Head Coach Kyle Shanahan Press Conference

Head Coach Kyle Shanahan

Press Conference – December 18, 2024

San Francisco 49ers

Opening comments:

“Alright, injuries for practice today: [T] Trent Williams, ankle, will not practice, [RB] Isaac Guerendo, hamstring, will not practice, [DL] Nick Bosa, hip/oblique, limited, [OL] Jaylon Moore, hip, limited, [S] Malik Mustapha, chest, limited, [LB] Dre Greenlaw, Achilles/knee, limited, [OL Nick] Zakelj, illness, limited. Go ahead.”

Is the Guerendo hamstring from the game?

“Yes. Yeah.”

Is it getting to a point where Trent, maybe, just isn’t going to play for the rest of the season? Do you see any value in that?

“If he could get back to healthy, we’d play him. But, it’s not like that right now, so it’s getting closer to being that way.”

I realize it’s the NFL and guys play with all sorts of injuries all the time, but your decision with Trent, to play him when he was dealing with the ankle, Bosa, to play him, they ended up missing significant time during a crucial time of the season. Do you have to go back and look at those decisions or like the cost-benefit of playing guys when they’re not quite right?

“Yeah, you always do. Trent, just with what we had and what we’re still trying to deal with, we felt safe putting him out there that it couldn’t get worse. It would just stay the same. And Nick, we felt good with his oblique but he ended up hurting the other one. So it was a completely different injury. But yeah, we do that with everything. We always worry about that stuff and there’s a very fine line in that stuff.”

You threw the ball 30 times in this game and you ran it 19 times. I would guess because you guys weren’t running it effectively. What does the film show? Why are you guys struggling to run it since the Bye week?

“I think we only had one run for a first down. We had a number of three-and-outs, a number of short drives. Whenever you don’t get first downs, whether it’s running the ball or passing the ball, you’re not going to end up having many runs. And I think we ran for one first down in that game. All our first downs were throwing it. I didn’t think we blocked as cleanly, but the main thing was not getting enough carries.”

Dre is limited, so his bounce back was pretty good for playing his first game?

“Yeah, he had a good recovery over the weekend. We took care of him here on our bonus day and he feels good to go today.”

Dre took 27 of 30 snaps in the first half. I don’t know if that was the snap count at all, but why did he play so much in his first game back?

“Just because we wanted him to play at least half the game and wanted him available in the fourth. And it’s because the drives were so short, there weren’t many drives. There was, I think, four three-and-outs in a row or something like that. So we didn’t mind putting him out there each time because he didn’t get more than four plays in a row, so he felt good. Our plan was to not play him, to not have him go a couple series in the third quarter so we could rest him so we could have him available for the fourth. When he did go out there, he just felt tight and stuff so that’s why he shut him down.”

Walter Payton Man of the Year question. LB Curtis Robinson is the nominee and other than when he had surgery, he has not missed an event this season. What does that say about his personality and the example he sets?

“It sounds like he acts away from here how he does with us. I don’t know all the stuff he does outside of this building, but obviously he does a ton being a nominee for that. But Curtis is one of the best guys on our team. Every single person on the team loves him. Every person in this building. Not just how he carries himself and treats people, but how consistent he is and how he works. He’s a very special person.”

I’m curious what the phone call was like when Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told you he was officially going to the Dolphins.

“It was good. He was excited, a little emotional. I was happy for him and Katie and it’s always something weird or funny when you’re talking to Mike too, usually. But no, it was cool. Mike and I have been through a lot together and I was pumped for him to get that opportunity.”

Off of that, what was he like outside of football, off the field?

“How he is when you guys see him. A little quirky, always saying some off-the-wall stuff. You get used to it. Half the time you laugh at it, the other half you tell him to chill out. But he’s consistent. Mike’s a good dude and a real good football coach.”

All the LB De’Vondre Campbell Sr. fall out, I’m guessing you addressed this with the team on Monday and have moved on from it. Is that fair to say and just kind of how they responded or reacted to it?

