San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak, and quarterback Mac Jones addressed reporters following Thursday's practice as the team prepares for its Week 6 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Here's everything they said.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh
What were your initial impressions of just watching tape on S Malik Mustafa and then what has it been like kind of working with him here this week?
"Yeah, his tape from last year was pretty impressive for a rookie. A violent, fast-trigger football player. And you know, we've only had a couple days with him now, but he's made of the right stuff that's for damn sure."
Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka, what is it about him or what skillset does he have that's given him so much success so early in his career?
"He's powerful for such a young man. Powerful hands. Obviously, he's playing with a lot of confidence. You give a young guy a lot of confidence and then the sky's the limit. They're doing a good job with him too, putting him in positions to be successful, and [Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB] Baker [Mayfield] is playing at a level that's MVP quality. For him, like I said, big, strong, confident football player."
There's no surprise that the pass rush hasn't been as good without DL Nick Bosa. Has it been at an acceptable level in your estimation?
"We'll continue to grow. I'm not hitting any panic buttons. There's a lot of young guys in there still trying to find their way through the NFL. I thought even against the Rams, I felt like [DL Bryce] Huff was just a breath away from ending the game a couple of times there in the fourth quarter. But, can it be better? Absolutely. Could it be worse? Absolutely. But, I'm not at that point where we're going to panic. We're going to keep working with these young guys and giving them opportunities to rush to passer and they'll get better as the year goes."
There are some numbers that show that DL Mykel Williams might be the fourth-most doubled defensive lineman in the League. How is he handling those doubles and is that what you're seeing?
"Yeah, he's doing a great job. From a run perspective, he's doing a really nice job setting edges. You know, like him and [DL] Alfred [Collins] for example, they're still trying to find their ways as pass rushers. There are times where Alfred, being the big man that he is, it looks like he's trying to play finesse and there's times where Mykel's trying to run through people and just having that changeup where Mykel might have to play a little finesse and Alfred might run through somebody's face. They're learning their style, they're learning what works for them. The cool thing is that they've got tremendous intent. They play with tremendous strain. They're smart, they're upbeat. So, like I said, we're excited to work with them. They'll continue to get better."
It's been a week since the Rams game, but can you go back and just reflect on the fourth-down stop and I guess whatever you told the guys going into that specific play and your view of how it unfolded?
"I've been asked, first off, much respect to those guys. I mean, [Los Angeles Rams QB Matt] Stafford, [Los Angeles Rams head coach] Sean McVay and [Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator] Mike LaFleur, they did an outstanding job from a game plan standpoint, putting themselves in the position they put themselves in. We played it like short yardage, figured call our best short-yardage call. They were going to call their best short-yardage call. And to be honest, that play that Sean ran, I don't want to speak for him, but based on our calculations, the success rate was ridiculously high when they run that play. Even if you knew it was coming, they could still manage. They ran one earlier in the game where [CB] Upton [Stout] hit it two yards in the backfield and [Los Angeles Rams RB] Kyren Williams or the back still got the first down. So, it was one of those back and forths. I remember the first go around when we called timeout, we had four D-Ends on the field, so we needed to burn a timeout. Then obviously we got our personnel out there playing with the short-yardage mentality. They hard count, call timeout, thought 'maybe, okay, they're going to kick the field goal.' They still sent the group out there. Just talking to [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan], I said, 'hey, Kyle, based on the look, might need one,' they broke the huddle and lined up the way they did and said, 'all right, we're going to let it ride. See what happens.' Credit to the guys, they made a heck of a play, triggered, played fast and luckily we came on the right side of it."
CB Chase Lucas and LB Fred Warner really seemed keyed and ready to respond to that. Is that film study over the course of the week? Were they looking for that indicator?
"It was one of those take a shot deals. Like I said, it was one of their best plays. They're very, very successful at it. I think it was the third or fourth time we saw it. So, credit to again our guys. They triggered, they took their shot and they ran that play."
CB Deommodore Lenoir was quoted as saying, "get the C-gap and f it up." I mean, did they have that?
"When you run that play, the C-gap is everything."
So, they have that kind of initiative though to recognize that and say you do that?
"Absolutely. These young men are smart. You give them the information, but they still have to film study. They're still out there feeling those bullets being shot. Especially those young guys to be able to recognize that and trigger and play as fast as they did to create that knockback. Fred playing into that C-gap, creating the initial knockback was critical. Then [S Marques] Sigle just triggering from his depth to finish it off and keep it from falling forward. It was a tremendous team effort."
