San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, and quarterback Brock Purdy addressed reporters ahead of Wednesday's practice as the team gears up for its Week 17 matchup against the Chicago Bears. Here's everything they said.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Head Coach Kyle Shanahan
Opening comments:
"The injuries for today. [DL] Yetur [Gross-Matos], knee, won't practice. That's just maintenance from the same thing all year. [TE] George Kittle, ankle, won't practice. [CB] Renardo Green, neck, will be limited. [WR] Ricky Pearsall, knee/ankle, will be limited. Go ahead."
Any early thoughts on Kittle's availability this week?
"He's got a chance, so we're not ruling him out."
It looked like there could have been two hip-drop tackles on him in that game. Did you see it that way as well?
"Yeah, they were possible ones. They weren't the really obvious one, like Ricky got. But, they were debatable."
How much do you think Ricky will be able to do today?
"I'm sure he'll be able to do most today. We're going half-speed and everything, so yeah, that makes it a little easier on him."
What have you seen from your offensive line the last month or so? Seems like they're ramping up a little bit.
"Yeah, I think they keep getting better. I mean, the more you play together and stay healthy, usually if you work the right way you get better as a unit. I think just collectively they're moving together, blocking well the run game and doing a really good job in the pass game also."
What makes special teams coordinator Brant Boyer such a good special teams coordinator?
"His consistency. He's the same guy every day. He doesn't get bored with the little details. He demands a lot, holds guys accountable and usually when you're like that you get better as you do more work. And that's what we've done throughout the year."
What have you been seeing from RB Jordan James in practice that helped activate him Monday?
"He's been doing a good job for a while. He's had a number of good weeks here once he got healthy a while ago. We've been wanting to find a way to get him out there. And we just thought it was time. We wanted to give him a shot. I don't know if it'll be the same this week, but he's done really well in practice. We thought there might be a chance for it to get him to the game, but didn't go that way."
Can you look at the Bears and see a lot of what Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson was doing with the Lions or is it different?
"No, it's similar. Everyone has stuff they like to do, but I've got so much respect for Ben just in in terms of how they run the ball. It starts with the run always with Ben and the things off of it, which he's a very balanced play-caller and makes teams defend everything."
During Monday's broadcast they said that you told them you were looking forward to getting WR Skyy Moore for a full offseason to teach him how you guys run wide receiver. He's a free agent in March. Is it your hope that he re-signs and you have that spring/summer with him?
"Yeah, they were just asking me more about him as a receiver, not just a returner. I just talked him up to them. I didn't know they'd shared all that with you guys, but I don't watch the TV copy."
Well, they talked a lot about it.
"Well, that's good. I try. That's my goal (laughter). No, I just told them that Skyy just got here late. I think he's been really good at receiver too. I mean, I love his skillset and I love the person. It's just always hard sometimes when you don't get to go through all the run blocking, all the routes, all the formations, everything. So, he works his butt off and that's why we don't mind putting him out there at all. But, I think there's still a lot more."
Is it particularly different what he was doing wide receiver-wise in Kansas City versus what you guys do?
"Yes. Yeah. Sometimes things are similar, but I think they are bigger difference than most."
You faced Chicago bears QB Caleb Williams last year. When you turn on the tape this year, does he look the same, better, more developed?
"I think anytime you give a quarterback a top run game, they all look better. So, I think that helps him huge. Caleb is one of the best throwers, one of the most athletic quarterbacks I've ever seen in terms of his height, weight and speed. He makes some big-time throws, extremely scary on the perimeter, can hold onto the ball for a while, not in a bad way, but by creating stuff which makes coverages have to hold up forever. And when you have a talented guy like that who's got the speed and the size, usually they get a run game, get some bootlegs and play actions off of it, you limit how many times you've got to drop back. It makes sense why he is playing at such high level."
What do they do defensively that has allowed them to create so many turnovers?
