Head Coach Kyle Shanahan Press Conference

Head Coach Kyle Shanahan

Press Conference – September 30, 2024

San Francisco 49ers

Opening comments:

“Alright guys, injuries from the game: [WR] Jacob Cowing had a shoulder, he’s day-to-day, [DL] Jordan Elliot with his knee, he’s day-to-day, [TE George] Kittle, ribs, day-to-day, [WR] Chris Conley, oblique, day-to-day, [FB Kyle Juszczyk] Juice, shoulder, day-to-day, [LB] Fred Warner, ankle, day-to-day. And that’s it from the game. Go ahead.”

There was a report today that RB Christian McCaffrey has Achilles tendonitis in both legs. Is that correct and is that a new development?

“No, during the time he’s had it in both. I think it started in one, you overcompensate, it went to the other. But mainly one of them has just been bothering him, but he’s had it in both.”

Is the plan to open the window on WR Ricky Pearsall this week?

“We haven’t decided yet. We’re going to need to think about it here today and tomorrow. But no, we haven’t decided that yet.”

Have you had a chance to talk to Christian about the treatment and if he’s feeling any better at all?

“No, I haven’t.”

Given what RB Jordan Mason has done for your run game this year, only Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry has more rushing yards at this point, and you’ve had other guys come into your system and just thrive in that run game. And I know your dad had that, obviously, in Denver and elsewhere. What did you learn from your dad as far as creating a run game where so many different kinds of backs could thrive and how have you forwarded that?

“I think really just growing up and watching it and just realizing the importance of it, mainly. Just the commitment to it as a team. Not just dabbling in it, just truly growing up watching how important it was. And so I, when I started football, I always believed it was one of the most important things so I’ve always just looked at football that way. And I don’t think there’s much of a secret to it. First time I coached with him was in Washington, I remember always asking him, ‘What’s the secret you’re not telling me?’ And then he would just laugh at me and go, ‘The secret? There is no secret. You just get what you emphasize and you work hard at it and you hold everyone accountable.’ And that’s really what we do. And then you try to get the right runners in here. It’s not like every back could do this stuff, by no means. You’ve got to have the right backs and we’ve been fortunate to have some good ones.”

As far as Jordan with his ability to transfer to your outside zone run game, which is pretty prominent in what you do, what are his specific attributes?

“How hard he runs, that he almost always gets more than it’s blocked for. He usually goes to the right hole and hits his right, he runs violently and doesn’t slow down and runs very similar to how he did in college. He’s a very efficient, hard-running back.”

Can we assume that since Warner is day-to-day that scans and the like came back with good news?

“Yeah, that is, anything that says day-to-day, just when you don’t know that the night before, we always, we definitely feel better when it says day-to-day. If it’s a high ankle sprain or anything like that you know that’s always some time. I know he is hurting today and stuff, but it’s from the reports and everything when we say day-to-day that gives him a chance to heal up this week.”

When you said Friday, you mentioned having a third-down back like Christian was as easy as football has been in 20 years for you. What do you mean, specifically, by that? Does that mean game planning in-game play calling, everything, and is it truly easy or is it just not as hard?

“Not as hard. Man, you look at my words too hard. I was just trying to answer your guys’ question and let you know, when you have a special third-down back or when you have such a special player out of the backfield, how it’s very hard for safeties and linebackers to really cover someone out of the backfield truly one-on-one who is that good. And so when they do it, it forces two players to guard them. Just how much easier it makes things to game plan. Very similar to when I was with [former NFL WR] Julio Jones in Atlanta. No matter what, you knew when they were in man-coverage, you knew where that middle third safety was cheating, because he had to. And whenever he did that, I think back to the 2016 offense we had in Atlanta and just how good everyone else did because how good their looks would always because If they weren’t that way, there was just a different dude at wideout on the other side. And it’s very similar with Christian in a totally different way because he’s not an outside wide receiver, but when you can get a running back that way in the pass game, that people can’t guard on their own, it is a very good security blanket for the quarterback and play caller and it’s also very good looks for everybody else.”

How did S Malik Mustapha do now that you’ve had a chance to look at the film? And CB Renardo Green had 23 snaps, which was the most he’s had, is his role going to be ascending as well?

“Yeah, I think Malik did real well. He missed that first third-down tackle, it’s the only play I feel like he’d like to have back. After that, he made a number of good plays. I know he dropped that pick which I know he’d love to have that back too, but I thought he was one of the main reasons Fred scored on his interception return. Just how he came out of the middle of the field and led that block on their offensive lineman. He was flying around, got to the quarterback, him and [DL Nick] Bosa together on a, I think it was a second-and-10, where he had a really good play. But I was real happy with how he played. And it was nice to get Renardo in there. We planned on getting him in some, just like we had some other guys, and I think we put him in for the first time in the second half. And it was nothing against [CB Isaac Yiadom] Ike, Ike had a hell of a first half. We just planned on doing it on the third series and the way it was going we just waited a little bit, gave him a shot in the third quarter and he was doing good and we just rolled with him.”

Now that you’ve had a chance to look at the tape, what is the takeaway from DL Evan Anderson’s performance yesterday?

