San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak, and quarterback Brock Purdy spoke to reporters before Wednesday's practice as the team gears up for its Divisional Round playoff matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Here's everything they said.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh
How impressed were you with S Marques Sigle?
"He did a really nice job. He came in, didn't skip a beat. Marques is going to be a really good football player in this league. After the Rams game, felt like he needed to take a step back and just kind of absorb a little bit more and now he's getting his opportunity. Obviously first game went pretty good."
Your rookie defensive tackles have made some strides over the last month or so. What do you see from those guys particularly in the run game?
"The biggest thing is they're learning in terms of the different blocking combinations that they can get. It's a lot more complex than what they would've seen in college. They're doing a really nice job disengaging faster than when it first started. They've gotten better every week. They're very deliberate in everything they've been doing and we're obviously really excited about their trajectory."
On that last play, their last offensive play, are you thinking tendencies, who Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts likes to go to in that situation? What's going through your head on fourth down?
"There are a lot of things. There's a lot of recall, a lot of notes on that little sheet I have in my hand. Back in '23, we were set in the same situation two-by-two little hook route to the tight end. Not saying that that's what we were thinking, it's just one of those recall moments. But, they are who they were at that moment. And we had, you play your odds, you play your numbers, you play the down and distance and luckily it worked out."
Last time you faced Seattle, you gave up 13 points, they ran the ball well and you didn't force any turnovers. When you look back at your game plan from that game, do you feel like I need to be more aggressive to force turnovers or 13 points is 13 points?
"No. We need to do better on third down which means we need to do better on first and second down in terms of limiting the leaky yardage that we allowed. It felt like after the first quarter we settled in and played the run game very well. There were a couple of plays early in the game, obviously the third-and-two that went for 30 yards, the third-and-17 that inflated the numbers more than we would've liked. But, overall felt like we really settled in the last three quarters with regard to the run game. What we weren't very happy about was our third down performance. And that's where in every game when you could look at it, when offense is struggling on third down and defense is struggling on third down, you're going to end up in a situation where they're hogging the ball and it's going to be hard to score. We were fortunate that we only gave up 13 points and we're going to have to play a lot better to keep it that way."
On that note, what are the challenges or benefits of playing a team twice in such a short amount of time?
"I'm not sure. There's not a lot of new information, obviously we were their last game. So, you take what you have. They've had two weeks to kind of self-scout and come up with new things, so there are going to be some things that we have not seen and that they have not shown on tape. That's the benefit of having the number one seed. But, at the same time, when it's a division opponent, you know them, the players know each other, they know how they feel, they know the blocking. There's just a familiarity. So, it's always going to come down to a couple of plays that decide the game."
There's so much talk about a culture in this organization when it comes to president of football operations and general manager John Lynch talking about it and head coach Kyle Shanahan a little bit. I'm curious, did the culture here change at all while you were away or did you come back to the same place?
"Good question, man. Culture to me is always about the people. It's not the words, it's the people. And I think John and Kyle have done an outstanding job staying true to the people they want in this building. That goes from coaches, staff members, I mean everybody including players. And I think when you bring in the type of person you want, the culture will easily form itself, if that makes sense. And I think they've done a really nice job staying disciplined to that. And that locker room is filled with people built of the right character."
At the start of the season, I asked you what your realistic expectation for a defense that was so young and it's only gotten younger. Are you surprised at all with how they've been able to play? When you think of the tackle Marques Sigle made on Philadelphia Eagles RB Saquon Barkley or how CB Upton Stout has been able to make an impact out there. Has it been surprising to you with the youth and how much they've been able to produce?
"No (laughter). Coach [assistant head coach defense Gus] Bradley says it all the time that 'the mother of learning is repetition.' So, you trust that if they get enough reps, if they keep getting reps and they're deliberate in their reps and they're learning from their mistakes, you naturally are going to get better. Now, how fast they get better is you never know. But, it's not surprising that a guy like Stout has improved throughout the year. He's banked, I don't know how many reps, but he's got all the practice reps, OTAs, training, camp, practices, game reps, and he has been put in some really critical situations throughout the entire season. And he's getting more and more confident with what he's being asked to do. He's recognizing more and more of what offenses are trying to do and he's learning. So, naturally they're going to get better. It's exciting to see. We've done it before with young guys and the whole league has always seen the more young guys play, the faster they get. So, it's exciting to see them, but it's not surprising."