The other stop with DL Alfred Collins, RB Christian McCaffrey and Fred Warner, both said that was the best play that they had ever seen. Have you ever seen a guy, let alone a rookie, make a stop like that given the circumstance? Did that make Alfred that much more impressive given his slow start?
"So Alfred, one, that was probably one of the coolest individual efforts I've ever seen in a game of football. I mean, he splits a double team, and a cool side note to Alfred is during the evaluation process, we talked about how Alfred gives us something that we haven't really had since [Indianapolis Colts DL DeForest] Buckner or [Jacksonville Jaguars DT Arik] Armstead. He's just a guy with tremendous length to be able to make those plays where he is just sprawling out and making a play that most D-Linemen in this League can't make. It showed up there. The amount of strain and individual effort that it took for him to split the double team and a violent punch out, it was probably one of the coolest and most impressive individual efforts I've seen from an interior lineman that close to the goal line.So, that clip will be on teach tapes for a very, very, very long time. I could promise that. But you know, Alfred, he did get off to a slow start in training camp, but that young man, he's made of the right stuff, his day-in and day-out attitude, his work ethic, his strain, all of it. It's important to him. He loves this game and he's going to be a problem. He'll continue to grow and he's going to be a big, big problem in this League if he keeps his main the same mindset and the trajectory that he's going on."
You had a nightmare a few weeks ago that the Saints were going to light you up. How often do you have football nightmares and what happens in them?
"(Laughter). I have nightmares all the time, man. I think I was up last night. I got home at like midnight and there was like three of my babies sleeping in the bed. And I was like, where the hell am I going to sleep? I have to sneak into the corner of the bed and just stare at the ceiling for a couple hours. There's always, my mind is always racing and thoughts of trying to help our guys be in the best position possible. Some good ideas, some bad ideas. But, that's the hard part of being a football coach. I mean, cortisol levels are always high."
Have any of these nightmares included Egbuka this week?
"(Laughter). A lot of Baker, a lot of their skill guys, their backs, all of them. They do an outstanding job. Baker, like I said, he's playing at an MVP level. He makes that whole thing go. Credit to all the young guys who are stepping up with all the injuries that they're having. They're doing a really nice job putting up a lot of points on a lot of really good defenses."
Can you think of any other times in your career where your defense has gone on the road and the opposing offense has had to go to a silent count like the Rams did a couple of times on Thursday?
"Yeah, I feel like that's been the case anytime we go down there. In 2019 it was the coliseum and it felt the same way. It was COVID the next year, but no, not like that. That was my first experience with fans in SoFi. If you guys remember, my only game in SoFi had been the COVID game. It's pretty cool. We travel. I joke around and say that it's so expensive to live in the Bay it's probably cheaper to go to a road game, you know? But (laughter), it's good to see how much our fans travel. They're second to none."
This is on the other side of the line, but QB Adrian Martinez, what have you seen from him and his growth from when you've had him at the Jets versus now?
"Yeah, Adrian's cool man. If anyone gets the chance to spend a couple days with Adrian, you'll come away impressed. If you really think about it, everywhere he's gone, he's won. He won in college, he won in the UFL, he was MVP in the UFL. I've always said, all it takes is an opportunity and what you do with your opportunity is what's going to create your path, if you will. It's awesome to have Adrian here. You guys know how I feel about Kyle and his staff. I think they're the best in the world. So, he's getting an opportunity to be with some of the greatest coaches and in a really cool room with [QB] Mac [Jones] and [QB] Brock [Purdy] and all those guys. So, he's got a chance to do something cool. If he ever gets his opportunity to step on the field, I think he's going to do awesome."
As far as game planning, how much of a resource is Kyle and vice versa? How much do you pitch him with the offensive game plan?
"Pitch in? No, I'd probably ruin it. My conversations with Kyle, we're always going back and forth talking ball. He's probably one of the cooler ones to talk to. To have that resource at your disposal and not use it would be silly on my part."
Back on Alfred really quick. He had mentioned after the game that the play that he got the punch out on was similar to something he saw earlier in the game and he kind of overran it. Just in terms of his mental growth and recognizing things in real time and making adjustments like that, how has he maybe improved?
