San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed reporters ahead of Thursday's practice as the team gears up for its Week 16 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Here's everything he said.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Opening comments:
"Injuries for today. [LB] Nick Martin, still in the protocol. [DL] Jordan Elliott, knee, won't practice. [OL Spencer] Burford, knee/ankle, won't practice. [WR] Ricky Pearsall, knee/ankle won't practice. [LB Tatum] Bethune, ankle, limited. [DL] Sam O [Okuayinonu] ankle, limited. [DL] Yetur [Gross-Matos] hamstring, limited. [CB] Renardo Green, neck, limited. That's it."
What about LB Eric Kenricks?
"He's good to go. He's on the practice squad, so we don't have to say, right? I'll give it to you guys. He's limited too."
He is good to go?
"Yeah, he'll practice."
It looked like towards the end of the game that WR Jauan Jennings took a shot and came off kind of slow. There was no rib injury or anything?
"No, I know it hurt him there because he missed a couple plays later for it. But no, he checked out good this week and he's not on here."
Is there any chance Ricky can play on Monday?
"Yes, there is a chance. He's doing a lot better today than he was on Monday. The extra day will help, so he's got a shot."
RB Christian McCaffrey has a chance to break former 49ers RB Roger Craig's single-season record for most catches by running back. What does that record mean to you historically and then what kind of accomplishment would that be for Christian?
"Honestly, I haven't thought about it. I mean, Roger Craig was a hell of a player and cool guy from the past with all those stats. One time I was with a running back who broke a record for the most catches in a game. I think it was like 14, but it was for like 50-yards, which meant the quarterback was going to the check down way too much. So, it felt differently there. I don't feel that way necessarily with Christian. He's had some big plays as number one down the field. He also has had some huge check downs. He also takes the ball a ton as a runner, so it's been an unbelievable year for Christian so far, so it's cool to get any records that he has to go with it."
What do you see from Indianapolis Colts QB Philip Rivers when you turn on the tape?
"I see, I mean he is a little bit older, so might not quite be as fast, might not quite be able to throw it the same distance that he used to, but you don't know that for sure because you don't get to see it exactly on tape. But, I see a guy who knows how to play the position as good as anyone. I think he had 27 throws in that game and every ball goes right to the exact spot. He attacked their coverages great. He played against a very good pass rush and was able to get rid of the ball. He's one of the best quarterbacks I've ever watched and he definitely helped that team."
You mentioned that he was on some of those Zoom meetings, I think, in 2022. What was that like? How often was he on a meeting and was he just kind of lurking in the background?
"I didn't talk to him that much, just at the beginning and would check in with him for a couple months and then towards the end, but he was just staying with it just in case it was needed and in case something changed. I mean, he was always in there, but no one really knew. So it was, as you said, lurking in the background. But, he was always ready if the moment happened and the moment didn't happen until the NFC Championship, but we didn't win so it never came to fruition."
When you're coaching a game and someone like Christian's on the verge of maybe doing a thousand-thousand again, do you even hear about that stuff? Does somebody feed you information if one of those milestones are getting close Or do you not even want to hear it?
"No. People have fed it to me in the past and I didn't react that well, so they're hesitant to feed it to me. If the game was out of hand or something, I'd love to know something like that, like to help someone out or something, but you don't know that really. Like I know it if I'm prepared for questions and stuff, but when you chase things like that, I've learned the hard way and been a part of people who have learned the hard way doing that and you hope it comes naturally. But, if there's ever a time that you're going to help someone, whether it's getting a bonus, a record or anything like that, that's something we always want to do. I know [WR Kendrick Bourne] K.B.'s one-yard away from his bonus, but the fact that he spun on that screen at the last deal of the game, I said it's on him, but we should be able to get one more."
Did anyone send that to you?
"Everyone has."
Back in 2022, was Philip only coming here if he was starting?
"Yes. Yeah."
Like did you want him to come here as a backup so that he potentially could have been available if QB Brock Purdy got injured in-game?
"Yes, but I don't think it was like that. I mean, just like I'm sure it was with Indy. I mean, I don't know what happened with Indy, but he was enjoying life with his son and doing those things, still working out. And when we lost two of our guys and we had one left, that was when the talks became real. [Washington Commanders QB] Josh Johnson came and got used to being our backup and stuff, so we were alright in the backup role. But, he was always working and planning for the opportunity if he needed to start."
What is it about the NFL and the quarterback position where a 44-year-old with diminishing physical skills can have more success than a 22-year-old with all the physical skills in the world?
"Because when you go against defenses, like it's very rare, you just pick up Seattle last week, you're not going to run away from something like that. You don't out-athletic ever a really good defense, very rarely. Or you have to be on an elite level, like someone like [former NFL QB Michael] Vick or [Baltimore Ravens QB] Lamar [Jackson] or something like that just to athletically run away from teams. You've got to be able to get rid of the ball. And to be able to get rid of the ball, it's a unique talent that doesn't, it's just some people have it and some people don't. Whether it's vision, whether it's arm-throwing angles, whether it's mental processing or whether it's just your feel and clear mind in the pocket. But, when things are moving fast at an elite level, athletically, it's really hard to get away from those guys. It's about getting rid of the ball and letting someone else do it."
