San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak, and quarterback Brock Purdy spoke with reporters after Thursday's practice as the team prepares for its Week 9 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Here's everything they said.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris
Las Vegas Raiders QB Kirk Cousins was kind of catching a groove against the Jets. How are guys planning to go up against him?
"Kirk's one of the all-time progression quarterbacks that the league has seen. You go out and you get a guy like Kirk and you get a guy that can operate your offense at a very high level, control things that you want to get controlled. He's a computer during the week. He's taking it all in, going through the process, going through his process. Then once he gets to the game, he's just able to allow himself to go out there and play. He can go through his process and do all the things that's operating. He's operating the right way, particularly at the end of the game and the Jets, big-time game last week for those guys. They started hot and for those guys to pick it up like they did, it's no shock. He's playing with a genuine enthusiasm that I'm used to seeing from him."
Given that, how great of timing is it to have a guy like DL DeForest Buckner back and then to have DL Nick Bosa looking like he's trending in the right direction as well for Sunday?
"I don't know when it would be a bad time to get a guy like Buck. It's been a lot of fun to meet him the last couple of days and be around him and watch him practice and put him a part of it. Really feel like I'm further away from it than he is because of how long he spent here and the time that he spent here and how much he means to this organization and the people around him. So, it's been a lot of fun being around that guy and to have that whole unit being able to come back relatively healthy. To see these guys probably for the first time altogether, I think altogether, for the first time this year, I think it'd be a lot of fun."
What does DeForest Buckner offer you, not just on the field, but off the field as well?
"I don't know that yet. I'd be lying. I'd be making up something. He seems like a great human, but I do know about his past. I do know about what the people say about him. When he gets traded, the people that have been around him. When they give you those texts and they call you, what they say about him. He's done nothing but show that and more within the last couple of days that we've been together. So, I'm extremely excited to be able to coach him. I'm extremely excited to be around him. He brings nothing but goodness to us. It's great."
What did you see from DL Mykel Williams from his first performance to his second?
"The first one he came out and we kind of put him on like a, not a pitch count, but really just making sure we're doing things the smart way. He came out, showed up, did a nice job of performing the right way and doing a lot of really good things. Last game it wasn't our best game as a unit, but he still went out and performed the right way and did a bunch of really good things. So, I was really fired up where he's going and where he's trending. To have all those guys, like we just talked about, trending in the right direction, being healthy, playing together, I'm really fired up about that."
Schematically, how do you envision Buckner fitting next to DL Osa Odighizuwa? Buck's traditionally been a three-tech. How do you envision those two working off of each other?
"We've done so many different things, moved people around. They have the ability to play three-technique. They have the ability to play nose. They have the ability to play four-eye, the ability to play on the edge. You've kind of seen these guys kind of move around all over the place, so I wouldn't really put them in a bucket. You're talking about a guy with supreme talent. Those guys kind of can do whatever you ask them to do. Traditionally he's been a three-technique around here, playing a huge role and doing some really good things. He'll do a lot of the same thing. I'm a big believer in doing what people do really well and we'll try to find out what he does really well again, implement them to what the guys have been doing and put those guys together and put them out there playing fast."
When CB Upton Stout has been off the field, there have been some issues replacing him. Obviously, CB Jack Jones got released. He was the next man up there. Where are you as far as cornerback depth and who are you looking at?
"Really excited to get Upton back. Talking about health and him being fully healthy. To see what he did the prior two weeks before the Atlanta game, to go out there with that kind of toughness and play for us, it was well documented, well commended. To be able to go out there and play through the pain that he played and to watch him come back feeling 20 times better, really excited about getting him back. Back with his buddies, [CB] Renardo [Green] and [DB] DMo [Deommodore Lenoir], that'd be a lot of fun. But, you've still got plenty of depth in some of the guys that we've been able to go. Unfortunately, Jack-Jack didn't have his best game coming out and we obviously, you make decisions in this league, tough business. But, we've got a lot of promise in [CB Ephesians] Ephy [Prysock], our young corner who got a chance to go out there and play a little bit at the end of that last game, did some really cool things. He's been doing a nice job throughout this whole process. One of those guys that you're more than willing to see and to be able to get out there and do some things for you, so excited about that. Our versatile tool in [DB] Siran Neal does everything for us. We watched him play corner, watched him play safety, watched him play just about anything in the backend for us, so really excited about the guys behind all those guys. Obviously, we've got other guys in the wing, so we'll see where it goes. Obviously, started [CB] Nate's [Hobbs] window this week and see where that goes, who knows, and get a chance to get those guys out there practicing."
