San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak, and quarterbacks Brock Purdy and Mac Jones addressed reporters following Thursday's practice as the team prepares for its Week 3 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. Here's everything they said.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh
President of football operations and general manager John Lynch said this morning on KNBR that he thinks that your Jets head coaching experience has made you a better defensive coordinator. Do you agree and what did you take away from that Jets experience?
"I think anytime you get years under your belt at just coaching football or doing anything, any craft, I feel like if you're paying attention to your weaknesses you'll find a way to get better. So, I don't know, I guess it's question more for him."
When you look at what the defense has been able to do over the first two weeks, what are some mistakes that were made maybe in the Saints game? LB Fred Warner is vocal about how there are still mistakes from the Saints game that you feel you have to do away before going up against Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray and the Cardinals?
"As the year goes on and more tape is being put on, there's things that offenses will look for with regards to us creating and vacating different parts of our zones. Offenses are always chasing space. So, we've just got to be very cognizant of the space that we're allowing to get created. From a precision standpoint, it could be a heck of a lot better. It was awesome that we closed the game with the last two drives, and we had a really good kind of in the middle, a few good series in there where we played good ball, but on a couple of those touchdown drives, we just weren't as clean as we needed to be. The last touchdown drive was unfortunate with a couple of those penalties, but overall felt like we could have played a heck of a lot cleaner. Especially from a technique and fundamental standpoint."
LB Dee Winters had that hit out of bounds penalty. You're always talking about playing with a certain amount of violence, and he seems to be sort of right at that line. What's your coaching point to somebody who's right at that line but then has a penalty like that?
"Yeah, they're going call that one 100-percent of the time. I'll be curious to see if the League recognized he wasn't touching the white quite yet. Those quarterbacks are starting to show a tendency of turning it upfield into lowering shoulders too. So, there's a little bit of a conflict for these defensive players when it gets to the sideline with the quarterback. But, they're the ones out there shooting bullets. They've also got to protect themselves but also be smart in those situations when it looks obvious that the quarterback is running out of bounds, just let it go. And just know the history of the quarterback. If he's the type of quarterback that's going to try to turn it upfield and try to gain an extra couple of yards, go do what you need to do. I hope I'm answering your question, but at the same time, it is tough because of what these running quarterbacks are starting to do on those sidelines."
Are you talking about the Kanss City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes play?
"It's just throughout the League. All of them. Shoot, I think Patrick, a couple of years ago tiptoed up the line when people thought he was going to go out of bounds. Then just my experience with [Buffalo Bills QB] Josh Allen and all those guys, these quarterbacks are big, they're powerful, they're fast, they're elusive and they're using that role to their advantage."
You have one of those guys this week. Do your guys have to be a little bit more conscious of that?
"Yeah, he's for sure, he's a late slider. But he is fast, he's elusive. He's a jitterbug. He is also a passer first. He's not just looking to run. He is looking to buy some time to be able to put the ball in the air, but he's as challenging as it gets."
CB Renardo Green has given up a couple long catches down the field in the first two games. What do you see from him in particular?
"Renardo is competing his butt off. The double move was unfortunate and with every single one of them he's learning something. His leverage could have been a heck of a lot better from an alignment standpoint on that first one against the Saints and ended the route at the line of scrimmage. But Renardo, people have got to remember he's just a second-year kid, second-year young man, and he's learning and getting better every single week. Loved his energy this week. He always bounces back. I don't feel like it phases him with the way he communicates. He lines up, he goes back, he competes, and that's the one thing you want to see is that if a guy gets beat, he's still up there in press and ready to go play and compete again and he's not just bailing trying to stay on top. So, Renardo's head is in a good spot, he's getting better and he'll continue to compete."
You're facing Arizona Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. this weekend. What kind of challenges does he present?
"A big challenge. Marvin's a big, strong, powerful receiver. He's got great hands. He's a total package. So, with all our corners, he aligns in the slot, so it's going to be a challenge for [CB] Upton [Stout]. But, he definitely presents a challenge."