"All of them. I had a really cool conversation with Upton Stout in practice today. He was asking how he can feel routes when we're 99. We want 99-9 vision on the quarterback. And he's like, 'well, I'm also responsible for these routes. How do I feel them, how do I do that?' My answer to him was simply, reps. Eventually you get to the point where you recognize formations, you recognize indicators, you recognize from film study on how teams like to attack us as a defense that you just know what the route is so you can play. You're playing routes without ever having to see them because you feel, you know, you can see the quarterback, you see the mannerisms, and that's where you get faster and faster and faster. That's the whole thing with our scheme. People say we don't do a lot, but what we do, we do it very, very fast and it's very, very sound. And it's fast because our guys get to the point where they just know what's happening to them so they can go faster. That's where Upton's at, that's where Alfred's at, that's where all these rookies are. They're still learning and they need reps to be able to gather information, gather feel of football, start understanding how teams attack us, how teams block us, how teams come at us on a play-in-play-out basis. Once they get to that point of true understanding, that's when you see their ultimate speed."
Offensive Coordinator Klay Kubiak
Where is QB Adrian Martinez at in grasping the playbook and if he has to go in for some reason?
"I think he's right where he needs to be. Super impressed with Adrian since he's been here. He's a really smart guy. You know, you can tell, he's gotten a little more reps just because of [QB] Mac [Jones] kind of progressing a little bit through the week and Adrian hasn't missed a beat. He's been on it, and I feel like Adrian can go out there and run our offense. So, really confident in him."
So there wouldn't be any limitation in the plays that you could call? He's in the full playbook?
"Yep. A hundred percent."
What's QB Brock Purdy's contribution to the game plan and getting Mac up to speed to play?
"Yeah, I think just Brock's presence every day in the meeting rooms. Brock's been through our process of preparing for games and how we install and how we, you know, watch film and all those things. He can kind of, he's just helpful to those guys, you know, and kind of sharing his process and showing, talking to guys about what he sees in a defense, kind of how he would do things. So just his presence, his experience, just kind of being words of wisdom for Mac and for Adrian. You know, that's really all he can do in terms of helping those guys prepare and then just being there to support them."
I'm sure when you're watching film on a guy like Mac before you signed him, you can envision how he's going to fit stylistically. But in terms of toughness things that you can't see until you get up close to him. What have you learned about him and what you've seen from him so far?
"I think that's very true. You know, you don't really know until you get a guy and you see him play. I think we all knew Mac was a tough player. I think we didn't have any assumption he wasn't. But when you see a guy go out there and battle and, you know, work through the injuries and get hit and stay in the game when it's not looking good or when we have to come from behind in a two-minute drill, like all those things and you learn a lot about a guy. And Mac just keeps proving time and time again that he's made of the right stuff and he's built to play quarterback in this league. So, it's been pretty cool."
Last week, how close did you think you were going to have to go to Adrian there briefly?
"I think for a moment we were all pretty scared, you know, [laughs] when he was down and then he popped up and jogged off and we're like, all right, we took a breath. But you know, so yeah."
Former University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban was saying last week that when he had Mac at Alabama he called him McEnroe because of his high school tennis background, but also because he was prone to going off if he made a bad throw or he did something bad and he was throwing like almost mini tantrums. And I don't know if he was exaggerating, but I'm curious, is there any part of that still with him now or is he totally zeroed in?
"I mean, Mac's very competitive and you do see it in those moments where he might miss a throw or somebody was off on a play and he just has a passion and it can come out sometimes. And we love it. I mean, it's part of what makes him who he is. It makes him a competitor. He's very detailed and he likes things very detailed and he's hard on himself. He's hard on his teammates and that's what we like about him. As far as the tennis thing goes, it's funny you say that because we happen to think the way a guy moves in tennis and Mac's tennis background can help you as a thrower, the way you move in a pocket, there's similarities and so yeah, both of those are true."
What have you seen as far as the interaction between head coach Kyle Shanahan and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as far as game planning and back and forth, and how much of a resource they offer for each other?
"Coach Saleh? Oh yeah. I mean that's really cool to be a part of and to see just the way that they both kind of share their knowledge and experience with each other. You know, Kyle kind of sharing things he's seeing from an offensive perspective to help him and vice versa. And Coach Saleh is helpful to me. We talk all the time. We just kind of, you know, share what we're seeing on with our opponents and it's a great working relationship and I've benefited from it, our whole team has, so it's good."
Tampa has a really good run defense but Seattle ran for over six yards a carry last week. What did the film show when you watched? How did they have success?
"Yeah, they hit a few big ones. I think they had a couple carries, I know they had like a 30-yard carry. [Seattle Seahawks RB Kenneth] Walker III maybe had like another 21, so they had a few explosives, so that adds up. They did some stuff to kind of, I think, wear down Tampa a little bit just by staying on the field. And so just kind of, you know, the fatigue caught Tampa on a drive or two that allowed them to run the ball. But you know, they're the number one run defense in the league for a reason. They're big, they're physical, they do things schematically that really can shut down your run game. So yeah, we see some things that Seattle did that you'd love to do, but we know they're going to be ready to go and ready to stop the run. So, it's going to be a big challenge."