“I think they’ve acted awesome. I mean, how you’d expect the team, talked about it for, we didn’t see each other over the weekend so I didn’t talk about it a ton after the game, but I could hear from their comments how most of them felt and addressed it for about 30 seconds in the meeting on Monday and it’s pretty easy to move on.”

You haven’t spoken to him at all, have you?

“No.”

I think surprise would be the wrong word to use because you know both of these guys. But for Dre and S Talanoa Hufanga to miss as much time as they missed and come back and play so well immediately, how do you account for that?

“That’s what they’ve done the other times. One of the best games I’ve seen a linebacker play is, I think ’21, when Dre played in Week One versus Detroit and didn’t come back until Week 17 versus the Rams. We needed that game to go to the playoffs and that was the first time I’ve seen someone miss 16 games and come back and play at that level. So it doesn’t surprise me at all. Huf’s, he came back earlier in this year and with having a wrist injury and stuff, he’s been able to get ready for this opportunity a little bit more than coming off his ACL that he had before that. So Huf’s been chomping at the bit to get back and he was more ready for that moment.”

How much did those guys help and the reality of the season probably setting in, but the energy from those two guys, how much does that help to try and maintain some energy in these last few games?

“A ton. I think you guys can see how, I think Huf going out there the Sunday before, and I think our safeties have played pretty good this year too, but just Huf the person and his communication and just having him out there I think was very inspiring. And then adding Dre the next week, or four days later, one, how good of a player he is and how big of a difference he makes just from that, but the style of how he plays really adds to our defense and makes everyone else better around him, not just adding a good player.”

Both of those guys after the season, they’re free agents. I know you make those decisions later on, but how do you weigh kind of what they bring to you in that way versus they’re not always available when you’re thinking about keeping them around long-term?

“That goes into factoring everything. That’s what’s unfortunate. Nothing those two guys can do differently about it. But those are two of the better players I’ve been around and two of the better players on our team and two of the main reasons we’ve had the success here we’ve had. So, hopefully we can do everything we can to work out keeping them here because they’re as much of examples of 49ers as anyone I can think of.”

What do you want to see from QB Brock Purdy, in particular, in these last three games?

“Just do his job. Move the chains, protect the ball, get the ball to the right people when it’s supposed to be and help us win the game.”

When you were talking about WR Deebo Samuel Sr. after the game, you did say stats are the stats, you can’t change that. Just in the big picture, do you think he slowed down? Do you think he looks the same this season as he has in previous seasons?

“I don’t think Deebo’s slowed down. I think he got banged up earlier in the year. I thought he had an awesome training camp to where I’d say he didn’t slow down at all. We were real excited going into the year and I want to say it was Week Two he got hurt in. I think Week Two versus Minnesota, he had over 100 yards and then we didn’t get him versus the Rams. I don’t know if he missed two games or one, but it set him back for a few weeks and then when he came back he had pneumonia, he had a rib thing. I think that set him off for like a month where he couldn’t practice as much. When you build up a bunch in camp and then you miss a lot of time in practice it is hard to maintain that stuff. But by no means do I think he’s lost it or anything. Then his looks haven’t been quite as good this year, just like for everybody. When the 10 guys around you aren’t doing quite as good, whether it’s him, whether it’s the quarterback, whether it’s O-Line, you’re not going to do as good as you did the year before.”

Is WR Jacob Cowing his backup?

“We’ve got five receivers up on game day and so he’s one of them. But Jake, when you’re backup, you go in at all three of the spots.”

What does Jacob need to do to get on the field offensively more these last three games? Is that something that you’d like to see to close out the season?

“Yeah, I want him to keep trying to earn it. I think he’s come a long way here in this last month. I know he had that setback with the concussion, missing that game. But no, I think he’s getting closer to earning more time out there but usually when Deebo is not out there in 21 personnel [WR] Ricky’s [Pearsall] out there. When we go 11, it depends on the play, but it’s always been [WR Chris] Conley or Jake for one of the three, not just one position. They’ve got to back up all three in 11.”

Where’s Ricky’s development and adjusting to the offense and just being a key player for you?