When you first saw DL Bryce Huff, how long did it take for you to realize he had a very unique, elite, specific quality as far as his get-off?
"Are you talking about when we got to the Jets? So, he was a rookie the year prior, in '21 and he was playing linebacker, but it was a three-four scheme. So, it was a little bit different than what we do. To give you background, I want to say we told him that if he was going to make it, it was going to be as a D-End. I want to say he put on almost 25 pounds of just straight muscle. Like his weight room stuff, his lower half strength and all that stuff was ridiculous in that offseason. He just packed on pounds. I was joking with him during the preseason this year when he wasn't dressed in the fourth quarter, I was like, 'man, remember in '23 you were still the fourth quarter D-End?' We knew what we had, but we also drafted a couple of first rounders and in '23 he really took off and owned that role and ended up with the double-digit sacks. Which is kudos to him. He never got down on himself. He never got discouraged with people who were being placed in front of him. He just kept plugging and he's gotten better and better and he's even better now."
He's talked about how he got paid by the Eagles, but for a lot of his career, he really hasn't felt the love. You mentioned drafting a couple first-round guys. He thought he might get traded while he is having the 10-sack season. Obviously, you traded for him for a reason, but was there a conscious effort to say, "Hey, we love you here, we're embracing you?"
"Oh, he knows. I begged him not to go to Philly the first time (laughter). But money talks. I'd like to think that he feels appreciated out here. Even if he wasn't appreciated back out on the East Coast and two different locations, he's definitely appreciated here. I've said it before, I've always said that those guys like [DL Nick] Bosa, the [Green Bay Packers DE] Micah Parsons of the world, all those great edge rushers, I put Huff up there with all of them. The guy produces at a very high level. They're like closers of baseball, you know, you've got a bunch of guys standing in the outfield and the infield just watching this pitcher pitch. And he lights it up. But he's a special talent and a talent that's very precious in this League."
In your first stint here with Warner, I remember a few times you had that push and pull of like, how much can I put on his plate? How much can I not? When you came back here this time, did you have conversations with him? How'd you kind of go about what you feel comfortable giving him now that he's so much further advanced?
"Well, the communication is constant. Just through the first couple of weeks of game planning and just pulling him in and just having side conversations on where we're at as a defense, what does he like, what he doesn't like, what he thinks we can execute. So, it's just constant dialogue. He's so much further advanced. He's turned into a coach on the field."
Did DL Mykel Williams make a quantum leap in terms of performance this week or was he just more spectacular on a few more plays?
"That's a fair question. There's going to be ups and downs. I thought last week was fantastic for him. On run downs, he set edges, knocked people back. He created the mismatch that we need versus the tight end. On third down, he did a really good job collapsing the pocket and really giving those edge guys a chance to rush the passer. When you've got pocket push the way you do, that's where that speed comes to life where that quarterback just can't step up. He's got to stay, hit his back foot and stay there if he feels that pressure. I felt like Mykel was doing that all game. Same thing with [DL] Yetur [Gross-Matos] and the rest of them. But like I said, there's going to be roller coasters. Some games will be great, some games won't. But even in the games that don't pop off the tape, he's still going to find ways to get better and eventually it's just going to be consistent dominance."
Is there anything S Marques Sigle could have done differently or better on that touchdown catch to New Orleans Saints TE Juwan Johnson or on his coverage in general?
"Yeah, no, credit to them. I thought [New Orleans Saints QB] Spencer Rattler put that ball in a perfect spot. Obviously, it's a big, big tight end. I looked at that from a coverage standpoint. That's a tip your cap to them. Obviously, you can go chest to chest and try to get in there, but wish I put us in a better coverage."
Offensive Coordinator Klay Kubiak
What was your evaluation of QB Mac Jones on Sunday?
