San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters following Friday's practice, providing final updates ahead of the team's Wild Card playoff matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Here's everything he said.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Opening comments:
"Injuries for the game. We've got [LB] Dee Winters, questionable, [DL] Keion White, questionable, [T] Trent Williams, questionable, [WR] Ricky Pearsall, questionable, [LB Luke] Gifford, questionable, [QR Jacob] Cowing, questionable, [CB] Renardo Green, questionable. Go ahead."
What's Renardo Green's injury?
"He zinged something today. I think it was foot. I think it was foot. We didn't put it down here."
Did Pearsall get out and do anything today?
"No, he did not."
Did Trent do anything after he warmed up?
"Yeah, he was limited."
On Wednesday you were less optimistic about Jacob Cowing playing, but after watching the last few days, any change of mind there?
"No."
Does Ricky fall into the boat of a player who didn't practice this week who could have a chance to go on Sunday?
"Yes. Yep. Ricky's been doing this this year. Jake's just different. This was his first practice this year was this week. He didn't get any in training camp either."
Given that list of injuries you just went through. The Eagles have injuries as well, but you're going to be the road team. You're going back to a place where you did not have playoff success a few years ago. Different team, I understand that. But, what's the mood going in? Are you focused on not having a bad performance? Are you focused on making sure the people that are filling in the gaps are all on one mind, one accord? What's the mood of you, your coaching staff and the team?
"Going to round one of the playoffs playing as good of football as we can, being as prepared as we can and cutting it loose for three-and-a-half hours."
Considering what the injury report looks like, might you have to do more than just have the two standard elevations? Might you have to make moves on the 53-man?
"Yeah, possibly. Depending on how that goes, we would possibly have to do that. Yeah, you're only allowed to have two elevations so if we needed more than that we'd have to make a roster move."
We saw LB Fred Warner doing some stuff on the field, on a side field, yesterday. If you guys were to win, would you open his practice window next week?
"I haven't been told that yet."
Will he come on the flight with you guys?
"I haven't asked that. I'm not sure."
What kind of difference has Philadelphia Eagles LB Jaelan Phillips made for the Eagles?
"Anytime you add a good rusher like Jaelan, I mean edge rushers, whether they're getting the production on their own or they're making those tackles play wider to honor them, to help inside, it helps the whole defense. And I think you can look at them statistically since they've had him and seen statistically what it's done and you see the same thing on tape."
If this were not a playoff game, would players like Dee and Ricky be out?
"I don't know. It's a big hypothetical. Last week wasn't a playoff game and I didn't look at it any different. So, I would say there's no difference in last week and this week."
The weather is moving in late today and in tomorrow in Philadelphia. Have you thought about the weather and what role that plays, the swirling winds in South Philadelphia?
"Yeah, we get updates on it. Right now, it sounds like we're getting pretty lucky with the lack of rain or snow or things like that, but it sounds like there's a chance of winds similar to what we dealt with in Cleveland. So, we'll see how it is on Sunday. And if the winds are bad, sometimes you've got to deal with it for two quarters. If they're swirling it could be four, so we'll adjust accordingly."
You were the sixth seed in '21 when you went into Dallas and won. Do you tap into that experience at all? I guess, how challenging has this playoff season been compared to your past ones?
"We'll see. This is our first one of it. Last time we went on the road, we did pretty well with it being able to finish in the NFC championship Game. It's a different challenge every time you go. Different team that we have, different team that we're playing. So, guys that were part of that stuff you realize how you do it. It's one game at a time. You know, we didn't think about having to go on the road for three games to try to get to the Super Bowl or anything like that. We thought of going to Dallas and trying to come up with a win. And when we pulled that off, all we thought about was Green Bay for the next seven days. And when we pulled that off, all we thought about were the Rams for the next seven days. So, that's the main thing I can gather from that experience."
Is this the most challenging season you've had to get to the playoffs?
"I wouldn't say so just because we were sitting there fighting for the one seed in the last week. At that time, we had to erase a 17-point deficit to get the seventh seed in the last game of the year to get in. I think we had to win six out of our last seven just to be that last team. So, I think that was a little more challenging year to make it in. But, this has had its own challenges of its own."
What have you seen from LB Garrett Wallow since he's been here to see if he can step in and play defense? I know he came here primarily for special teams.
"Yeah, I feel very fortunate that we were able to get him, being able to take him off Denver's practice squad. We needed him when we had some guys down. I think he came in and filled in very well at a high level on special teams. And he got in on defense last week and we thought he played well on defense too. We'll see how it goes over the next two days, but if he does have the possibility to start or anything like that, we feel very good about him. The way we got him and when we got him, just to have that feeling I feel fortunate to have that."
FB Kyle Juszczyk said he addressed the team about not taking the playoffs for granted, and he had a stretch where he didn't go to the postseason. Growing up around the game like you did, did you have that sobering moment? When was it for you in your career where you're like, okay, this is not every year?
"It took me a while to go there. I went there my second year in Tampa as a quality control. So, I guess it kind of was similar to Juice. I was a quality control, it was a second year. You didn't think much of it, but then we didn't go to it for four years when I was in Houston, and it took to our third year in Washington to go and you realize how hard it is to get there and also how quickly it can end. So, you've got to be all in. You don't waste this moment. You do get tired at the end of the year. It's a long grind on to get to this point, but once you get to this point, you don't want it to end. You've got to work very hard and be extremely focused to make that happen. People have gone through it before and know how hard it is to get there in any situation I think understand that a lot more than others."
Given how young the team is, how important was it for him to say that? I think the example he gave was at the end of my second season, I was tired. I was kind of thankful it was over.
"Yeah, I do think it's important. I think the human nature of things, like everyone is tired at the end of this year, but you have to realize what you work for, why you started doing this back in February, why we've done this throughout the year, and this is really all that it comes down to. I told them like a month ago, we had like 14 hours guaranteed on what we're judged on and right now we have three-and-a-half hours left and it's up to us to earn three more hours after that."
Does the team look more fresh after a normal week than it has in the last few weeks?
"I think big time. I mean, the three games in 13 days, the three national TV games, all that stuff that I've talked about, I think it really added up. Getting a normal week plus an extra day this week, just getting eight days, I remember seeing the players on Wednesday and we all kind of joked that it felt like we just came back from a Bye week, because it kind of did. It was our first time having a normal routine in about three weeks and just getting away for a little bit I think guys felt much more rested as the previous three."
Random question. You mentioned beating the Rams in that game. I remember Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay jumping into the endzone and celebrating with him. Have you ever brought up that moment with him?
"No, we never mess with each other (laughter)."
TE George Kittle had an interesting account of his bus ride to the stadium his rookie season playing at Lincoln Financial. Do you have any story on that for you?
"I go earlier than the buses, but I used to not get my own ride there before I was a head coach. So, I do remember going there probably maybe the first time because my head was asleep on the bus window and then I thought it got shot, but it was an egg hitting the window and it actually shattered it somehow with an egg. Maybe it was hard-boiled. But yes, be ready."