San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed reporters ahead of Wednesday's practice as the team gears up for its Week 15 matchup against the Tennessee Titans. Here's everything he said.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Opening comments:
"All right. For practice today: [LB] Tatum Bethune, ankle, won't practice, [DL] Sam O [Okuayinonu], ankle, won't practice, [LB] Nick Martin, concussion, won't practice and [FB Kyle Juszczyk] Juice, ribs, limited. Go ahead."
No opening the window for DL Yetur Gross-Matos this week?
"Yeah, we're going to open it up tomorrow."
I was going to save this, but a big story in the NFL is Indianapolis Colts QB Philip Rivers. Obviously, you guys had reached out to him about three years ago when he was two years removed from playing. What makes him like a legitimate guy who might be able to play in his forties? Like what are his qualities that would be like, okay, maybe you can pull this off?
"Well, when he played, he was one of the best quarterbacks of all time. The way, as you get older, I think mobility leaves big time, arm strength doesn't always. And when you have guys that are at an elite level who will play in the pocket and have the size to hang in there and still have arm strength to make the throws that you need to make, that gives guys like that an opportunity or a chance to be able to pull off something like this. And I would say he's one of the few who would have a chance to do this."
And you guys reached out to Rivers and former Pittsburg Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger?
"Just Rivers."
Just Rivers?
"Yeah.
And sorry, I know I'm testing your memory a little bit. Was that like when Los Angeles Rams QB Jimmy Garoppolo broke his foot? Was that later on?
"No, we talked to Phillip as soon as Jimmy broke his foot and talked about the possibility of coming in. I remember telling him that we really felt good about this rookie that we had and we were having to sign other guys from other teams to even have a backup at that moment. So, we had no backup. We also had a rookie who was the last pick in the Draft, and who hadn't played a snap yet except for the mop-up time that he got, so we weren't sure where this is going to go. But, we would like to see him go and see how he can do because we think he might do really well. But regardless, we didn't have anyone after him at the time. So that was when Philip started watching our installs, getting ready for the possibility to come here and he would've if [QB] Brock [Purdy] ever got hurt."
What do you see from Tennessee Titans QB Cam Ward? Where is he at in his development? What kind of challenge does he present?
"I mean, you can see why he was the first pick in the Draft. You know, he throws like a top quarterback. He can make every throw on the field. I think when number one is open, he's extremely accurate at hitting him. You see the ability."
Why the timing to open Yetur's window tomorrow and not today or even Monday?
"Just because of how the whole offseason went with him and our plan this year. We don't ever practice him two days in a row on Wednesday and Thursday. So, he only practiced on Thursdays regardless, even before we got hurt. So, we're not going to open until that day."
As far as LB Nick Martin, is it just a matter of him working through the concussion protocol or is he still experiencing symptoms?
"Yeah, he's in the protocol. He's still got symptoms, so that's why he's still in it."
You mentioned going into the Bye that it might be a little early for Tatum Bethune to come back. He's out of practice. Is that just the general sense of it?
"That's what it is today, but we'll see tomorrow."
Tennessee Titans WR Elic Ayomanor was a Stanford guy. Was he someone that you guys were looking at in the Draft and then what have you seen from him so far this year?
"Oh yeah, we definitely studied him hard in the Draft. He's done a good job, got a lot of playing time, they've had some young guys going on there especially with some injuries. He's a big receiver who can make some plays, but I think he's done really well for his rookie year."
After 13 games, how refreshing was a Week 14 Bye and how did you spend it?
"I spent it hanging out with the family, relaxing. It was fun to kind of just watch football Thursday, Saturday and Sunday just from a fan perspective. It was different having a Bye this late. I don't know if I'd ever ask for that or wish upon it, but it was kind of nice. Usually, you have your Bye Week early on and I annoy the hell out of my family because I'm like, 'no, we have to do this for lunch, we have to do this right now because when this is over I'm going like 11, 10 weeks straight.' So, it was a little different having it in December where it was almost a little more relaxing because you've made so much of the season already and excited to get back now for the best time of the year in football."
You guys have done really well post-Bye for many years. Is there some message or some reason that you think your team is so more successful post-Bye?
"Not that I know of. I mean, we don't do anything differently. So, I know some people have good records, some people have bad records, but I think most of that's just a coincidence. I don't think we do anything unusually different than other teams. But, I think we practice hard, we play hard. So, it's always good when we get to rest. You always come in feeling better. The key is how to keep that freshness and feeling better, but yet still get at least two hard days of practice in so you can knock off all that rust. If you can do the combination of both where you rest to get fresher, but you can also find a way to get that rust off before Sunday, then I think it's always an advantage."