How much is what WR Kendrick Bourne has done on the field give you confidence in what can happen going forward?
"He just gets better every week. He's a gamer, you see a guy who's still learning to grasp our offense schematically, but he gets better every week. He's such a joy to be around because he's all in. He's got a great attitude. He works at it. I think he's a guy, the more he is out there, the more he is going to help us. And so really excited about what he's done, what we hope he can keep doing."
Is his chemistry with Mac evident on the field, and not just in games, but at practice throughout?
"Yeah, you can tell they have a good relationship. They have the history; you can just tell they can talk to each other in the game too. When I think KB had the drop and Mac can just go to him and just communicate and get them dialed in for the next play. It's really cool. So, we kind of knew that about him. They had a relationship in the past, so yeah. I'm glad it's working out for us now."
With the injury setback how would you assess how OL Connor Colby has done?
"Connor's done a good job. Like a lot of rookies, there's ups and downs and there's plays you'd want to have back. There's things he can do better. Yeah, he is battling through some stuff, but a lot of guys are. So, Connor's just about getting better every week and learning from the film. We're coaching him hard, he's playing hard. It's like anybody else, you've got to learn from the previous game. You got to keep getting better. I think the more he is out there, he is going to keep getting better."
Kyle over the last few years, he talks more about the rushing attempts more than the rushing yards and how important they are. Even the last game with like 70-some yards on 30 carries, that doesn't look good but how important are those attempts to sort of keep the defense honest?
"You look at the last game, we didn't have good yards, but we had the attempts, which means we're on the field. We're staying on the field, and we're converting some third downs and we're sustaining some drives. Even though the runs aren't producing what we want them to, we're still able to get those. And even if they're four-yard runs, three-yard runs, they still have that effect on the defense. So that is a positive, but do we want to keep getting better? Yeah. Do we want to have more yards? Yes. But anytime you can stay on the field, whether it be throwing the ball or not, you're going to get those attempts and that means you're moving the ball. So, it doesn't always work out that way, but that's how it did work out on Thursday. So, we want to get more production on the ground, but as long as we're staying on the field, we're going to keep trying."
What are the characteristics of Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles defense? I know he brings a lot of pressure, but what does it look like?
"Yeah, a lot of pressure, you said it. It starts with just the experience of the guys who are running the show. I mean, you look at [Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB] Lavonte David and in the back end and you got [Tampa Bay Buccaneers DL] Vita [Vea] in the front. Just guys who've been there, those core guys, they run that scheme very well. They've been doing it for years, so they have a lot of confidence in each other. They're tough to go against. They're very physical. They challenge you with pressures. They challenge you with man-coverage. They get after you on third down with blitzes. And so, they're a defense that can make a lot of plays and you got to be ready for all that stuff. And it's the challenge of the week and that's what we're getting ready for."
QB Mac Jones
I know you've moved on from the last game and T Trent Williams was just saying that it seems like weeks ago since it was a Thursday game, but how much feedback did you get for your performance that night? So many people talking about how tough you are and things you've battled through – teammates, media, everything?
"Yeah, I think everybody did, honestly. It was a tough game. Any overtime game in the NFL, you're going to have guys who are playing more plays. The defense did a great job, I was really just proud of the team and that's part of football, playing tough. The tough part is getting back and having to do it the next week. So, we had a couple days, and at the end of the day, all these games are going to hopefully come down to one score. You just got to be tough mentally and physically put your body through it and then keep playing."
You had some spurts in the game where it looks like you were tired, it looked like you were hurting, you were dry heaving, but you were fighting through like all the ailments that you were dealing with. Did you learn anything about yourself that game? Did anything happen where you thought you unlocked something in your confidence after that game?
"Yeah, I know what you're saying. I just think that every game's different and that game I knew was going to take a lot of toughness and just taking it one play at a time. I believe if you can protect yourself, that you should be out there and playing. A lot of guys are working through stuff. That's the NFL, and I've learned that you just got to be able to go out there and protect yourself and play. I think that's our team's DNA right now, and we have to continue that just because you do it for one week or two weeks or three or whatever, you have to be able to not be complacent with your effort and toughness. That's something that you can control to be honest. That's a variable that you can control. So, I always focus on that, the results take care of themselves, but you can be tough and have a good attitude and work through the mental and physical stuff, and that's all you can ask for really."
You had an eventful Thursday. Can you take us through what happened to begin the day in your hotel room?