"One, I think they've got guys who are really good at catching it to start with. But, I think [Chicago Bears defensive coordinator] Dennis Allen has been one of my favorites over the years. We've gone against him so much and have as much respect for him as anyone. They are very consistent with what they do schematically. So, if you look at Dennis over the years, they always just get better and better and better. When you look at it, one of his teams in Week 1 compared to a week like right now, and when you have a sound scheme and you play a lot of zone, they mix in man, but you play a lot of zone, play with vision and you do it throughout the year and you stay pretty healthy, especially now where they've gotten their corners back and then you've got guys who are capable of catching it. It's not surprising with a Dennis defense."
You are one of four on challenges this year. It's kind of funny after you won a game, like I wasn't really trusting my information. But, when it doesn't work out like that, do you have to review your process at all or how you guys figure out if you want to challenge something?
"Yes, definitely. Yep."
Can you share what steps that might entail?
"There are just two I'd like to take back that we're working on."
Well, you can't take them back. How do you avoid it in the future?
"The process? You need to see stuff to know for sure, and you need to know what the letter of the law is to know for sure. I really like my own eyes when I can see something, but always when I see something then I always want to talk to someone that I would basically call a lawyer who understands the letter of the law and exactly how it's written. So, based off of what my eyes see, which translates to common sense. Yes, I think that shouldn't be the case, but based off of your study of the rulebook, letter of the law and how they articulate those words, will it match up on a review? And those are kind of how you go about it. When I don't see it, I usually go off of the letter of the law, should I throw it, based off of what you saw? That's how I've always been. That's how I always will be."
So, are you looking for a new lawyer?
"No, but nobody's perfect, including myself. But, it's always me. I still don't have to throw it."
Kittle was talking postgame about the speeches that assistant head coach of defense Gus Bradley gives and the positivity he's brought to the building, which he says he thinks bleeds into the whole office. I'm just curious what you think Gus' contribution has been and how much of some help he's been to defensive coordinator Roberts since they've been together so far?
"Gus has been amazing. I love Gus. Just his personality, how he carries himself and how much knowledge and football he has too, which is so good for everybody. Definitely Saleh, but just for everybody in the building. Players and coaches. Saleh had a style with him. He would do these stories for like, he'd have them done in July, which always annoyed me. But, he'd have a planned-out story for all 17 weeks, they'd do PowerPoints and make guys laugh and there's always kind of a message with it. And then the first day I let Gus speak to the team for a Ball meeting, he did the exact same type of story and for like one second I thought he was stealing Saleh's stuff, and then I realized that Saleh stole his stuff 20 years ago I just saw Saleh first. And then one night for a team meeting, I always show film usually and football stuff, and I thought we had had enough of that I'd done earlier in the week. I asked Gus to do one of his stories and it hit, the guys loved it and we won. And then I kind of stick with things at work, and he's undefeated doing it and I'm like .500 doing it. So, I don't take people off when they're on a heater. So, he's been doing an awesome job. I think it's nice sometimes, you do x's and o's all week and there's always a message in there about football, about playing a certain way and what we want to do. But, it's also entertaining and makes guys laugh and it's a better bedtime story before you go to sleep to get ready to get up and play."
Could you give an example of one of his stories? Like do they have anything to do with football?
"No. The message does, but it's a totally random story. Like it could be about taking his son fishing when he was younger. Could be a lady getting pulled over in some town in Alabama. It could be going on a rollercoaster with your friends in some amusement park. They're the most random stories ever which makes guys laugh, then he brings it full circle and there's a message eventually that pertains to the game."
On that. When QB Brock Purdy was sacked by Indianapolis Colts DL Laiatu Latu, TE Luke Farrell was blocking him. Obviously, Farrell got beat pretty quick. Is that the design of that play? Did Brock have a chance? Is that designed to get out like immediately?
"No. No, that was a deeper developing play. Sometimes Luke won't be on a zone on that play, but they blitzed so you slide the whole line, which makes it a lot stouter inside, but the weakness is having a tight end on a D-End. Luke's one of the better ones in the league at doing that. But, just like tackles get beat, so do tight ends. It's a little harder for Brock to see it when he was throwing to the left with such a quick win. I'm just glad Luke didn't give up on the play. Ended up being a bad play and then a hell of a play by him."