What strikes you most about Las Vegas Raiders TE Brock Bowers as a tight end? You guys faced some good ones already.
"Nothing. I got a chance to watch him up close and personal for a long time in college. He's a stud. He's one of those guys, he can run through the catch, he plays fast, he can do everything. He's one of those guys, he plays receiver position, he plays tight end position, he creates all types of versatile piece. The ultimate joker as some of the guru offensive coordinators call those guys. Can move him anywhere, be in the backfield, run routes from the backfield. He can do it all, so he presents all kinds of matchup problems. We've got a bunch of guys that we've got to be able to match up against him. You don't hold guys like that down without having some versatile pieces, some tools for those types of people. So, look forward to going against that kind of guy."
You see a guy like Mykel Williams working off the field with Buckner as soon as he gets here. From your perspective, when you see younger guys working with vets like that, especially when you specify Mykel with Buckner, what do you think he can pick up from him?
"Buck's done it at a very high level for such a long time. I don't know if there's anybody in this building that can't pick something up from him. I just know how much, let's just go with the ultimate leader in [LB] Fred [Warner] and [LB Dre] Greenlaw, how much respect those guys have for him. So when you're talking about guys that have done a lot of really cool things at different positions that can learn from him, you can only imagine what the guys up front can get from him. Just those guys being together. Having Osa being a vet and then having Buck come in with some different perspective, different realities of what he's been through and what he's done. To be able to come back into the fold and really pick it back up and fit right back in with the guy that's coached him, guys that he's familiar with, whether it be the head coach or his position coach, I think is always a really good thing."
Going back to Hobbs, obviously just had his window open, but what do you envision his role kind of being? It seems like he has some inside-outside versatility. He's played both spots in his career.
"He does. For what he was doing with us before he actually had the injury, he was playing a little bit inside for us, playing a little bit outside. He's been able to do all those things. He's definitely a special teams contributor. He's a physical specimen that's able to go out there and do a bunch of different things for us and we've got to get him in the fold, got to get him caught up. Obviously, that's a bunch of missed time and he had been away from the group for a little bit, but he stayed at it. I know he's going to be in the right physical mindset and the right physical shape, so I look forward to seeing what he can do throughout the course of the week and get through tomorrow's practice and see where we're at."
You said about Cousins, but given his age and he's not dealing with an all-star supporting cast, are you at all surprised the way he's played this year?
"No. I mean, I watched him our last four games in Atlanta, went on a 4-0 winning streak and watched him go out there and operate, and we were not at full strength. Although we had [Atlanta Falcons RB] Bijan [Robinson], we had [Atlanta Falcons WR] Drake [London], we had [Atlanta Falcons TE] Kyle Pitts and some of those different guys, we were not at full strength and he went out there and operated at a very high level. Shortly after he leaves, Kyle Pitts signs a big contract, Drake London signs a big contract, Bijan signs a big contract. Those guys are great players, but you can't do that without the help of your quarterback."
You ever had a moment on the practice field where you catch yourself saying, "There's 57, there's 54, there's 99 and there's 97, damn?"
"Yeah, always. I think always for me is living the moment, right? And getting a chance to watch those guys go out there. Whether it's been Fred when I first got here or being able to acquire Greenlaw in the offseason or now being able to trade for a guy like Buck or trading for Osa. That's the thing, as you come and be a part of these guys, I think they really impress you every single day. So, you never say damn, but you always say like think tools and pieces that you can work with. I talked about that consistent energy and effort in order to get the best out of all these guys and that's the ultimate goal, for these guys to keep playing together and playing better and improving every single week and they've been doing that. It's been great."
Offensive Coordinator Klay Kubiak
Who's Dad rooting for this week?
"I don't know. You'll have to ask him. Rooting for good competition and a good handshake after the game."
Do these matchups take on more significance as you and Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Klint Kubiak advance through your respective careers?
"Nah. We just see it as a blessing, honestly, to be able to share a field together. Whether you're on the same team, you're competing against each other, I think it's just rare. Rare opportunities to share the field with a sibling and to get to see him and just get to say hello. It's pretty cool, so I think it's a blessing. It's another game for our team and we've just got to compete and play our best, so that's really it."
What was 2023 like? You guys having a chance to work on the same staff together.