"I thought Mac played really well. You know, for someone who hasn't played competitive football, a real game for, I don't know how long it was, but stepped in first quarter, had to settle into a groove a little bit with some of his accuracy and some of his timing. But once he did, I thought he played really good and he made plays for us to win the game."
What about WR Kendrick Bourne? Does his route tree grow given that he now has had a full week here beyond what he had?
"For sure. I mean, the more he's out there practicing, the more he's getting comfortable with what we do, his opportunities are going to go up. And he's a sharp guy. He picks it up. So, I think you'll just continue to see him be a part of our offense. For sure."
When you got OL Connor Colby here, what were your initial impressions and what kind of growth have you seen from him from then to now?
"You know, initially just he is a real quiet rookie who just was here and working and kind of anonymous in that way. And then over time, you just kind of see a guy out there who is very consistent in camp. And when guys just show up consistently every day and are doing things the right way, you start to see, 'hey, this guy can play.' And I think that was kind of his path over the course of camp. He played good in the preseason and then he steps in for us in a big moment and he played well. And so, he's a guy who just, do you notice him a lot? No. But you notice how consistent he's been and how he's doing the right thing. And so, we're happy with his progress and we're going to need him to keep playing good."
Not that the draft gurus are always right, but all of Connor Colby's stuff said he is a good run blocker, but in the pass game, he needs a lot of work. Head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated it was the opposite. Is it?
"Yeah, I think that's true. I think what stood out to us early in camp was how stout he was in pass protection. He didn't lose matchups. So, our evaluation of him in the Draft, we thought a guy who had a really bright future. He was solid in all areas. And so, I mean, that's why we drafted him. Whatever the evals were, whatever people said, I think we had a very good feeling for him, the kind of person he was and how tough he was. And to say he surprised us, I mean, he probably has a little bit because of where we took him, but he's been doing what we hoped he would do."
What did you think of Jones' play fake on the bootleg to TE Luke Farrell? He kind of carried it out pretty solidly there on the handoff.
"That was great. That's how we teach it. You know, you've really got to sell that downhill gap scheme run. That was awesome and we got the edge and Luke did a good job of selling the run and that was an awesome play. Luke did a great job after the catch too, running a guy over and scoring for us. So, that was big time."
RB Christian McCaffrey indicated yesterday he felt like you guys are close to breaking some big ones. What are you seeing in terms of maybe not as much success as you'd like, but in terms of how close you are to getting there?
"Yeah, I think the numbers aren't crazy. They're not going to wow you. But when you really watch it on tape, I think we're doing a good job in the run game. We're running the ball efficiently. We're doing what we kind of want to do. And then there's been some opportunities where we're a hair off for one reason or the other. Whether it's one block we don't finish or just a back making a guy miss or making a cut differently. But we're close. But, I've been happy with our run game and we haven't had negative runs. We've had efficient runs, which is good. And if we keep doing that, and we need to keep doing that, I think it's a matter of time before we do pop some and we get some of those explosives, but we've been good. We've got to keep getting better though."
We've seen over the years, rookies who get hurt in training camps sort of fall behind and never really are able to catch back up their rookie seasons. Is WR Jordan Watkins in danger of that or has he kind of shown a sharpness since the spring that will allow him to get back up to speed quickly?
"For sure. You know, it's tough. It's tough when you miss time, for anybody, and rookies especially because just going through the rigors of the season, when you miss time in training camp it is a setback. So, he's doing everything he can do. He's a sharp guy, he's working and we hope he stays on that trajectory and he gets his opportunity. But, the truth is it's hard when you have setbacks and you miss time. So, you kind of see what guys are made of and they overcome it and keep pushing through it."
With WR Demarcus Robinson out, TE George Kittle on IR and a WR Brandon Aiyuk return is near, how confident are you once those guys come back that this offense can kind of fire on all cylinders?