Have you found over the years that when you're facing an opponent that regularly plays an offense that runs your offense like the Bears and the Packers for example, that they're better prepared for you? That defenses have become better prepared for your style as more and more offenses have started to use it.
"Yes, no doubt about it. I think it's more from practicing against it all OTAs and offseason. You could tell teams try to get used to the speed of outside zone and things off of it, all the motions and things like that, which you can't really do that on a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday practice. But, you get a lot better at it if you practice against it all offseason, just used to it. And some of the adjustments don't shock you as much. I feel like half the league's seeing that stuff in the offseason. So, it definitely helps guys be more prepared."
Obviously not a lot of teams would be in a position you're in with playing two quarterbacks, one starting half the games. When you brought QB Mac Jones in, you obviously knew him a little bit, but did you have to think about how would he and Brock fit together, like how they can work together? Because it seems like they're pretty close and supportive of each other.
"I mean, you think about that to a degree. You don't want something that's going to be bad. I know Brock so well that even if something was a bad situation I don't feel like Brock would be that affected by it. I mean, if it's something that was truly bad, then you make a change as a coach, so I never really worry. Brock's so easy that someone would have to be really messed up for that to be uncomfortable with. Then I remember that when we did get him, I asked him what he thought of Mac and if knew him at all, and he said they throw together and they work out all the time in Florida before this and they really like each other, so it was a huge bonus of it."
How much do you think they've of helped each other, especially since both of them have had to play so much this year?
"I mean, who knows when it comes to on the field and stuff, but we spend so much time together and it's such a long season and there's a lot of pressure situations, a lot of things you've got to talk about. And when you're in a small room with people all year long, if you're irritated with each other, it makes the year a lot harder. So, I've been really happy with that room and not just Mac, but [QB Kurtis] Rourke, [QB] Adrian [Martinez], it's been a really cool room."
You guys got multiple pro bowlers on special teams this year. Can you speak to the impact that element of the game has had on why the team's gotten to this point?
"It's huge. When special teams struggles, you can see how many games that can cost you. My first point with special teams is I don't want it to cost us. If anything, just make sure, and it's hard, I mean don't get field goals blocked, don't give up touchdowns, don't have really bad penalties. And that's a huge challenge, and if you can do that then the better team should always win the game to me based off the offense and defense. That's what your goal is. If you can do that and affect the game and give your team a chance to win by having big returns, by having a kicker who's so consistent, by having real good punts, by getting turnovers, then it's a huge bonus and makes your team a lot harder to beat."
This year it has been a little bit more than just not costing you guys. Has it added?
"Definitely. When you make the returns we've made, I believe that's, I'm forgetting which game it was, but it was a few weeks ago. One of the reasons we were able to get out to a big lead on somebody. The way our kicker's been, I think is huge. That's why we always get points on our long drives. If you go on a bunch of long drives and you miss field goals, that can really hurt a team. I think our team believes that we can change the game on special teams. And when you do believe that, I think everyone plays a little more inspired."
How was LB Eric Kendricks and his 10 snaps as far as just being on point with the system? With Bethune, are you pleasantly surprised that he's not on the injury report after Monday night's game?
"Yeah, I was really happy with him. We wanted to be able to get him a shot, and we didn't know how it would go. And Tatum zinged his ankle, which kind of was expected anytime you come off a high-ankle. So, he got a series off and Eric stepped in, I think it was early fourth quarter. And he looked exactly like we'd hoped he would. He is a very natural linebacker as we all know. He moved well and thought it was a really good first game for him."
And how is Tatum doing health-wise?
"He is good to go. Yeah, he did zing it like people do on high-ankle sprains, but felt good the last two days. That's why he wasn't on the injury report."
Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh
With the Colts scoring twice in their first two times, what's going through your mind at that point? How do you adjust?
"I thought the players, staff, everybody did a really good job just trying to figure out exactly what was different than what we had prepared for. And we made the necessary adjustments, players adjusted the way they needed to. I thought we did a really, really good job from that point on handling everything they were doing."