"It was awesome. You don't really realize it at the time. How unique it is and how, again, rare that opportunity is. Just to get to go through a whole year with him, to learn from him, to see how he works, to see how he looks at the game. I learned so much from him and then to just get to share that experience of going through the grind of a season together and going to the playoffs and a Super Bowl run, it was amazing. I would love to get that chance again someday to work with him again, but it was pretty cool."
It would be natural at 38 that T Trent Williams has a little bit of a drop-off and maybe there is, but in your assessment, how is he playing this year? Could he be better than he has been in the past couple of years?
"Yeah, I don't know how to explain it. It's why he's the best. Trent's got his way of preparing. A way of getting his body ready and his mind ready to play football games every week that's unlike anyone I've been around. The way that he goes out there on Wednesdays and he practices and he goes through his routine. He gets himself ready to play and he knows what it takes to get himself ready. He's continuing to play at a very, very high level. To me, he's still the best offensive lineman in the league and to me that's a credit to his process and the way he approaches the game mentally and his love of the game. He's a great teammate. Just all around, everything he does to get ready to play football games and to be the best for his team, i's exceptional. To me, it's what makes him so rare."
What is a unique element of his process?
"You'd think after so many years it would just get repetitive and redundant and sick of it, but he's so committed to it. He knows what his body needs. He knows what his mind needs. It's funny, I asked Trent Saturday night before we played Atlanta, we were doing our openers meeting, and I said, 'Don't you get sick of these meetings?' And he goes, 'No, I love it.' I just think he appreciates it. He appreciates the process and he appreciates what you have to go through to win a football game. He values it and he knows what it takes. Not everyone has that and I think that's what makes him rare."
What are you looking for in a wide receiver at the trade deadline and how do you try to go about figuring out if a guy may be able to come in and make an impact at that position?
"It's a lot of things really. You obviously look at the need of the room, the depth of the room. Whether it's injuries, whether you need to add talent or depth or guys for a certain role. You've got to look at all those things. You look at what's out there and then you've got to consider, alright, is it worth it? Right? Who do we have coming back from injury? What young players have we been developing that we really like where they're at and we want to keep those guys growing? You have to weigh all those things. Then there's players out there who you just look at the ability and what they could add to your team and you don't want to turn it down. I just think everything gets factored in playing receiver and adding a receiver. It's hard to come into a room and learn things right away and pick up right away, but we're evaluating that at every position, honestly. It's not just receiver. You've got to look at your team, what you need, what's out there. Sometimes you look at it and go, we like where we're at. We like the young players. We like the guys we're getting back and we're going to go forward. Those things are out of my control too. But we do evaluate it all and we'll see kind of how it goes over the next week with the trade deadline coming up."
Along those lines, it's been a couple of days, but how's WR Demarcus Robinson looking?
"Awesome. He's so good to have back out there. He's working his butt off, practicing good. Been out for a while, so you've got to get back up to playing full-speed football again. Running routes, getting timing with the quarterback, but he jumped right back in there like he hasn't missed a beat, so excited to have him back."
QB Brock Purdy
What were your early impressions of meeting DL DeForest Buckner?
"He's the man. [TE] George [Kittle] had told me all about him ahead of time. Obviously, George is funny with people and relationships, but he was spot on with this one, with DeForest. Obviously, really mature, just been around the block. A great teammate, great glue guy, and obviously what he brings to the field. Everybody knows what he can do there. Extremely happy to have him in the locker room and with our team."
When you're going against a defensive tackle that has that length, how much does that alter what you can do in the pocket?
"For a quarterback, it's good to know just in terms of throwing around a guy or pass rush-wise if they're going to be able to tip the ball or bull rush and how I'm going to maneuver in the pocket. I think that's stuff that you just watch throughout the week on film and whatnot. Obviously last year when we played Indy, everyone knew, [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] especially, just what DeForest brought to the table with that and going up against him. It was cool sort of studying him back then and now knowing he's on our team and what a problem he is on the field. Like I said, really excited to have him."
Even before the trade, over the last few years, how much does his name come up in regular conversation around the building?
"To trade and get him?"
That or just anything, even examples of leadership or whatever.