“I thought he did real well. He tried to compete to get up all week and earned that spot to get up, and then I thought he rose to the occasion. It was nice getting to, having very active hands, got that ball up and knocked it out of [New England Patriots QB] Jacoby [Brissett] on one play. Thought he had a hell of a rush on the 63-yard field goal they hit. Usually when you get a rush like he did on that, you block that kick. But [New England Patriots K Joey] Slye, even from 63-yards away, he got up too high. So, it was a hell of a kick. But for his first game, I thought did a real good job.”

You had seven rookies on the field yesterday. Are you pretty impressed with the maturity level of this group and how they’ve been already able to contribute?

“I am. We kind of noticed that with them right in OTAs just as a group as a whole. They seemed like a very mature group. We didn’t have to teach too many of them how to act like pros as we say. They came in, they knew how to walk-thru, they worked very hard. The effort was always there. Those guys work hard in the classroom. They study very well, and you never know when their opportunity’s going to come. But we’ve had some injuries and stuff and those guys have been thrown into some stuff fast. Even going to guys like [S] Jaylen Mahoney, him not really finding out until Saturday that he had a chance to play, which doesn’t allow you to go back and prepare any way differently. He’d already been preparing like he was going to play even though it seemed like a long shot. He was able to step up and help out on special teams. So, I’ve been impressed with that whole group. They’re wiser beyond their years in how they’ve acted.”

It seems like the last two weeks it looks like QB Brock Purdy has time to throw on rhythm, but for whatever reason, guys not being open or whatever, he doesn’t unleash it and then scrambles around. What’s happened more in the last two weeks where we’ve seen more of that than previously?

“Not a lot different. I think I answered that last week. We had a lot of three-man rushes I felt more than usual versus Minnesota and the Rams especially. People play soft Tampa 2 and he got a couple times in the game. One time he checked it down to Kittle for an 11-yard gain. Other times they had a five technique in that didn’t allow Kittle to get out on a check-down. So, when the guy sunk under everybody, he just broke out of the pocket and tried to buy time for the zone to break down. And if they don’t, he just scrambles for yards. But just the typical reasons. Zoning coverages, people deep under your eligible. Brock’s got a knack on when to check it down and when to escape the pocket and make some plays. Sometimes he does it on his own. Sometimes a D-Lineman flashes color and so he doesn’t wait on something and makes a play and gets out of there a little faster than usual. But there’s not any one particular answer.”

When you guys do open the practice window for Ricky, will he need a longer ramp up just considering how much time he’d already missed in training camp?

“We’ll see when he gets back to practice and we’ll judge by that. I really don’t make any judgements until I see guys go through the practice week. I get excited when guys come off IR whenever they do, just to get them back into practice. And that’s really the first time you see them do any football stuff and you kind of make the decision as the week goes.”

What can you say about your defensive line, especially guys like DL Sam Okuayinonu and DL Kevin Givens who kind of paid their dues maybe on the practice squad or behind and how did they showed up on Sunday?

“Oh, it’s huge. I thought the defense as a whole and especially the D-Line really rose to the occasion for that game. Just with what’s happened the last two weeks and losing [DL] Javon [Hargrave] last week, their backs were a little bit against the wall and Jordan Elliott going out in that game in the second quarter that made it real tough too. And he played real well when he was in, but then losing him made us down in numbers. Guys stepped it up. Sam O who got his opportunity, he got it, I think, for the first time two weeks ago, but he’s been a beast in practice. And to watch him carry it over to the games is kind of what I’d like to say we expected because he’s been such a pain in practice and in a good way just for our offense to deal with. And it was cool to see him do it to somebody else here on Sunday.”

How close is DL Kalia Davis from getting back out there?

“He is close. There’s a good chance we open his window this week. I’d be surprised if it’s not open for Wednesday’s practice.”

Is there anything or anyone that surprised you when you went back and watched last night’s game that you didn’t think, “Wow, I didn’t see that” because of just the different vantage point of you just going with a fine tooth comb over the tape? Did anything or anyone stand out or surprise you from your team?

“I didn’t know all those plays Sam O made. I didn’t know he was the one who actually caused that strip. I know he had that TFL, but I thought he did a real good job. All the interior guys, [DL] Maliek [Collins] I had a good idea during the game. But even watching the film I thought Maliek Collins was a stud. That’s about it. I was pretty impressed with the guys live and nothing really changed when watching them.”

The Cardinals obviously got blown out, similar to what happened to the Rams before they played you. It a similar message as far as, it generally doesn’t happen two weeks in a row in the NFL?

“Yeah, most likely. I’m trying so hard to finish up this day and get off this call so I can start to watch Arizona for the first time. But I have a feeling that’s what we’re going to see. I’ve seen Arizona on crossover tape, you know exactly what you said from the Rams, so I know the type of team they have and everything. We’ll turn this on and find out what happened to them yesterday, but I don’t care whatever team it is in the NFL, blowouts usually aren’t that bad and when it does happen it rarely happens two weeks in a row. So I know we’ll have a challenge this week.”