It seemed like your communication in this game was really good. LB Garret Wallow and LB Eric Kendricks. And then in between series I saw you on the bench talking to the guys. Did you feel the need to be more communicative between series because you do have a young group and the stakes are pretty high?
"No. First off, [linebackers coach] Johnny [Holland] and [defensive quality control coach] K.J. [Wright], just an outstanding job preparing those two, and credit to Wallow and Kendricks with how hard they've worked since they've got here to get brought up to speed. So, an outstanding job in terms of preparation. And Kendricks is a veteran and Wallows is a veteran. They have a natural feel for football. I thought they did a great job with communication. We had a lot of things this week to try from a schematic standpoint, we were making a lot of adjustments on the sideline and those guys were able to absorb it. The guys were locked in all three levels and they really made it an easy game to coach because they were completely locked in, so they made it easy."
In a week this tight. Have you interviewed for any head coaching positions?
"No, not yet."
A lot has been made about LB Fred Warner's practice window opening. What interactions have you had with him and what was the vibe when he stepped on the practice field yesterday?
"Fred?"
Yeah.
"Just pure energy. Fred's the ultimate energy giver, so just having him out there is awesome. Yesterday was a little bit more tempo down, but today obviously with higher tempo it'll be fun to get him out there and see him running around."
Eric Hendricks gave K.J. a lot of credit for working extra with him. Did you know that that was happening behind the scenes or did you see that extra work that they were putting in for that game?
"Yeah. The assistant linebackers coach is responsible for anyone new in the building to just make sure they're getting caught up while the position coach is working with the guys who are getting ready to play. So, K.J.'s put in a lot of hours with Eric and Wallow for that matter, to get them up to speed and when it was their time to step into the week, it goes to Johnny. And like I said, that's why both of them did just an outstanding job in preparation over the last month with those two."
Kyle Shanahan always talks about having to save RB Christian McCaffrey from himself sometimes because of how much he loves the game. Is there any of that between you and Fred Warner?
"No. You know, Fred I think it's different. Like Christian, obviously he's a high-volume back, where on defense it's just different."
Kendricks probably isn't the player he was a few years ago. At one time he was one of the best linebackers in the league and I would imagine his professionalism and his communication still carries over. How nice is it to have that caliber of pro on the field?
"Oh, it is. I think it's a force multiplier, right? His communication creates a calm to all three levels of the defense, gets people lined up and that's where communication can excel at its fastest or be at its best. I thought, like I said, he was outstanding with regards to all the checks. I'm not sure he could be much better. Hopefully he can duplicate it this week."
Offensive Coordinator Klay Kubiak
Head coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned after the game that you were the one that kind of suggested the touchdown pass to RB Christian McCaffrey. Can you just kind of take us through why you thought that moment was the right time and how you guys had kind of set it up before that?
"I suggest lots of plays and sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. I think we liked that play going into the game because of the coverages we were going to get. We thought it was a pretty safe call. Weren't many things they would do that would make it a bad play as long as we executed it. We had the timeout, we had the end of the end of the quarter, so it kind of gave us some time to put some thought into what we wanted to do and we're on the right hash, which is what we have to run that play on. I just saw it on the call sheet and I was like, 'this might be good.' I suggested it, but that's kind of how it goes the whole game, kind of suggests things and some get called, some don't, some work, some don't. But that one was a good play. Guys executed, so that's what mattered most."
Right before that you had run a reverse to WR Skyy Moore. Was there anything that you saw in the way they reacted to that play that you thought maybe we could come back to it?
"Just the coverages they played the whole game, we knew that that was going to be set up. It was nice to call the jet sweep to Skyy just to show that we were going to give him the ball and maybe it got those guys to play him a little more. But it was just really more based on the style of the defense and the coverages we were attacking."
Early in the in the play, it seems like the safety picks up or at least notices RB Christian McCaffrey coming out. You're up on high, are you watching that and freaking out at that moment?