"Yeah. I've always heard about him through guys that have been here. Obviously with George, [FB Kyle Juszczyk] Juice. You hear [LB] Fred [Warner] and [DL Nick] Bosa talking about DeForest Buckner over the years since I've been here. Really just exactly what you just said, his leadership and he was one of the guys that led the team back when he was here, was a voice in the locker room. Not only that, but he was a guy that brought, I heard, everybody together, both offensively and defensively. He wasn't just a defensive guy, but he was boys with everybody, which is really cool to hear. So, I'd heard all these stories and so when we got him back, Kyle introduced him back to the team as in like, he's one of us kind of thing. Even though he left, he's always sort of been here kind of thing. So, really excited, like I said, to get to know him, play with him and hopefully go and create some history together."
You don't practice against many 6-foot-7 defensive tackles. So, how has that impeded your vision? How does a quarterback adjust with that?
"I've played against some big defensive linemen, but I don't know. I think when I was a young player, I'd get sort of wrapped up in that. As I started playing though, it's like you've got to go through your reads. You've got to trust in the offensive line to do their job with guys like that. Then you sort of learn to throw around and play around those kind of guys too. But, they're there. You feel them. So, there's nothing really you can do. But, to have him out there, you could definitely feel his presence, so I'm excited for him to go out there on Sunday, line up with the boys and create some chaos."
Have you thought about what you'd say to WR Brandon Aiyuk if you were to see him tomorrow?
"No, I haven't. Like I've said before, I love what we did together when we played together and everything. Obviously, haven't spoken to him in a long time or anything, so not really sure what the whole situation is. That's out of my control, but if I saw him, it would be nothing but love for me."
I don't know if you can reveal this if it's a secret, but besides getting maybe a push from behind, what's a secret to an effective quarterback sneak?
"Obviously, I think being on the same page with the boys up front when you're going to take it. Every single week too it's blocked a little bit differently, how we're thinking about it. So, I think being on the same page with them. Obviously with our coaching staff on this is a good week for it or not kind of thing, so there's that. Then outside of that, I watched [former San Francisco 49ers QB] Jimmy [Garoppolo]. Jimmy was a really good QB sneak guy over the years. I think just the way he sort of felt space, got to the space, kept his legs moving, I sort of learned from that. But outside of that, I don't know. It's a feel thing I think."
So you pretty regularly adjust blocking schemes for quarterbacks just to not be predictable?
"Yeah, there's some different looks and how [assistant head coach/offensive line] Coach [Chris] Foerster and our run game guys are looking at it and sort of giving us a heads up this week on how we're going to do it and things like that. So, it's different each week."
Do defensive linemen ever talk crap to you after a quarterback sneak when you're tackled?
"Yeah, I think guys do. I think that's really any pile if you get tackled or whatnot, like there's guys, if they're on top of you, you're probably going to hear something from them. So, that's the game that we play. And I think I'm sort of used to it. So, I'm pretty numb to it, to be honest."
How has it been getting back into a rhythm with WR Demarcus Robinson?
"It's been good getting him back out there. Obviously, he's a savvy route runner and so I love that. To have him go out there and be able to create some good separation and his length, being able to throw and have him be able to go up and get it, even if it's not a perfect ball. So, having him out there, you can feel him. Obviously I thought we were in a great rhythm before he got hurt. I was really excited for what we were going to do this year. And obviously we got hindered with his injury, but excited to have him back and hopefully pick up where we left off."
What was it like working with Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak in 2023?
"He was the man. Love Klint. And obviously it was cool, like sort of having his coaching experiences and stuff and how he viewed the game sort of mixed with [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and what I had known for the one year that I was here. And then when Klint got here my second year, him bringing his worldview of football in and a lot of his sayings and stuff we actually still use in our quarterback room with footwork and eyes and sayings and stuff. But, obviously love who he is as a person and the way he came about work every single day. And both him and [offensive coordinator] Klay [Kubiak], I'm very extremely blessed to be able to have been coached by both of them. And I'm really happy for him and for the position that he's in. I want nothing but the best for Klint. He was always real with me. He coached me up well and so I'm really just happy for him. Love him to death."
Did any Raider fans crash your Costco autograph signing and talk trash to you?
"No, there were no Raider fans there. The Faithful showed out. But, there was a Giants fan that I can remember, whatever that's about."
New York Giants or San Francisco Giants?
"No, New York Giants."
More info on: Nick Bosa, DeForest Buckner, Renardo Green, Dre Greenlaw, Kyle Juszczyk, George Kittle, Deommodore Lenoir, Siran Neal, Osa Odighizuwa, Brock Purdy, Demarcus Robinson, Upton Stout, Fred Warner, Mykel Williams, Trent Williams
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