Head Coach Kyle Shanahan Press Conference

Head Coach Kyle Shanahan

Press Conference – January 26, 2024

San Francisco 49ers

Opening comments:

“For the game we’ve got [LB] Oren Burks will be questionable and [DL] Kalia Davis will be questionable.”

So that’s pretty good news on WR Deebo Samuel. What does it mean to have him not be a factor as far as the injury report?

“Ah, it’s huge. A little scary at the beginning of the week, but the fact he was able to go full go today and no restrictions on him is definitely a good thing for us.”

What are the injuries with Burks?

“Burks had a collision yesterday. So, he’s got a shoulder.”

What do you see in Detroit Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs? Are there any similarities to RB Christian McCaffrey just with the traits and size and all those things?

“They’re both really good backs. He’s a rookie in this league. But everyone knew seeing him coming out of college how good he was going to be. He’s just getting started. He’s going to have a hell of a career. The speed he has is as good as anyone’s. But he also runs hard. He can make the cuts. He’s got another good back to pair with him.”

With Deebo, was it just a pain tolerance thing, just waiting for pain to go away kind of thing?

“Yes.”

What did you learn from QB Brock Purdy on Saturday?

“Nothing that we don’t already know. I thought he did enough to win us that game. He was a stud at the end, especially on that final drive. Same guy he’s been every day.”

In December you said about Brock and other players that you’d rather have a player that’s hard on themselves than the other way around. I’m curious, how do you assess yourself and how hard are you on yourself?

“You should probably ask people who know me well. But I think I’m pretty hard.”

Have you had people that know you say that they think you’re too hard on yourself?

“Yeah. I think if you’re not hard on yourself, it’s kind of hard to put in the work and stuff that it takes I think to be an NFL coach. I think most of us are pretty hard on ourself. We’re kind of perfectionist because you know how hard it is to win games for everybody. So you demand a lot out of everybody, just like you demand a lot out of yourself. It’s a very fine line of winning and losing so you question every single thing, every single moment and that always starts with yourself.”

We won’t talk to you until the end of the game. What are the final 48 hours before the game like for you?

“Usually the final 48 hours are a lot better than the first 48 hours. It gets more relaxing as the week goes. You feel more prepared. You always start out the week stressed out. You pull out tape. There’s a lot to absorb in. I think always when you can do the best is you start out a week with a fear to fail. That’s always what gets you to work and put in the stuff. You want that to be natural that you can make that go away. Usually by the work you put in, the plan you put together, watching the players do it, going through the practice, getting to know another team, usually by the time you get to this time, which after this we consider kind of our weekend because we get out of here about three hours. It’s a lot more relaxing. You catch up on sleep. You get ready for a Saturday night meeting tomorrow. Usually watch a movie Saturday night before I go to bed. You wake up and it’s on. It’s something you’ve been getting ready for and you’re ready for it by Sunday.”

Will Deebo return kickoffs?

“I don’t know. We haven’t thought about that yet.”

Have you considered that?

“He might.”

Does he have any sort of limitations at all?

“No, none.”

Does he risk further damaging the shoulder if he plays?

“No.”

Is it a shoulder bruise?

“I don’t know. I don’t ask questions like that.”

Aren’t you curious?

“Not at all. Then I’d have to be lying now. It’s real easy for me when I don’t know.”

You said on Wednesday that you were feeling better about potentially his status. Were you able to kind of treat the game plan normally?

“Yeah, you’ve always got to have contingencies. But just talking to him how he felt Monday compared to Saturday. He had shoulder stuff earlier in the year and comparing it to then and the difference and by the time how he felt on Wednesday. We were real worried right after the game because he couldn’t go back in and couldn’t finish that, which is always a concern. But you get the medical reports and you know that it is possible, just depends on the pain tolerance and how it heals. He had a great practice yesterday and then by today he’s full-go and stuff. So kind of out of sight out of mind right now.”

Having gone through this game three years in a row, four times in the last five years, are there notes you write yourself during the week to maybe to remind yourself on game day not to forget whether it’s plays or just a message you want to convey to your team?

“Yes, but not really based off of previous experiences. That’s off of what you think’s happening right now. You never stop thinking about the situations from when you know who you’re playing to when the game’s over. It never stops. Everything’s adjusting. That’s kind of how a game is. It’s how a week is. You never know how a game’s going to unfold. You prepare for everything possible. Then that kickoff starts and you’re sitting there with a clear mind ready to react. That’s why I like when it doesn’t rain so I can make notes on my call sheet and then not get smear. That’s my biggest problem with the rain. But yeah, you make notes all the time for yourself.”

What are your thoughts on OL Alfredo Gutierrez?

“Yeah, well I love Alfredo. He’s been awesome. You never know how it’s going to be when you get that extra player, but to get a guy of Alfredo’s size and stuff like that, it’s been great to be able to use him and things. I think he’s got a lot of better since he has been here. He’s an awesome dude. Guys love him. For Christmas he got me a Mexican bottle of tequila with a real scorpion in it. So, I thought that was pretty cool.”

What are your thoughts of OL Isaac Alarcon coming to the team?

“I don’t know yet. So I’m looking forward to getting to know him.”

What are your thoughts on Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris getting the opportunity to be the head coach of the Falcons?

“Oh, it’s way past due. Raheem’s one of the best coaches I’ve been with. I got to work with him earlier in my career in Tampa. When I was young I was trying to get my dad to hire him as a D-Coordinator. He ended up becoming a head coach so fast. Then I got a chance to work with him in Washington. Then Atlanta, he actually was on defense. He got to come work with me on offense for a year. The fact that he was on defense his whole career and can came to be our receiver coach, it was unbelievable how cool he was. How good he did. Always tried to get him here every single year. But Raheem’s been one of the best. He’s going to hell of an organization, a good situation with good people. I’m really happy for Atlanta that they got him and more than happy for Raheem.”

What happened with DL Clelin Ferrell? We didn’t have a chance to ask you about that when you put him on IR, but you thought at first he might be able to come back?

“Yeah, we were trying to and there’s always a risk with it. But, you’ve got to weigh in those percentages and stuff. We tried to give him as long to wait as we could before we went through and got a surgery for him. He wanted to wait at first because everybody wants a chance if we can win this game and him have a chance to be ready in two weeks if that happens. But when we just looked into it and all the scenarios it wasn’t the best thing for him and would’ve been too much risk. It really wasn’t worth that risk. So we had to go through with the surgery.”

How would you assess his contributions and was he missed in the playoff game?

“Definitely. Cle’s been awesome this year. I think the way he plays the run, the way he runs to the ball, Cle’s been a very good add for us on defense. We really appreciate him. Wish he was still here with us. I mean, he’s still here with us. I wish he was playing with us. I know he does too. But the guys love Cle as a person, but he’s been really good for us this year.”

What’s your final message to the team?

“I’ll tell them that tomorrow night. But, won’t be anything magical. Our guys are ready for the moment. We’ll say a few things tomorrow night, which is always extremely overrated. We’ll get to bed and we’ll get up ready to go.”