"Yeah, there was just some police activity and stuff, and I don't really want to talk about it. It was before the game or whatever and I've kind of just moved on to this week."
How did you spend the weekend kind of recovering and how do you feel right now?
"Yeah, every game you have a plan for what you need to fix and what you need to get better at. Not only on the field but off the field with your body and how you feel. So, for me, just getting treatment every day and working. We have a good plan in place, and I feel confident and just working through it day by day. That's all you can do."
Did you suffer your oblique injury on the last snap? And if so, do you think you could have continued to play?
"Yeah, it was definitely in the game. I don't know, that was the last snap, so I guess you didn't have to find out. But yeah, like I said, we got a plan in place and just got to work through it and make sure you can protect yourself."
How are you right now, health wise?
"Working through it. Like I said, got a plan with the training staff and been getting treatment every day and trying to do everything I can. Sleep, eat, do the little things, and everyone else is doing the same thing. So that's NFL football."
Is there a difficulty with throwing right now, just during the portion of practice we got to watch? I noticed you weren't doing a ton.
"Yeah, well [quarterbacks coach] Mick Lombardi got to go out there and play quarterback, so he looked pretty good."
So, is that because of the oblique that just kind of resting?
"Yeah, I was trying to save some throws. There's a lot of volume out there and at the end of the day, got to be ready for Sunday. Like I said, we got a plan, so taking it day by day."
When it comes to QB Adrian Martinez, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said if you spend a little bit of time with him, then you will be impressed by him. What's the relationship between you and Martinez, but then also the type of person he is, player and preparation, what is it like from your perspective?
"Yeah, he's really cool. Just a laid-back dude and doesn't let a lot get to him. I feel like he has had an interesting journey and played really well. Obviously, he's done a great job. Just having him in the room, he is just a cool vibe, so really appreciate him. We've got to know each other and gotten close, so he's the same guy every day and those are the guys you want in your quarterback room. That makes it easy for [QB] Brock [Purdy], me, everybody and the coaches. So, when you have a quarterback room that's unified and together, you can go places and when you don't, you don't really go anywhere."
You mentioned that you have a plan that you're working with the training staff on. Do you feel the game was today? Would you be comfortable playing?
"Yeah, I mean the game's not today, right? So, I don't really do the theoretical questions but definitely feel like I have a good plan in place and the games on Sunday, and we'll see how I feel when we get there."
You probably saw the clip from former University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban over the weekend telling everybody that he used to call you McEnroe because you would blow up if you didn't throw a perfect play and because of your tennis background. Is that still part of you in terms of making a throw?
"Yeah, I need to call him because I thought we graduated from that. He brings that one up every year. I'm like, 'Coach Saban, get a new joke or something [laughs].' But next time I see him I'll rip him just like he used to rip me. But no, I definitely like had to work on that and he actually helped me a lot with that. I hope the next time he talks about it, he'll talk about the progress I made from my freshman to my sophomore year just working with different people on staff, doctors and whatnot and just meeting with people and having these conversations about how can I get my mental game better and really just playing each play at one play at a time. That's what he preached. There's a guy named, he's the 'Wizard,' [Michigan State professor Lionel] Lonny Rosen he worked with him at Michigan State. So, I got to meet with him and that kind of helped me really get my mental game going and kind of just play each play at one play at a time and not show emotion like that. And I really graduated from that. So, he can stop saying that."
Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak was saying that he thought that the tennis is transferrable in terms of things you do in the pocket. Is that true, you think?
"Yeah, I think so. I didn't play like super competitively. I was pretty competitive, but my sister played in college and my dad obviously in the pros. So, the serve is very similar to throwing motion. My dad used to have me warm up with the tennis racket because you're doing the same motion and then your footwork's very similar because you could be playing on clay and you're sliding around, or you could play on hard court, and you got to be very firm with your footing. Then obviously running to the ball you have to have hand-eye coordination. So, it's all reaction based. I do feel like I haven't played tennis in a while, but I can go out there and hit the ball and I do feel like it helps me with my feet."
Do you get football nightmares when you're sleeping? And if so, could you give an example of one?
"Not really, not anymore at least. Maybe back in the day, but right now I'm good."
Going back to Coach Saban, do you ever see him on College Game Day and he's light and funny. Do you ever think where was this when I was your player?
"Yeah [laughs]. No, he was light and funny with me. I think you just have to be able to give him something back. If you act scared of Coach Saban, then he knows like he can be mean and stuff. But I did like his white suit the other night, that was pretty nice. So hopefully he keeps wearing some good suits. That's where I get my suits from."