Head Coach Kyle Shanahan Press Conference

Head Coach Kyle Shanahan

Press Conference – September 23, 2022

San Francisco 49ers

Opening comments:

“Alright, injuries. [OL Daniel] Brunskill will be out. [RB] Ty Davis-Price is out. [TE Tyler] Kroft is out. [OL Colton] Mckivitz is questionable, and [DL Arik] Armstead, questionable. Go ahead.”

Did Arik practice at all this week?

“No, he didn’t.

Yesterday, QB Jimmy Garoppolo was talking, he said he felt more freedom on the field on Sunday that he’s felt since 2017, he said freedom’s important. It makes him feel confident. I asked him, do you anticipate to have that the rest of the season? He says that’s good question for you. So I’m asking, what does that mean? Do you know what he means by that? And is that something he’s earned more of at this stage in his career?

“You’d have to ask him what he meant by that. There was no difference in that game than every game, so you can ask him on that. It was probably just going in when the game plan is for someone else and just coming off and winging it and going with it. That’s what I would guess, but it sounds like that’s a question for him.”

You said he looked just the same when he was in the game. This practice, did he look just the same? It seems like he might be throwing the ball pretty well. Have you at least noticed that in practice?

“I’ve never not seen Jimmy throw the ball. I think Jimmy’s one of the better throwers on this planet, so that’s been one of his number one attributes. I thought Jimmy had his best year last year. Got surgery at the end of the year and once his arm started healing up, which throwing on the side and stuff, it always looked good. Once we got him in with our team, which is right after the first preseason game, throwing him in with the scout team and stuff, he looked like he always has.”

Were you able to watch some of those side sessions or did you have video of it at all?

“I used to watch him when I was walking out. All you had to do was see him throw it once and watch how it spun. Watch the zip it came off with, how he looked when he threw it. And he’s always been that way. When you do stuff like that, you have to take it slowly, so you don’t have any setbacks, but I remember right when he got here, he felt great. You don’t want to go in just because you feel great go test the arm so fast and end up setting yourself back a couple months.”

How did Kittle get through the week? Will he have any restrictions on Sunday night?

“He’s good to go. I thought he got better each day.”

What is his debut going to mean for, not just the passing game, but what he means to the running game and blocking?

“He means a ton in both. Kittle has been one of our better players here over the years. When he is out there, he is a huge deal for us and we have to give him back into football shape, just because he hasn’t played in a little bit, but he helps us in every facet we do.”

Not that Jimmy’s comments were terribly controversial, but they’re not very Garoppolo-like. Him saying, ‘oh, this is the way I want to play. And we don’t do this much around here.’ Are you surprised that he’s being fairly outspoken?

“No, I really don’t know the quote that he said. I’m with Jimmy a lot, so nothing really surprises me. I get to talk to him every day. I hear your huge interpretations of that quote and you guys just said it. I can’t interpret it. I interpret it with my relationship with him every day, so just go ask him what he meant by it.”

Okay. Can you facilitate that?

“No, I’m not going to waste my time with that, but you can. I got some real stuff to do.”

I’ve asked you this in previous years, but specifically, do you have a guy in the booth who’s like concentrated on game management when to go for it on fourth that you go to in those moments?

“Yeah, definitely.”

Who is that?

“[Vice President, Football Administration] Brian Hampton.”

Has he been here in the past?

“He’s been here a long time.”

Does he tell you in your ear on third-and-10, think ahead to look forward, that kind of stuff?

“He’s a straight computer. He’s extremely smart. He knows all the numbers, all the percentages and that’s what he’s rattling off to me at all times, so I always get the analytics of each situation.”

Did he chime in on that fourth-and-nine on Sunday?

“Oh yeah, that was a big one for him.”

Do you always go with him or?

“No. I did there.”

DL Nick Bosa revealed to us last week that he has been tapped to give the Saturday walk through speeches. Sort of in our opinion was an unconventional choice, he’s not known as a big speech-giver. So why did you tap him for that role?

“I just pick someone every day and I end up getting in routines. And last year, I picked him and I think we won, so I picked him again. I think we ended up winning like four in a row and every time he talks, it’s extremely entertaining and very-wise at the same time, so he does a really good job at it. And I feel like we did that like the last 10 weeks of last year and I started Week One with it at Chicago. I didn’t think about it until right when we finished our walkthrough and I’m thinking of who to ask and I was like, let’s go with Nick again. He did an awesome job then and we did it last week and there’s probably a real good chance he’ll do it tomorrow.”

He was proud of his Chicago speech.

“So was I. It was awesome.”

What is it about it that everybody is tight-lipped about?

“I have no idea. When Nick talks, as you guys know, he’s a man of few words, so when he talks, to me, it’s very smart. He’s always thought about it, it means something, but he doesn’t ever say too much. So that’s the way he plays too. I think he’s as real as you can be in all those facets. And that’s why I think when he talks people listen, because he doesn’t just talk to talk.”

Who’s the scout quarterback this week?

“[QB] Brock [Purdy]. Yeah, our number two quarterback always does the scout team.”