"I mean, I'm confident now. I mean, I'm confident with the guys we have out there. Obviously, you name a lot of names that aren't out there, but I love the way our guys are working as a group. I love the kind of football we're playing. And as long as we have that mindset, I think whoever's out there, we're going to continue to hopefully have some success on offense. We haven't turned the ball over a lot. We've played penalty free, we've been efficient. We've got to keep doing those things. And so yeah, you hope to add players who we know are explosive players who can make great plays for us and you hope that we continue that trend. So, I think we've got to keep playing good football and when those guys come back I think it's only going to be a bonus."
Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has a reputation of being a pretty good defensive coach. What does his defense look like this year on film?
"Yeah. I mean, schematically, they're always a challenge. They're one of the more unique schemes in the NFL and they have really good players. It starts with [Arizona Cardinals S] Budda [Baker]. I have so much respect for that guy. I think he's one of the better defensive players in this League and he's all over the field. They've added some guys up front and they've gotten better up front in my opinion. So that's becoming one of the strengths of their defense. So, when you add the challenges of the scheme, the talent on the backend, and then them getting better up front and their pass rush, they're a real big challenge for us. So, that's what we're working on and we'll be up for it, but it's going to be a tough game."
There's so much talk about Kyle's play calling and how elite his play calling is. Almost anybody can call a play, but what goes into teaching guys to execute the play that you call? Especially with the reduced amount of practice time in recent years. Why is Kyle good at that?
"Kyle's a great teacher. He can get his guys to understand his vision. And it's about communication and how you communicate things to people. So, it starts with preparation and just the way you prepare guys, the way you teach, whether it's through installs or through film. He's exceptional at those things. And then when it comes to game day, it's preparation, it's putting yourself through scenarios, putting yourself in situations where, 'okay, when this happens, I want to have this call and when that happens, I want to have this call.' And also sort of knowing what your players are comfortable with when you get to Sunday. What do I feel like these guys are ready to execute in this situation? And Kyle puts himself through all those situations and he's taught me a lot about how to do that as well. How to be ready for those moments. So, I just think when you combine the teaching and the way we teach, he teaches our offense and the way he prepares to call the game, I think that's where you get good play calling."
Gannon pointed out that Shanahan's really good in game at making switches on the fly. You've worked with other coaches, I'm sure. How does he compare?
"I mean, yeah, I think all coaches, that's part of coaching. You have to make adjustments. And Kyle has a great eye when we're looking through the pictures and we're kind of looking at how the defense is reacting. Kyle's great at communicating what he's seeing and then we talk and we get together and say, 'Hey, what can we do to kind of take advantage of this look, what they're doing?' And like you said, Kyle just has a great eye for those things and he sees them and we communicate on the sideline and we try to get it done if we need to make adjustments."
QB Brock Purdy
Yesterday we talked to head coach Kyle Shanahan, and I asked him what the conversations were like between the two of you, and he just said it's day-to-day and asking how you are feeling. So, how are you feeling?
"Yeah, I mean exactly that. It's been a day-to-day thing this week, and I feel like I'm happy with the progress that I've been making with my foot and toe. So more than anything, it's just going to be a day-to-day thing on how I feel. Nothing really more to that."
Did it happen on the play where you kind of scrambled out to the left and got tackled as you were going toward the sideline? When did you start feeling it and how much worse did it get as the game went on?
"Yeah, I mean I think it was just an accumulation of certain plays and different moments in the game. So, I think I finished the game, and it was more so like the adrenaline cooled down, and I was like, 'alright, something's wrong with my toe here.' You go in, you get an MRI, and you get a diagnosis and all that. So, I didn't really know until after, but you go throughout a game and you get hit and go through certain things, but my mindset's always been like, I can play and you got to really take me off the field for something serious, but if I can walk and jog and throw a football, then I'm good to go. So, that was more so my mindset. Like I said, I didn't feel it till after."
Did you let them know during the game that there was at least something that was bothering you?
"Yep."
