San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters ahead of Wednesday's practice as the team prepares for its Week 12 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. Here's everything he said.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Opening comments:
"Alright, injuries for practice today: [WR] Jake Cowing is in the protocol, will be limited, [LB] Tatum Bethune, knee, won't practice, [DL] Kevin Givens, groin, won't practice, [T] Trent Williams, ankle, won't practice, [RB] Christian McCaffrey, Achilles/rest, won't practice, [DL] Nick Bosa, hip/oblique, won't practice, [CB Charvarius Ward] Mooney, personal, he'll be limited, [QB Brock] Purdy, shoulder, will be limited, [TE George] Kittle, hamstring, limited, [OL Jon] Feliciano, knee, limited. Go ahead."
I know it's early in the week, but what is your level of concern for Brock's availability on Sunday?
"Not much right now. We'll see how this week goes. But he is limited today, so I think that's good news."
I know you guys came in on Monday, you said you guys were kind of pissed after the loss. Have you guys been able, talking to the team, to kind of turn the page and your focus on Green Bay knowing how big of a game this is?
"Sorry. What was the question?"
The question was, if you guys have been able, you talking to the team, does it seem like everybody has kind of turned the page on the Seahawks game and is focused on the Packers game?
"Oh yeah. Yeah, totally. We do that good or bad. That's why we always meet on Monday. Every once in a while I give guys Monday off, on travel or sometimes Victory Mondays, but usually that's very rarely. So we come in, we do a lot of work on Mondays for the day before and by the time they leave the building we're moved on."
WR Deebo Samuel Sr.'s numbers as a runner are way down. He's averaging like 2.9 yards a carry while his previous four seasons over six yards a carry. Anything you can put your finger as to why he hasn't been as effective in that role?
"Yeah, he hasn't had a big one, hasn't had a bunch of great looks. There are two looks, I think, this year that he did have a pretty good look and just missed it where he could have had a big one. And when you don't get that big one and you've had a few bad looks, then that average isn't going to be good."
You guys have really good depth in the backfield. Is it possible we may see RB Isaac Guerendo and CMC together or RB Jordan Mason and CMC together in the weeks ahead?
"You mean two running backs on the field?"
Or maybe one of those guys flexed out as a receiver.
"Yeah, two running backs on the field. Could. Can't give you a game plan though. But yeah, it's always a possibility."
What is yours and running backs coach Bobby Turner's philosophy on running back by committee? It just seems like over his career at least it's been one guy gets the lion's share and that's how it is.
"It wasn't like that for our first four years here. We had three guys, usually. We had [former NFL RB] Tevin [Coleman], we had [Miami Dolphins RB] Raheem [Mostert], we got [RB Matt] Breida. So, I think we've always done it that way, just depends on the backs. Since Christian's been here, I think it's the only time we've had one guy, and I think that's for obvious reasons. But when he is tired, we spell him, especially with the good backups we have."
Do you want to get Mason, I think Mason had two snaps on Sunday, would you prefer to have him worked in more thoroughly?
"Yeah, I like all those guys playing. But it depends on the situation, depends how many times you're getting the ball, it depends on the drives, it depends if we're going to put two backs out there. When you do two backs, then you've got to take either a big off or another receiver. But I'm not always thinking of how to get Christian off."
How has Green Bay Packers RB Josh Jacobs changed the Packers from the team you saw in the playoffs?
"I mean, [Minnesota Vikings RB] Aaron Jones was so good too, so I don't want to say a ton, because having an elite back is an elite back and I felt that way about Aaron Jones. But Josh Jacobs is as good as it gets. I think the last time we faced him was in Vegas. I thought he was the best running back we faced that year. Christian will correct me on that, since we faced him at Carolina earlier that year. But no, he's a stud. He runs so hard, he's quick enough to make people miss, but he doesn't mess around when he makes people miss, he creates arm tackles, runs through arm tackles and I think he's consistently been one of the top in the league here over the last few years."
When something doesn't work then you say, "Well, why don't you do that?" But when Bosa left, I think Seattle Seahawks QB Geno Smith had 17 drop backs and there was just one blitz called, there wasn't tons of pressure on him. Obviously, he performed pretty well. Looking back, should there have been maybe more pressure try to be dialed up?
"Yeah, looking back at it, obviously when they go down and score you'd like to. Most of it was two-minute no-huddle calls. I know we got to one when they did huddle up. We got a simulated pressure, I believe, once too. But I think it was pretty obvious how we tired out on that drive and especially with him being able to scramble like that was the biggest thing, creating too much space in the pocket. When you do blitz they get rid of it. That's why they got that eight-yard gain on first down. But at least giving him not access to get out of there would've helped."
Them being on that, at least that last drive is a typical gain. Is what you're saying?
"Yeah, you don't see a lot of blitzes in no-huddle. People usually have one, sometimes two, but when people are going fast at the line, it's a little different communicating to the 11 guys how to get a blitz and things like that. But it doesn't mean you can't do it. We do, do it, but no one does it as much."
Are you planning on Charvarius being able to play Sunday and how helpful would that be with the Packers having so many, multiple receivers?