They said in the broadcast you didn't blitz Indianapolis Colts QB Philip Rivers in the first half. After halftime, obviously you did blitz him a little on the second half. Did you realize that you were going to have to mix it up a little with him?
"No. It wasn't so much that trying to mix up because we did give up an explosive on him when we did blitz, but I was just trying to be timely with it. Really just wanted to get to his feet to see if we could get him off his timing because he's one of the greatest of all time, but even the greatest of all time after not playing for a while, the timing's not going to be there unless you're able to play seven on seven. Which I think he was able to do in the first couple of drives. But yeah, there was a couple of pressures in there just to try to throw off timing just a little bit."
TE George Kittle after the game was talking about the impact of assistant head coach of defense Gus Bradley, which seemed kind of odd for an offensive guy to be talking about the stories he tells and such. Head coach Kyle Shanahan just addressed it. Can you kind of describe the impact Gus has had on the building itself and with you and the defense?
"Yeah. Gus, as everyone knows, he's like a second pops to me. He lights up a room. He unifies buildings, he unifies people. He's an ultimate energy giver and people gravitate to his personality, his infectious smile. I've always said the greatest compliment a person can ever receive is when someone says that when you're around that person, you want to be a better person. And that's Gus, he makes you want to be a better person. I think if you're any kind of a human when you're around him, you'll feel that."
Your two rookie defensive tackles got sacks and got on the board the other night. Where are they right now as kind of past the point where they hit a rookie wall, but maybe it seems like they're picking up a bit?
"Yeah, they're doing a really nice job. It was awesome to see it, awesome for them to get the production because they've been working hard at it, but they're still young. They're only going to get better. Really excited for [DL] C.J. [West]. [DL] Alfred's [Collins] going to be a stud, especially when both of those young men get offseasons underneath them, have a good offseason. I think they're only going to get better, but it's good to see them surging, especially as rookies here in the second half of the year."
Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams is on the opposite end of the quarterback spectrum from Philip. He's a guy who wants to get outside of the pocket and hold the ball. What kind of challenges does he present?
"A lot of them. His arm talent is elite. The guy can rip the ball. He can make every throw. It feels like when he starts scrambling, he gets more accurate. He is really, really dangerous when he leaves the pocket and he's on the run, they're really tied into their scramble rules, hard to bring down in the pocket. He does a great job escaping the pocket, he's got great speed to scramble. Their boot system is one of the better ones in football. They're doing a really good job with him. I think he's improved tremendously from a year ago. When you just look at the tape from a year ago, he's greatly improved. So, credit to [Chicago Bears head coach] Ben [Johnson] and his staff and the way they've approached it this year."
Speaking of Ben, how good of a play caller is he?
"Oh, he's up there with all the best of them. You've got Kyle, [Los Angeles Rams head coach] Sean [McVay] and [Green Bay Packers head coach] Matt LaFleur and all the guys that come from this tree. And then Ben, he's pretty freaking good."
Having gone through the process a couple of times before already, do you find it easy to compartmentalize and not even concern yourself with whatever head coaching opportunities there might be after the season?
"Oh, yeah. We've got playoffs, hoping that we play five more home games."
What about your run defense on Monday night can carry over into these final two games and into the postseason? What did you like about what you guys were able to do in that aspect?
"For sure. I felt like the deliberateness at which we attacked the run game was really good. I thought the D-Line played their best game with regards to defending the run and closing gaps and playing with their hands and creating extension and getting off blocks. It was all around a really good effort from everybody. Our safeties were running the alley the way they needed to. We were tackling really well. [Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor] J.T. is not an easy back to tackle. Our corners showed up big time in crack replace. There were a couple of occasions where he could've sprung out to the to the outside. I think [CB Darrell] Luter [Jr.] saved, I think two touchdowns. So, it was a collective effort and it's something that if you want to be a great run defense, it's got to show up every week."