"Yeah, he was in a position where I thought he could play it. But clearly, he kind of got caught in that no man's land not knowing what was going on, which was good. [WR] Jauan's [Jennings] coached up on that too. If that safety does take Christian, you either got to run or throw it away. So, we had a plan B."
As a playcaller, are you aware which of your weapons were quarterbacks in high school? Which guys are right-handed, which guys are left-handed, which guys can make those throws?
"Yeah, you got to practice it that way. You can't put a guy in a position where he's got to really turn his body unnaturally and he doesn't work on, for sure. So, yeah, you got to be aware of you got to be on the right hash to make that call. And there's other ones where that are like that too, where you got to call it at the right time with the right person based on how they can throw."
How many times would you say you've rep that play of practice? Did you work on it last week?
"Not as many as you'd think. We've had it up a couple times this year. We always kind of rep it once or twice in the week. Usually in a walk-thru you don't usually devote a full speed rep to it because there's other things you got to get to. So, it's just something we've repped and guys were ready for it. So, it's cool."
How do you grade Jauan's throw?
"That was an A-plus. That was fantastic."
Tell us an example of how your relationship and play calling has evolved with Kyle.
"I just think over time, the more comfortable I get, the more comfortable he gets with me. The more I'm involved in game planning, I just think it just kind of naturally, I see the game as a playcaller. As the game goes on, I'm looking at it through the eyes of I'm calling this game. And so, whenever the time comes up to suggest something or I'm asked for a suggestion, I feel like I need to be ready. So, I put myself through those scenarios and I put myself through that lens of I'm calling this game so when Kyle needs help, I'm prepared to give him suggestions. I think Kyle's kind of gotten to a point where he knows that I'm thinking that way. And so, we're kind of on the same page. It's all about the preparation through the week. We prepare together; we go through all the scenarios together. We talk about situations. Him and I are very much on the same page with those things. And I just think it's just the time working together, the time on task and the relationship to where we're in a spot where we can kind of hopefully bounce ideas off each other and go from there."
He's mentioned when he has asked for plays, people come in and he talks to them and he asks the why. Can you give us a little example of maybe some time that it didn't work out where you didn't have the why?
"Oh yeah. It happens all the time [laughs]. That's just game planning. The why is what's our intent of the play? What are we trying to attack in the defense? Who are we trying to get open? Who are we trying to get a double team on? Whatever it is. Why are we running this? What's the intent? If they don't do that, do we have a good answer? Is the play safe to call? Is there a good check down for the quarterback? All those things going into play and sometimes you come up with something, and you sit down and think about the why and you go, never mind. Let's move on. Let's take that one off the list. That happens a lot, but that's part of the process, going through the game plan."
Given the challenges faced for the offense against the Seahawks just a couple weeks ago, how does it alter or help you guys to adjust the preparation of this week going to see them once again in such a short time span?
"It doesn't change our process at all. We go through the same process. We watched the same film we watched two weeks ago. Sometimes you see new things, sometimes you see things differently. You definitely look at the game that we played and see, 'okay, what do we have to do better?' But there's just not much tape to watch. So, you're limited. You've kind of watched it all and it's just going to come down to executing. It's going to come down to our guys playing their best. We can do things a little bit different as coaches. We got to help them more. Definitely learn from the last game. But you just watch that tape and you put a plan together and you got to go play football."
Do you have things left over from the game plan two weeks ago that you didn't use the first time?
"Yeah. We do for sure."
What's the challenge when they keep the two safeties deep and they kind of almost challenge you guys to run the ball and you're struggling to run it, what's plan B at that point because that's what happened it seemed like in Week 18?
"That's why you got to run the ball versus them. That's why you got to try to get them out of that. When teams can defend the run in two-shell, that's what they want. So that they can keep those safeties deep and be in the pass coverages they want to play. The thing that, with these guys, they do a good job of playing their two-shell, but then all their coverages compliment that they can kind of fit the run from their single high, from those two-shell looks. So, it's a huge challenge, but the challenge is on us. We got to run the ball better; we got to be better on third down so we can get more ops to run the ball. That's really the biggest thing is we got to stay on the field so we can keep calling runs then hopefully, you can get the defense to commit another guy in the box, which helps other things. So that's the plan, that's just football. We got to execute and stay on the field and hopefully those runs will come."
