember seeing [senior offensive specialist] Mick Lombardi this morning, we go over the team meeting clips and stuff I'm gonna show and right when he walked in this morning I'm like, 'Gosh, this is getting old, meeting with you every morning here.' And he goes, 'I feel the same.' I go, 'I think everyone feels the same right now.' What would I have done the last day, on this day for the last eight years? Not counting COVID. We've been scrimmaging someone which is just less boring. And then we usually cancel walk-through, let all the players get an early start for their rookie show that they usually do the night before this second game, which they'll be doing Saturday. And then, since we're all usually in a hotel together, all the position players usually go out for dinner together and the coaches go out for dinner together. So we're doing that today. We're canceling walk-through, allowing the rookies to put some work into their show because that is important to us on Saturday. I know guys aren't all in a hotel, some guys have family and stuff, but I think most of the guys are gonna go out to dinner tonight with the groups."
And then not having joint practice, how does that change when you want to get from the game on Sunday?
"Not much. Sometimes when you compete against another squad and your starters get so many reps versus them, sometimes I rest them for that game because of it. Not doing that I might play them a little bit more."
Will they all play against the Saints?
"Probably some of them, not all of them. Haven't totally decided."
The perception always is that the coach is going to want guys in, just because you want them to play. You don't have to always worry about what's going on in financing. You haven't really ever expressed something like that. But is it hard to just not say, "Let's just get the guys in and let's go win football games?"
"If I only understood 40-percent of the business, I think that would be extremely hard for me. But yeah, I don't think you can be like that as a head coach. You have to know the big picture and it all ties together. So, hell yeah you want every player in camp and you want every player healthy and you want to be working at everything every single day. But that's not the reality of our league. That's not the reality of our situation."
I want to make sure I understand. Are you saying, if there's a hold-in and you force the issue that you would expect like a Miami Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey in Jacksonville type of situation where he says, "Oh my back hurts and I'm just not playing?"
"I'm just saying when you guys call it a hold-in, and I'm not disagreeing with you guys on that, but people say that they're hurt. I think B.A. has a sore back right now and it is what it is.
Are you hurt?
"Always. Getting old."
It sounds like progress is being made with T Trent Williams situation. But we're right on that three-week window before the season. If something is able to get done, say next week, is that enough time to get him ready for the opener or are you making plans to move forward with OL Jaylon Moore in that role?
"I make plans to move forward with everybody. I'm not just, whether it's a contract issue, from the perspective of a coach going through it with contract stuff, I just try to equate it to we have big plans for Trent at tackle. We have big plan plans for B.A. But just as easily as a contract thing holding him out, they could also come and get hurt the first day and not have them the rest of the year. In 2020, we planned on having [DL Nick] Bosa the whole year and he tore his ACL in Week Two. Same with [Los Angeles Rams QB] Jimmy [Garoppolo] in his second year. He tore his ACL in Week Three. The result is not much different. You have to always be ready for stuff, as a coach, like that. So that's what you plan every day, whether they're here or not."
What have you seen from Jaylon so far in camp?
"I think he's had a hell of a camp. I think he's been, I think he had a hell of a year last year too. Especially with Trent never practicing on Wednesdays and stuff with his age. Jaylon always gets those reps on Wednesdays. He's had this whole camp against Bosa, [DL] Leonard [Floyd], [DL] Yetur [Gross-Matos], all these guys. He's only gotten better and I have a lot of confidence to play with Jaylon."
On the radio, obviously you said the Aiyuk situation could go any number of ways. You did express confidence that the Trent situation will eventually be resolved. Is that a fair characterization?
"Yes, I think so."
What gives you the optimism with that is just maybe a matter of time?
"I think we have to work out a contract thing and I think Trent, I haven't spoken to him, but I think we'll be able to work that out."
What is OL Ben Bartch's injury?
"Knee irritation."
It's not long-term, is it?
"No."
What is your assessment of WR Jacob Cowing? He caught a nice ball today.