LB Dee Winters had that pick-six, but Philip Rivers went up to him after the game and said, 'did you pick up my check?' And he said, 'yeah.' Did you see that? At halftime they were kind of running a lot of the Orlando concept earlier in the first half and did you tell Dee Winters?
"You can't necessarily hear it from the sideline. I'm glad it kind of happened. We're late in the season, we've been doing the same stuff. You hope at this point that the players aren't thinking about scheme. This is where it's encouraging and you just know that these young men are getting better. If you're thinking about your scheme and your technique and you're worried about where do I line up? You don't hear that. Dee has gotten to the point where he's not even thinking about his responsibility anymore. He's not thinking about his call. He is not thinking about where he needs to be. He's listening and he's watching. And for him to gather the information he gathered at that moment, I tell our players, there's three occasions in the game where you're just going to know. You're just going to know exactly what the play is. You just have to have the confidence in yourself to just go jump it and abort your job and go do it. And that's pretty much what he did. He knew it was coming. He baited it, waited for Philip to throw it and took it to the house. So it's credit to him and one, mastering his craft to the point where he can start mastering the opponent. And I thought he did that and it progressed throughout the game."
QB Brock Purdy
What was your perspective of your throw to TE Jake Tonges in the side of the end zone? Were you even able to kind of watch the flight of the ball because you were heading pretty quickly out of bounds?
"Yeah, no, I saw it. I didn't really know for sure if he got in or not. It happened so quick, but from where I was at on the sideline, I was like, 'dude, that definitely could have been something.' I was sort of hoping there was going to be some kind of review or something, but at the same time, the clock for the next play if it didn't count was rolling. So, I had to move on pretty quickly and get ready for the next play. But, obviously when we saw it after we were like, wow. So it was a crazy play by him and for him to get his feet in was crazy."
Were you in tempo at that point? Did you guys huddle?
"Yeah, we huddled after that. So, it was just a matter of getting everybody back. It was a scramble play and we had a big third down after that. So, it was just one of those things where, yeah it sucks, we don't know. Did he get in, did he not? But, if he didn't, we have to get everyone lined up for the next play, get the play off, make sure I'm reading everything out right. So, you have to move on fast if it doesn't happen. So, just unfortunate sort of how quick it all turned out to be."
When TE George Kittle is really rolling, is it hard not to throw it to him every play? Like do you in the back of your mind think where's George?
"Yeah, I mean obviously he is a Hall-of-Fame tight end and so when he's on and catching everything, moving fast, as a quarterback, yeah it's in my mind if I can get him the ball then obviously he can go and get so much YAC and create some pretty cool plays. So that's definitely a thing. But, at the same time, how [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] calls plays, naturally George is going to end up being a guy that's a priority in certain situations. So, trusting in the play call, but also knowing I have a Hall-of-Fame tight end that I get to play with. So it's, both of those things sort of, at the end of the day George ends up getting the ball and balling. So, that's just sort of how I look at it."
You guys often talk about the ball goes where the coverage dictates. But, are there times that a quarterback you just want to force feed somebody such as George?
"It's a fine line, obviously. Like I'm dropping back, what's my answer every single play, playing disciplined with my feet and everything? And there's hardly any times where I'm just going to drop back and abort everything that I've been coached and just try to force feed a guy. But, when there's options for me in man coverage or certain situations in scramble drills, like yeah I definitely have my antenna up for George and guys that are hot, [WR Jauan Jennings] J.J., and they're playing well and you feel like you just need to get them the ball because they're on one. So, you feel that a little bit for sure in certain situations."
How about their defense and their ability to intercept passes? What is it about their secondary that's made them so good at that?
"I think they just have really good athletes. They've got good ball skills. When the ball's in the air, they're aggressive, they don't hesitate. Obviously their guys have length and just athletic ability across the board. And I just feel like they're really well-coached when it comes to being aggressive and not trying to second guess things. If you have the opportunity to go get the ball, go make a play. And so, obviously they lead the league in interceptions and turnovers and they're physical as well, so it's not just that they're intercepting the ball, they're hitting guys and making you feel it and you've got to protect the ball even when you're carrying it. So, they're really well coached and they pop, that's for sure, on film."