Just wondering with the time off if you had any time to reflect that you guys are 9-4, given all the challenges you've had with injuries, I know you need a little bit of help, but you still have shot at the division and an outside shot at the number one overall seed in the NFC. Did you reflect on that at all?
"No. Everyone tries to with me and then I usually snap at them. You can just as easily lose four games in a row as win four games in a row. I mean, four games are a long ways away and there are a lot of things that can happen. So, I don't reflect at all."
Where is LB Eric Kendricks at health-wise and how do you see him fitting in?
"Would love to get Eric going. He's got a tight calf today, so I'm not sure how much he's going to go today if he's going to go. But, he's working back in here. Hopefully it's not too bad of a setback with that, but we'll see him when he gets on the field."
How has he been emotionally coming back in because he hasn't played football in a while?
"I think he's awesome. I feel like I know him just because I've gone against him it seems like so many times. I don't know him. But, just seeing him out on the field, it's like eerie watching him on scout team all last week just from our end zone copy because I feel like I'm having post-traumatic stress from seeing him as a linebacker all the time going against him. But, he looks like Eric, acts like how I've always heard he is. You can tell he loves football and hopefully he can get his body right and get out there."
Follow-up about the Bye Week, we know for the guys it's about resting the body and rejuvenation. For you as a coach, you do pretty well historically after a Bye. How does it help you to reset? Do you put it down completely? Do you still study? Do you break away? How is that?
"No, I go up until Tuesday night and then I shut it down until Sunday. I just spend time with people I haven't seen for a little bit or spent enough time with. I catch up on sleep, usually get three good meals in a day, enjoy my dog a little bit and come back a little bit fresher."
I know you wanted defensive coordinator Robert Saleh back regardless, but given everything the defense has been through with all the moving parts, how beneficial has it been to have a guy that you trust so implicitly in that role this year?
"It's huge. I mean, just going through this offseason with him, having to make a bunch of decisions on where we were going, where we were at and trying to make the best of a number of things going into the Draft like that. Knowing how this year was going to be different and knowing we were going to have to tinker with things throughout the year, just having a guy that I know has done it before and also someone I've done it together to where I know that he's extremely capable of doing it and he's done it at such a high level, done it a number of places and that's exactly what he has done here."
Have you found yourself having to be less involved with the defense? Were you doing it more than you maybe would've liked with first-time coordinators?
"Not, you've always got to meet with them. You can't ever get too far away, whatever side of the ball you're on or major in as a head coach. But also too, when I watch people try to fix things too much, when you're giving it, whether it's 50-percent of your attention or 80-percent of your attention, you've got to be very careful if you're not giving something 100-percent of your attention that you're not going to make it worse. So, I try not to overdo anything regardless of the situation, but I always try to stay involved."
With it being as easy to lose four games as if it is to win, is that something you have to address with the team just keeping the focus here and not letting that outside noise seep in?
"Not totally because I think that's how I talk every week. I don't think that's any different now. I'll talk that differently if the last game we're fighting for exactly what that is because now I can say it, but I just know how quickly things go in this league. That's how I talk in Week 1 after we're 1-0 or after we're 3-0 to our first loss, that there's really no difference in how we talk until you know exactly what that game is. And rarely is it that case until you get to a Playoff game."
What are those expectations for QB Kurtis Rourke over these next 21 days?
"Really, it's just nice to get him back. He's been working to be healthy, to get out there on the practice field. We'll see how he does in these three weeks. [QB] Adrian [Martinez] not being here will allow him to get up more reps on scout team. He will still be doing those with [QB] Mac [Jones] too because Mac's got to get his reps in. But, it's really just evaluate him for these three weeks and see where it goes."
A lot of people around the League have said this is the most wide-open NFL. Since you've been in the League, would you kind of agree to that where a lot of teams have a chance to win it all?
"Yeah, I do think a lot of teams have a chance to win it all. I think that's pretty similar though to me most years. I mean, anytime you've got [Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick] Mahomes and things like that, and you've got the [Buffalo Bills QB] Josh Allens and stuff, they're always the ones that you look at. But, there are a number of other teams, especially when you take guys like that out of the picture that are all capable. And when it's the NFL, which is different than all sports, when it's one game and not best of seven anybody's capable of winning. Now, you've got to be good enough to get to the Playoffs. You've got to be good enough to win three, possibly four in a row, which those are the challenges. But, on any given Sunday it's one game. That's to me why football's the best. It's never about a seven-game series and usually when it's one game any team can win. In a seven-game series, to me it's always usually the best team."
Has Brock relayed how his toe is feeling after the Bye? After last game, did you see some increased mobility where maybe you can open things up more?
"We haven't held anything out. Once he's come back, especially halfway through that first game Arizona, I asked him after that game about his toe on Monday and I got such good answers and he looked that way all week that I haven't asked him about his toe since."