"He has done a good job. He's been behind the eight ball with some injuries, so this is his first week, full week of getting through a week with no setbacks. It's always rough at first. But I think he's gotten, he's improved each day. Looked like today, I'll see the film, but it seemed like it was one of his better days today. Hopefully he'll get a lot of playing time in the game and be able to get through and get that experience and keep stacking those days up."
Do you videotape the rookie shows? Have there been any legendary performances throughout the years?
"They've been pretty disappointing the last couple years. That's why I'm telling them that we're canceling walk-through for them to practice and making the threats that if it's not good enough, they'll be doing it Monday and Tuesday also. So hopefully that'll work."
QB Brock Purdy
Head coach Kyle Shanahan was disappointed in the rookie shows the last few years and he wants these guys to practice. What did you do for the rookie show and were you a disappointment or were you good?
"My group was a disappointment, yeah. I went up there, I impersonated [WR] Jauan Jennings. We had some other guys, impersonate some other guys. We acted as if we were doing a spelling bee and the concept and the idea was good, but the execution was not. So, we got booed off. Not a good memory for me. But yeah, we're hopefully going to have a good rookie class come in and do some good performances for us this year."
TE George Kittle recently made fun of all of us for wearing bad shoes. What kind of shoes are you wearing?
"I'm wearing Adidas Ultra Boosts. Zoom in on them, shout out, Adidas. I think they're pretty good, like in George's eyes."
As far as the rookies go, when you think back to when you were a rookie and you see there's like four or five guys that might be able to contribute Week One out of this class. Is it a pretty impressive group?
"Yeah, I think so. Just the way they've come in, their mindset, they've come in and they're willing to learn and they've come in and competed really well, and no one has an ego or anything. Obviously, [president of football operations/general manager] John and [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan], our organization's going to draft guys that fit well with our culture, and they've done just that. So they've come in and done a really well job. Obviously, we still have a couple more weeks and a couple games left for preseason, so they've still got to continue to show and prove that they can play with us and our organization and we're going to help them with that. So, I'm excited. We're going to have some numbers of rookies playing this year."
You were pushing the ball down the field a lot today. Was that a point of emphasis on this practice? Were you trying to get the ball down?
"Yeah, trying to take some shots and connect with [WR] Deebo [Samuel] on a couple deep ones. Missed them a couple times and almost connected on some. But yeah, we're trying to push the ball down the field and just continue to build that chemistry."
What do you want to get from Sunday in terms of playing time and reps for you as a player, what do you want to get from the game?
"Yeah, for me, just to be able to get into a rhythm. Obviously going into the game, studying and preparing like it's any other game. So getting in that kind of mindset, warming up and then getting out there and getting clean looks. How can I be efficient with my feet in rhythm and hitting guys and getting completion. So just feeling the game environment. It's a little bit different from practice. So that's the goal."
You didn't have joint practices this week so are you excited to get to go up against somebody that is not your teammate?
"Yeah, it's always nice when you get to go up against a different look, different guys and stuff. So we definitely missed that this week. But at the same time, we're doing it for the right reasons. So I'm excited for Sunday to be able to get some new looks and being able to run our offense against guys that haven't seen it every day. So that's also going to be nice, but get in, be efficient, be clean with it and compete."
Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold at Vikings camp attributed your success to what he's calling meticulous preparation and that you leave no stone unturned. Where does that come from? Is that Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, is that somebody in high school? Where did you develop your practice habits?
"Yeah, probably all of it. From high school to coach Campbell and [quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator] coach Gordon at Iowa State, just the way that we prepped and not wanting to skip a play that we have on the call sheet, like going over every single play, what my read is, what situations we could get into and what would my answer be. And so, that's what we do every night before the game. And so Sam, [QB] Brandon [Allen] and I would sit down and we'd go over every situation with every play and what my answer would be. He helped me tremendously with my prep and we all bounced ideas off each other and what we could get and what we need to be aware of. So had a great group last year and Sam contributed so much to our success as a team man. So I know that he probably took away stuff like that. But I also learned so much from Sam and what he brought to the table and how he prepared. So it goes both ways, but I'm excited for him."