“I think Ricky’s doing a hell of a job. I know everyone talks about the gunshot wound, but what people don’t realize is, I think I said a couple weeks ago, but he only had three practices before that gunshot wound. He missed all OTAs and all of training camp and then to get that gunshot basically went from Florida to us halfway through the season. So, I thought he did a hell of a job coming back from that, trying to learn and practice as he goes. He’s been banged up a little bit, started in Green Bay. I think he’s fought through that here the last couple weeks. I thought he did some real good stuff on tape last week. He had a couple big catches. I think he’s going the right direction and hope it keeps improving here these next three games.”

What’s his emotional adjustment after everything that happened to him? I know that not getting as many reps or getting as many looks has been challenging for him. How have you seen him respond to that emotionally?

“Awesome. He just keeps working. He doesn’t sit there and pout. He keeps trying to get better at his craft, which usually leads to those things.”

Going back to Purdy’s turnover. It seemed like they were playing deep and all three guys were open underneath. What was the coaching point there? Can you coach him out of this extreme aggressiveness that he kind of plays with and take that check down?

“Yeah, I don’t think Brock is an extreme aggressive guy in terms of you guys don’t see him throw a lot of picks. He doesn’t throw into double coverage much. When it’s single safety, you want to hold the middle-third player and throw a double move on the outside corner. You’d love to be able to check whether he’s got a chance or not. But when he did look out there, the guy squatted and then he bumped him, which is ICT, you can’t hit him 12 yards down the field, which stopped [WR] Jauan [Jennings]. And then he’s got a pass rush coming at him. So, it’s real easy to say with a clicker in our hand and stuff when he is not on top. But to hold a safety and then look out there, see a guy at a dead stop and then have a two-technique coming right at you, he is going to let that go and what you coach. So, in the heat of battle, always one, I always tell the receivers worst case scenario in situations like that is offensive PI, it’s never a pick. I don’t care if you have to tackle the guy. So the first thing I look at is does Jauan stop on the play because he’s got to protect Brock so we can at least survive it and have a chance to overcome the penalty. He couldn’t get to it once he stopped him there at the 12-yard spot, couldn’t catch back up. Yeah, I’d love Brock to check it down, but the protection’s got to be a little bit better for him to see all that and the corner did stop. So, it was just an unfortunate play.”

Over the weekend, former Dallas Cowboys QB Troy Aikman was pretty insistent about what you should do once the season comes to a close. I feel like you’ve already answered this question on where your thought process is, but being that such influential voices are trying to throw in their thoughts of what you should do, is there ever a time where the players are coming to you, ‘are you thinking about this coach?’ or they don’t really get involved with having conversations with you about that?

“They haven’t. It’s really unbelievable that’s a story, but people just state an opinion and everyone likes to keep repeating it because there’s probably not a lot of talk about with us right now with where we’re at. That’s what happens. But that’s an example of our world in every atmosphere, not just sports. It’s kids in high school, it’s businesses, it’s politics, it’s everything. You just can’t make stuff of stuff that’s really not the reality of our situation. What I’ve said is exactly what our situation is and anyone who’s close to me or has a clue what we talk about, I don’t think they worry about that at all.”

It’s easy to second guess now, but De’Vondre last year on social media said he was done playing through injuries with the Packers and then they released him. He ripped them. Did you guys have any hesitation, like is this guy going to be a fit in our culture?

“Yeah, of course. Yeah, we look into all that. It was tough losing Dre. We knew we were going to have to need a starting caliber linebacker. We had two guys that we thought we had committed that we lost in free agency and then another guy got cut after that and became available. I was with De’Vondre his rookie year in Atlanta so I knew what he was capable of. Not that I was real close or anything with the defensive guys being the offensive coordinator there and everything, but I know we liked him in that building and a lot of guys who had coached him had been good. We obviously made a mistake, but it’s not something that you don’t look into. You look into everything and you weigh the risk and reward of stuff. You weigh the situations that you have and what decisions you can make in terms of the options. And by no means was it our first option, but at the time with what went down, we thought it was our best option and it didn’t work out.”