Would you play this weekend, or do you still need to wait and see how it feels in a day or two?
"Definitely just got to see come game time how I feel. Obviously, I want to play every game. I want to be out there. We only get 17 regular season games, and every game matters, especially a divisional, going against Cardinals. So, if you ask me, I'd love to, but I mean, I'm trying to be smart with my body here, but you never know. We'll see when the game comes."
Have you ever dealt with a toe injury? And if not, do you have more appreciation for the importance of a big toe?
"Yeah. I've never dealt with a toe injury. But yeah, it's crazy just talking to receivers and skill position guys, you hear them go through a toe injury or whatnot, and then they say it's one of one of the most painful things because you use your toe (laugh) and you use your feet in every little movement. You have to be explosive and go in and out of cuts. So yeah, I definitely have a new perspective and an appreciation for making sure that your toes are healthy and everything."
What about your shoulder? Is that still an issue or is it at this point not an issue?
"No, it's good. Yeah."
Obviously, it affects your mobility. How does it affect your ability to throw a football?
"Yeah, it's dropping back. I went back and watched film and just saw how explosive you really need to be at quarterback. You don't really think about it but getting back from the line of scrimmage in your drop, your handoffs, carrying out a fake, bootlegs, and scrambling, you obviously need your toes to be able to go in and out of those cuts. It's something that you can't really mask. You got to be all in and healthy to be able to play the position of quarterback. So now I realize that."
Do you have to wear a steel plate under the toe or have the footwear adjusted? Are you pretty glad you escaped what Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow's got?
"Yeah, I think the orthotics and cleat footwear and stuff, we're going through that right now. There's been guys that wear the steel foundation that can help out with your toes and whatnot. But yeah, there's that. Then obviously, what happened to Joe sucks. So, I'm fortunate, that I don't have to have surgery, but I don't really know what else to say. It's just unfortunate."
When you're watching the game, are you going through the reps that QB Mac Jones' going through mentally, emotionally? How are you approaching that during the game?
"Yeah, obviously I'm in tune every single play call. Last week, I'm on the sideline, but how can I help my team and be a guy there for Mac helping him with what he saw on the field when he comes off the sideline or talking to other players about the play and stuff. So, it's just like handling all that, but obviously being in tune and seeing what he's seeing out on the field, it's tougher when you're on the sideline. But I understand what it's like to be in his shoes and him going through reads and trying to handle the emotions of a game, it's not easy. And so obviously I want to be there for him and my whole team as a whole."
QB Mac Jones
What kind of impressions did you take from your start in New Orleans?
"Yeah, I definitely watched it and learned from it and took all the coaching points and then have worked hard in practice to fix the things. I hate saying fix but learn from the things I didn't do as well and just get better at them. I think the guys have done that and we've definitely moved on from that game. We're just really focused on the Cardinals and stacking another good performance and carrying some good momentum into this week."
If you had to look at those things, what were some of those things where you said, 'okay, I could be better at this or better at that?'
"Really just mindset stuff and staying in the moment. And like I said, starting the game faster is important to me and that just goes down to doing your job really well and sticking to your rules, your reads, all those things. So, working on that in practice and still got a lot to put in here and get better at."
Why don't you like the word fix?
"I feel like it sometimes has a negative connotation. I think you're just trying to grow and learn and do things better. So that's what I think it is. I don't think anything's broken and when you hear fix, that's what you think. But in football every week it's a new week. The NFL, they don't care if you won last week or lost. It's a fresh slate, fresh canvas and you got to go out there and paint a good picture."
Is that part of like you kind have to train your mind as far as positive thinking? Is that something that you've learned throughout your whole career?
"For sure. Yeah, what you think usually comes to life, so you got to be positive and also critical at the same time. And you never do everything right, so you got to figure out what you didn't do right and learn from it."