They also stay in nickel pretty much all the time and still defend the run very well. How are they able to do that and what kind of challenge is it to see a defense doing that?
"Yeah, that's their personnel. That's what they want to do. And they got the people to do it. And you look at three, he's this nickel body for them. He's so big and long and he has the ability to play the run at a very elite level like a good linebacker can, but he's also really athletic and can cover and he's really a jack of all trades for them. He allows them to do that, but that's their philosophy of defense. And you look at other teams we've played, Houston's very similar. They have a nickel who's just a dynamic run defender and a good coverage guy. Teams that can do that, it's hard. It's a big challenge. And so that's their personnel and that's what they do."
What jumped out at you, how Brock directed the final drive in Philly and how does that reinforce him as a big game quarterback going into Seattle's atmosphere?
"Yeah, I mean, can't say enough about Brock's poise and his competitiveness there at the end of the fourth quarter. I think Brock would tell you he didn't play his best game for the first three quarters of that game. He did a good job in some areas but had some turnovers. But when it came down to the drives that mattered, the fourth quarter, the pressure of that moment, he was locked in. He didn't blink. That's kind of who he's been his whole career to me. He's had drives like that in the playoffs when you go back to '23, and we're going to need it on Saturday. You know, he did it in Week One. He's played good football in that environment, and that's what it's going to take to win."
Did you or your brother text who first about the matchup?
"There's been no texting this week [laughs]. But no time. I mean, it's a six-day week again, we got to just get to work.
Do you feel fortunate that you guys have the depth of quality veterans as far as RB Brian Robinson Jr. to WR Demarcus Robinson and TE Jake Tonges. You have guys that can step into this situation.
"Yeah, it's been huge, and the guys have come a long way as the year has gone on too, from where they started in training camp and just the growth. And that's what you need to be a good team. You need depth, you need veteran depth, you need young depth too. But those guys who've been here, you know, Jake's been here a few years, but those two guys you mentioned who came in during camp and just have just been working and learning the offense, and they're just huge contributors for us right now. So, it was definitely a big reason why we won last week, you saw D-Rob making those plays, so it's big."
QB Brock Purdy
What's the biggest challenge of facing a team twice in three weeks?
"I think just finding obviously what had happened in the last game and what adjustments you can make. But also, we just played them two weeks ago, so looking back at the other game plan as well and having it sort of fresh in your mind, picking it up where you left off and obviously making some changes where you need to. But yeah, it feels like we just played them."
They were obviously effective against you. Do you go into it thinking, okay, they're going to do the same thing or you figure no, they're going to mix it up since we just saw them? Or do you not worry about any of that and let head coach Kyle Shanahan and the coaches worry about how they might attack or whatever tweaks they might have?
"Yeah, I mean obviously we look at the last game that's most recent two weeks ago and then you've still got to look at the whole season and how they played just in general and who they are as a defense and stuff. But, obviously Kyle and the coaches do a great job with understanding where we weren't great, where we were good and what we can continue to be good at and build on those kinds of things. But, they do a good job with that. Kyle's done it year-after-year where we've played teams pretty quickly, like a quick turnaround, and has made some pretty good adjustments and stuff. But, at the end of the day, you've got to go out and execute and play a physical game, execute on third down and stay on the field. You can draw up all the plays that you want, but at the end of the day, it's, 'can I be better than the guy across from me and do it longer?'"
You've done nothing but win up in Seattle. So, when friends ask you to describe the environment and what it's like to win up there, what do you tell them?
"Yeah, it's one of the hardest places to play when it comes to the environment and the fans, every down matters. You have to be on point with everything, your communication, the operation and things like that because it all matters, it all adds up. But, when you're on top of it and you can execute on the road, it can feel really good when you do your job at a high level. So, tough place to play, but it's worth it if you're on top of your stuff."
The defense is really talented, but it seems like they have an elite scheme and an elite play caller. What makes Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald such a challenge from a quarterback's perspective?