"Having a good player like Mooney out there always helps, but this is going to be his first practice here in a while. So, I really don't have any expectations of it. I'm going to take it slow, see how he is out there today and watch him throughout the week and communicate with him throughout the week and make a decision as we get closer to game time."
With all the injuries, what kind of challenges does it present you when preparing for the game, if you don't know who's going to go or who's not going to be able to go?
"It's always challenges. It's stuff that you get used to as a coach. You have, you've got to change game plans when you know you're missing people and when you're not sure, you've got to have contingencies. And when you lose guys in warmups or in the first quarter you've got to be ready to adjust too. So it's a huge part of the game. When you have a lot, I think people talk about it more, but that's just every week, week-in and week-out and throughout games for everybody."
Has their defense changed with Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, compared to what you saw last year?
"It's been their biggest change, just in terms of they've always been three-four based and things like that, now they're a four-down base. Their front is a lot different, just more jet-front, similar to ours. Some of their coverages too, a little similar to ours. By no means is it the same. Haf does his own deal, but it's definitely different than what it's been in the past."
Your offense has evolved a lot throughout the years. With Los Angeles Rams QB Jimmy Garoppolo you were among the league leaders in screens and now you're among the league leaders in air yards. Has that just been a function of the different personnel or how defenses are defending your scheme?
"I think it's both. You always, first thing you look at is how to attack personnel, how to attack a defensive scheme and what they're doing and stuff like that. And whatever you're good at, defenses usually adjust and it opens up other areas. But then also you've got to do what you think players can do too. I do think we have good screen players and stuff. I don't think they're there as much as they used to. When you have huge threats of guys on screens, there's a much bigger emphasis on guys to stop them, which could open up some other stuff, but it doesn't make it easier to run the more you have success with them."
With LB Dre Greenlaw still probably a couple weeks away, do you need to get LB Dee Winters on the field more than he has? He had that fourth-down stop, but get him out there to rotate with LB De'Vondre Campbell or something?
"We did sometimes early in the year. But De'Vondre has been playing his best football here the last few weeks. Starting versus Dallas, thought he had his best game versus Tampa. Dee, I think has been playing his best here the last two weeks too. You don't get as many reps in base, but he's been doing a good job. He's had his two best games on special teams, so I've got no problem with Dee, but we haven't talked about rotating them yet or anything like that."
Brock, he didn't slide, I don't think, on any of the scrambles, then took a few shots as a result. Did you talk to him about that or what are kind of marching orders when it comes to scrambling?
"Same as how we coach everyone. You don't want him to get hit and we always talk about that. I think he's done a pretty good job this year of avoiding it. He hasn't been too reckless. There was one in particular I thought he could have gotten down on a little bit earlier. But yeah, no, we don't want him taking those hits and sometimes when it's, if it's fourth down and you're right at the line, that's a very different situation. But no, it's, we always want him to slide in doing things like that."
Last year it seemed like everything went right for Brock, going through all the statistics through season. This year it's kind of been up and down. What do you think has been going right for him versus wrong?
"I think it's such a fine line with, we're a five-and-five team, which isn't where we want to be. But when it, you ask a question about Brock, but I think if we were eight-and-two with a top offense in the league and stuff, I think we'd be feeling a lot better. And so, I try to keep perspective of that, especially with our guys. And to me that's come all the way down to how we finish games. And we've had four games here that have come down to the last two possessions and we've only won one of those. And that's the difference between eight-and-two and five-and-five with the one we won being Tampa. In contrast, you look at a team like Green Bay, they've had seven games come down to the last possession and they've won six of them, with the only one they lost being the opening game versus Philly. And that's why they have such a good record. So I think Brock's doing a lot of good things, but we're all going to be judged on winning games and that's why our team's got to find a better way to win it there in the fourth so we can get our record right."
You feel like he's made appropriate progress for this being his third season?
"Yeah, it's hard to make a lot of progress after the way he played last year and it was hard to make a lot of progress after the way he played seven games in his first year. So I think Brock's playing at the exact same level. I think there's different circumstances around him. Our team hasn't been quite as good through this, but it's been close to getting there and close doesn't matter. That's why we're five-and-five, but a couple plays here and there and I think we're looking at it totally differently and that's why we've put ourselves in the hole and that's why we've made it a lot harder for ourself here at this back half. But I still think it's going to come down to the same stuff. I bet these next seven games come down to the fourth quarter and we either get it done or we don't. We've got to find a way to get it done."
I know you mentioned that Nick Bosa was out of practice today, he'll be reevaluated throughout the week, but from what you know today, how are you feeling about that? Is he good? Could he be good for Sunday or is it landing in the other direction?
"Oh, he definitely could be good for Sunday and he definitely could not be good for Sunday. So that's why I don't think about it yet. And it's similar to the Tampa week when you've got guys who are hurting. I don't ask them if they're going to play. I don't ask them after the game on Sunday. I don't ask them Monday when they're too hurt to practice on Wednesday. When it's a guy who hasn't done it before and they're a part of the game plan, sometimes I'll tell guys, you've got to start to get out there or we're going to rule you out. But when it comes to a guy like Bosa, when it comes to a guy like Trent, their position, the veterans they are, how they play, those guys have all the way to kickoff for me. So I just look at it just like Tampa and towards the end of the week I'll have a better feel and that's when he'll have a better feel and we'll discuss."