What's your level of concern with the run defense right now?
"I mean, yeah it hasn't been good enough. We know we need to do better, especially with the challenge coming up this week with such a great running team. I mean, I can sit here and make excuses for stats and things like that, but it hasn't been good enough. So, we work on it schematically, we work on it individually with players and stuff like that and we're hoping we can have a better showing this weekend."
What makes Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor and that run game so successful?
"One, they have a great O-Line. They have, to me, as good of a group of receivers as far as they have all the elements of they all have size to block, they have speed and they all have very good hands. Their tight end's very good. So, they're very good around them. And then you just look at the back, you've got a four-three back who has the weight to run people over, who can break tackles. He has been doing it for a long time. So anytime you have a natural running back who gets to the right holes and has great vision, but also has elite talent with a great supporting cast around him and a very good scheme, [Indianapolis Colts head coach] Shane's [Steichen] always done a really good job in the run game and pass game, so they've got all of it going."
How closely will you be watching the Thursday night game tonight?
"Not much at all. It's Wednesday to us and Wednesday would be real really tough for me to watch TV until later, until when the game's over. So, we won't see much of it."
With the win-and-you're-in scenario, early in the season I'd ask questions, and they were always hypotheticals. There are no more hypotheticals. If you guys win, you're in. With all the injuries you've had to overcome, what does this opportunity mean to you and the team?
"I mean, getting into the playoffs was our first goal, so we have an opportunity this week to do it. And if we don't, we'll have an opportunity the next two weeks also. When you look at that, all the things that are up in the air and the things that can change, we also have an opportunity not getting in the playoffs by not handling our business in any of these three games. So, I talked to the team the first time this morning in a couple days and the only thing we talked about was the Colts."
What does Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's defense look like when you watch them on film?
"Very good. They'll probably get Buck [Indianapolis Colts DL DeForest Buckner] back this week, but you can see why their team was rolling. I know it was tough for them losing [Indianapolis Colts CB] Sauce [Gardner], losing [Indianapolis Colts CB Charvarius Ward Sr.] Mooney and losing Buck. When you lose three of your best players, it is tough to keep at the level they were playing which takes their numbers down and stuff to a degree. But, when you turn on the tape, I think it's one of the best defenses we've seen in this league this year. They're I think number one versus the run, at least in yards per carry. They stop that very well. Lou's always had very good zone defenses and mixes it up with pressure on you half of the time. So, he puts a lot of pressure on you in the pass game. They stop the run game and that usually leads to turnovers and stuff. I know they're going to get some guys back this week, but regardless, I see one of the best teams we've seen on tape."
Was Buckner, just in terms of what you guys when he was here in your first couple years and what you established and is he still playing like that before the injury?
"Yeah, Buck looks like the same guy to me. Buck was huge for us. Such a stud of a person when we got here. He was a dude who just did things the right way, just to me naturally that must come from how he was raised, coming out of college, whatever it was. But, he did things the right way from day one. Such a good talent. One of the main reasons we had such a good, I started with him on the D-Line in '19 and was very grateful for my time here with Buck."
We've seen LB Nick Martin running on a side field the last week or so. Has he reached a stage in that protocol that he just can't get past? Is he still exhibiting symptoms of the concussion?
"Yes, that's why he is in the protocol. I don't get too much in the details of the protocol, but there's so many things. You can feel normal and everything. If you have one deal of a headache or standing up and you get dizzy, I'm not getting in particulars with him, but light could hurt you one randomly one time, and once that happens and then it's a step back. So, it's really nice that we're completely taken out of it. But, the protocols and stuff that those that those guys go through are pretty intense and you've got to clear in every way."
With WR Brandon Aiyuk, it seems clear he played a role in getting it to this point where he's no longer with the team. Do you look back whether personally or just organizationally since the time he signed that extension have any regrets like maybe we could've done this or done that or handled this better?
"I didn't get to hang out around Aiyuk much since he tore his ACL in Week 7, I think versus Kansas City. So, have been trying to get him back to our team really since then and haven't been able to pull that off. So, haven't totally had the opportunity to get him part of our team. He has been extremely distant since he got hurt and was hoping it would happen once he got healthy, but never happened."
How do you look at it?
"I don't look at anything right now but our football team playing the Colts, what we have going now and not stuff that I haven't thought about since July."
In that period where he was on the field for training camp and before games it looked like he was wanting to be here, but was there more going on behind the scenes that we didn't understand?
"I think obviously."
What have you seen from guys like LB Luke Gifford and CB Siran Neal on special teams this year?
"I think they've been awesome for us. Studs, both of them. Neal's been to me one of the better players in the league at his role. Giff's been huge at it and he's also filled a good role for us on defense."