"Yeah, he just does a good job of making the quarterback have to earn everything. I feel like there's not a lot of easy gimme plays out there. You have to play quarterback for four quarters, be smart with the ball and go through your progressions truly. Then on top of that, the front, how they coach up the front with the push in the pocket, playing pretty deep to short on a lot of things and not allowing you to have a lot of explosive plays across the board, like you have to go earn every single yard. That's obviously for the quarterback, but for the offense as a whole, it goes for everybody. So, he does a good job with it. He's got a good scheme and then on top of that, really good players."
Is it fair to say you can't be greedy and you have to sort of take what he gives you?
"Definitely, yep."
Is it easy for you to be patient like that?
"Yeah, I mean I think over the years I've sort of had to learn in certain situations when to be patient, take what they give you, stay on the field and compete on third downs and do that the whole way or there are a couple ops maybe of if we do have a play call with an opportunity on and they give us a look like, let's go and let's take it. So, it's just that fine balance. But, I've been up against this guy a couple times and I feel like the theme of it has been definitely be patient and find ways to stay on the field."
San Francisco will go into Seattle labeled as underdogs. Is that a tagline that you guys cherish and relish going in?
"Yeah, I think at the end of the day for us we just focus on ourselves. We watched the film against Philly and we're all so eager to get better from that. And then obviously to, we're in the playoffs now. We stayed alive and we're alive right now. So for us, how can we just go and find a way, play together and play our standard of ball as the 49ers. So, that's how we look at it. Obviously, yeah, you can call us underdogs and everything, but for us we just focus on ourselves and go about it that way."
Three years ago today, I think you made your playoff debut against Seattle. How are you a better quarterback today than the guy that went into that game?
"I just think the system, how Kyle calls plays, what I need to do as a quarterback for four quarters. I just feel like I have a better grasp of that. My rookie year was, I got thrown out there and I knew the plays and everything, yes, but I was just sort of just playing and sometimes wishing. Like looking back and watching the film, man, I've got to be smart in some situational football moments. I feel like now three years later, I just feel better in that regard. But, it's never easy. It's the NFL. New guys come in, there's a new scheme, there's new coaching, you name it. You have to find ways to adapt and be at your best every Sunday and nothing's ever given to you just because you had success the last week or year's past. So, that's something that I've also sort of had to wrap my mind around mentally."
What had it been like for you seeing LB Fred Warner, from the season-ending injury to now maybe not at being a season-ending injury? What has it done for the locker room just to have that window open for him and there's a possibility that he could play at some point here?
"Yeah, it's pretty cool. Obviously, Fred, he's different from anybody else in terms of he can be labeled as having a season-ending injury and then all of a sudden just go hard on the rehab and get right just in case there is an opportunity. So, here we are and it's pretty cool because he's done every little thing right. And just being around the locker room and being around in the weight room at practice it's just cool because you could feel him and his presence. Guys are like, 'man, like 54 is right there around the corner.' Obviously if we do our job, handle our business, then we can get him back, which would be really cool. Guys feed off that. He's the captain here, man. He's the guy that we all follow and he set the standard of how we play here. So, to get him back would be really cool."
What makes Seattle Seahawks S Nick Emmanwori such a tough guy to go against and play for him in these kinds of games?
"Yeah, obviously he's a young, talented, flies around kind of player. You've got length, he's a guy that is going to bring it for four quarters. He can cover, he can drop back in zone. He can do it all. So, for all of us, we've just got to do our job and be on top of our stuff. He's a guy that you've just got to be aware of because if he catches you slipping, he is going to make you pay."
Your first road start was in Seattle. It's not like you were intimidated or anything by that environment, but when you look at that, being in that environment and you've gone through so much, is it more like you embrace that kind of hostility now more so than maybe you did as a rookie?
"Yeah, I think as I've played, you start to learn and sort of feed off of the backs against the wall kind of mentality of everybody there is wanting you to fail and all you've got is your sideline and your team and that's it. And obviously some of the faithful that travel and stuff, which is great, but it's almost this mentality of like everybody's out against us and we've got to defend ourselves and fight. I don't know. It's been a thing that I sort of have learned that as I've played, I really do like it. I know a lot of guys in the locker room do. If you're in the NFL as a competitor, you're going to love that challenge. So, that's the good thing about it. But at the end of the day, like I said, you've got to go execute every single play, every single down and then look up at the end and see what happens."