Against Tennessee, WR Kendrick Bourne gets his catch, does the money thing, but he's a yard short. First catch this game, he does the money thing, they overturn it. Were you guys able to poke fun at him a little bit? Like, hey, maybe just wait for the next snap to start doing the celebration?
"Yeah, I mean after the Tennessee game we were all sort of giving them a hard time. They were all trying to figure it out on the sideline, like, 'Hey, did I get it? Did I not?' And we're all joking about it. And then in this game when he did end up getting it, it was like a serious moment. So, he jogged back to the huddle, he is like, 'let's go man.' I was like, 'yeah, man, good job, but we've got to get to the next play, bro.' And then we got to the sideline, we congratulated him and he's in it. He's obviously been joking around with all the guys about it, so it's been funny. He's the kind of guy that has that personality where we can have fun with it. But at the end of the day, K.B.'s going to do what it takes to help this team win whether he catches the ball or not and he's blocking. K.B.'s a dog that we all love going to war with, but I'm glad he is able to get his bonus and keep this thing going."
LB Fred Warner was on a podcast this week and he said that you are hands down the best QB in the league. What does that mean for him to say that about you?
"Oh, that's pretty cool, man. Obviously he is my guy, my teammate and a great teammate and brother of mine. So, for him to have my back like that, it's pretty cool and be outwardly spoken about it. So, it's pretty cool. At the same time, we've got two more games to finish out and I've got to play good and find a way to win for the Niners here."
Kyle described your game on the postgame podium as almost perfect. I don't know if I've ever heard him say that before. He's always got things he wants to work on. What did you think about how you played? How close to perfect were you?
"Yeah, obviously there were some missed throws and opportunities and I want to score a touchdown every drive. So I'm looking at myself like, all right, how did we not convert there? And it was my decision here or there and the interception at the end of the game, like tip ball, it was high. So, just watching the film and being real with myself about I could still be better with my accuracy on certain plays and being aggressive and not second guessing on certain plays. So, there's still things like that that you've got to clean up and you just want to get better at. You don't want them to come up in another game or another situation. So, definitely room for improvement."
You had to a call a timeout in the fourth quarter. It looked like you were having communication problems. Could you not hear in your headset?
"Yeah, the mic system was cutting in and out. I couldn't even hear the play. I looked at the ref and I was like, 'is there anything we could do about this? Like, can I get another 25 seconds?' And no. So I don't know how that happened, but it did, so it sucked."
You did not look amused.
"No, I was mad. Yeah, I mean, we had to call a timeout in a serious part of the game, so yeah, it's not something you want to be happy about."
Do you have the option to call your own play at that point?
"Yeah, there's definitely times where I can be ready for that, but at that point I was still trying to hear it and there was nine seconds left, so at that point we were like, no, let's be smart and call timeout and regroup. So kept it simple."
Does Kyle ever call a play and you listen to it and you're like, that play sucks, I'm calling my own play?
"No, no I do not. Kyle has great play calls and no (laughter)."
What have you seen from your O-Line the last month? Kind of like a steady climb? What have you seen from those guys? It's a veteran bunch, I imagine it's a big part of it.
"Yeah, definitely them playing together and stuff and when you're healthy going into this time of year and having a bunch of games together with [OL Spencer] Burford in there now too. And I just feel like overall, they've done a great job with building off games and with the run game, the pass pro. I feel like guys are tying everything together and they're playing together as a unit, so it's been nice obviously to be able to get the ball out of my hand too, to help them out, get into a rhythm. And just overall, I feel like the play calls and everything have helped them and when it comes to one-on-one blocking too, in certain situations, third downs, like they've stepped up and done a great job of giving me time. So, across the board, it's been a team effort there and really proud of those guys right now."
Last year, you gave your O-Line SUVs for Christmas. How do you one-up that this year?
"Yeah, I don't know. I've got something for them, but, they're going to get it after practice today, so I don't want to say. Yeah, no spoilers."
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