There were a few times that we saw QB Brock Purdy talk with you on the sideline, cheering for you, excited for you, the plays you were making out there. Now that you've reflected on that game and now you guys are looking into Week Three, have you and Brock talked, had any conversations, anything that's kind of helped you to go into this game a little bit more settled than the last?
"Yeah, Brock's doing a great job preparing and really just bouncing off ideas between each other and like we do every week. We're going to go in each day and attack it and there's a lot of information to absorb. Whether he's playing, I'm playing, it doesn't matter, we're still working together and just trying to get to Sunday to where we feel comfortable, and the coaches feel comfortable in the plan and we feel comfortable in the plan. So yeah, we do a great job communicating and also having fun and just keeping it loose in there. That's what it's all about. You're working, that's your job, but you're really just friends, also just hanging out."
I don't know how you pay attention to some of the numbers and things like that, but numbers show the last year you struggled a bit against zone coverage, the other day you had a lot of success against it. Anything that you can point to schematically you're doing here that has helped in that regard?
"Yeah, just different systems, I guess. Obviously, the system's very quarterback driven and playing on time and then also not playing on time. It's not just always perfectly on time and zone defense is about depths and spacing, so guys just have to get in the right spots and it's the quarterback's job to deliver the ball and then man coverage is different, you can see either one, sometimes you know, sometimes you don't, but you have to react and play the position how you would normally. It doesn't really matter if it's man or zone, you just have to follow your rules and go where the ball takes you."
Do you feel you got down on yourself too much when things went wrong earlier in your career?
"I don't know about down on myself, I just got better at rolling with the punches. I've been through a lot, but I feel like it makes me stronger and not making a big deal about things that aren't a big deal, like if you miss a motion or one little thing, it's not the end of the game. I've been coached that way and I've been thankful to be coached that way and I've gotten coached that way here. Just focusing on everything and trying to do everything right. You're never going to be perfect. I think that's the biggest thing with me is I'm a perfectionist. So are a lot of these guys on this team and in the NFL, so really just playing functional. Like I said last week, just throw it, run it or hand it off. So, it's pretty much that simple."
Is there any difference in knowing you're going to start like last week as opposed to this week while I might start?
"Yeah. Like I said, as a backup, you know you're not playing the first snap and as a starter you are. So, you got to be ready for both and at the end of the day, all the externals don't really matter. You just have to focus on the game plan and getting everything tidied up by Sunday. And that's what I'm doing just like a normal week for me and following my schedule and being ready to play if my number's called."
What's the number one thing that jumps out about Arizona's scheme or personnel?
"I played against them a few years ago. It's a new scheme and some similar players, but they do a great job disguising coverage and got a lot of good players on the back end. Obviously, their defensive line is explosive. I've been very impressed with them on film this year and obviously last year too. So they got play makers, they try to confuse the quarterback and they do a good job of that."
The guys in the locker room have mentioned a few times how funny you are and how popular your personality is within the locker room. Off the field, did that help build chemistry that has folded over onto the field?
"Yeah, for sure. I'm always just trying to be myself and at the end of the day, it's your friends, it's your brothers that you're playing with out there and the closer that you can be off the field the closer you're going to be on the field. So, try to be the same guy every day and have fun with it and go out there and let it fly. I think everyone knows that about me and I really appreciate the guys on this team for having my back. I got to continue to earn that every day. Like, just because it's one week doesn't matter. You got to do it again and show them that you can do it consistently."
In the AFC East, did you ever see DL Bryce Huff coming off the edge like that he did against the Saints?
"Yeah, one time I remember [laughs], but I heard it was like some record or something. He's got a great get-off. He's so quiet, so you never hear him coming. He just sends it. I remember playing against him and we were always worried about the other guy on the other side, I'm like, 'no, we got to worry about this guy' [laughs]. So, he's done a great job and a great locker room guy, just quiet, does his job and really love playing with him."
In that moment, did he get the sack or no?
"Yeah, I did get sacked. I think they called a roughing the passer, but it was not a roughing the passer [laughs].
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