Are you getting hit up by people about WR Brandon Aiyuk and are you getting anxious at this point?
"Family and friends will hit me up and say, 'Hey, what's going on?' And I'm sort of sitting here hearing from all the other news sources and stuff, but it is what it is. My answer's the same with how it was before. I love B.A. and I want nothing but the best for him and I'm not in the business side of things. So I'm sort of sitting here waiting as well. But you know, hopefully something gets settled soon."
I feel like it's the most in command and loudest your voice has been in terms of in the huddle and running things during this camp. Not that it wasn't before, but just more so now. Is there a point where you feel more comfortable in there? Have you kind of felt that? How do you kind of get to that point where, 'Hey, this is now my huddle?'
"Man, I think just going into year three with a lot of similar faces, and so the relationships that we've all been able to develop have gotten deeper. The way we talk to each other in the locker room and at lunch and just around. We're around each other a lot. And so, I feel like we've all been able to be ourselves. And so, once we get out in the field, it's the same thing. We have a job that we got to do. There's a standard that we've got to play with and play at. And so I'm able to talk to guys and because I have a real relationship with them, it's not just all business. We get out there and we want to play ball and win, but I care for these guys. They care for me. So with that, I'm able to sort of speak up a little bit more now."
Was it harder in the past? Do you look around at some of the names and the stars that you have now with you? Did you have timid moments in the first couple years?
"Yes and no. I knew that I had a job to do. So with that being said, I had to go in and talk and communicate with everybody. It didn't matter, what they had done in the past or this or that, but at the same time, like rookie me getting in the huddle and seeing [T] Trent [Williams] and Deebo, it's like, dang. So I wasn't always saying a whole lot. But yeah, like I said, over the years now the relationships that we've all been able to build, we're humans. We're just boys, we're just like anybody else where we build relationships and we trust each other and then we go out in the field and we try to win. So I feel like that's just the difference. That's the evolution going into year three now and we're all continuing to grow with each other."
You've been out there with and without Trent. What's the biggest difference in your game without him?
"We've been in camp. So it's hard to tell. But for me at camp, it's been about going through reads, being efficient and doing my job as a quarterback. Not dropping back, worrying about who's blitzing off the left edge now that Trent's not in. I trust [OL] Jaylon Moore right now. He's done a great job. And so for me, that's my mindset with it. So at the same time, I love Trent. Obviously would love him to be here with us and everything but I'm not dropping back, concerned about pass protection all the time. I have a job to do and I have to read the defense and go through my reads as well and do my job well. So that's where we're at. Hopefully that gets settled as well. But obviously I love Trent, would love to have him back. He's the best in the game."
With your experience last week at George and wife Claire Kittle's house, does that give you ideas about what you might want to do maybe later in your career when you have some more money?
"Yeah, dude, George has got a sweet setup, just in terms of his job being an NFL tight end and in the offseason he gets to go home, enjoy home, and then obviously be able to work on his craft right there with everything that he needs. So it's pretty sweet to see. Obviously, the field and the gym and just his family and friends out there, it was a pretty sweet setup. So who knows, what [Brock Purdy's wife] Jenna [Purdy] and I are going to do. We're taking it one day at a time. Obviously, I train in Jacksonville with my guys down there. For right now, that's where my mind's at. But kudos to George. It's pretty sweet though."
You're established, it's year three for you and the guy that you came in with, OL Nick Zakelj is a big camp for him. He's trying to establish himself as a center. How do you think he's doing at center and how cool would it be for him to establish himself and make the team this year?
"I think he's done a great job. He's smart and at center man, you've got to make the right calls and put the offensive line and everybody in the right situation. Obviously, [OL] Jake Brendel's done that and Jake's one of the smartest guys on the team. So Nick has learned from him a lot. And when Nick goes out there now, I feel like there's more confidence than obviously he ever had. Going into year three, he is more comfortable with the system and his calls and he's quick with it now. So he's smart, reliable and obviously he's got a great opportunity in front of him. So I'm excited for him and I want nothing but the best for Nick."