Head Coach Kyle Shanahan Press Conference

Head Coach Kyle Shanahan

Press Conference – October 1, 2022

San Francisco 49ers

Opening comments:

“Injuries. [RB] Ty Davis-Price, out. [TE Tyler] Kroft, out. [T] Trent Williams, out. [DB] Tarvarius Moore, out and [LB] Azeez [Al-Shaair] is out. [WR] Danny Gray, doubtful. [DL Arik] Armstead, questionable. [TE Ross] Dwelley is questionable and [DT Javon] Kinlaw, questionable. Go ahead.”

What’s the status with DL Javon Kinlaw? It kind of came out of nowhere Wednesday that his knee flared up, kept him out of two practices. Is that just soreness from last year?

“Just flaring up on him.”

Is it a serious concern that that could hinder him throughout the year?

“Yeah, anytime someone has something, it’s concern. It’s kept him out this week, so hopefully he’ll be able to go.”

How did Armstead look?

“We do all walkthrough today, but he looked good.”

How nice is it having Bobby Turner back and how did that come about?

“It’s awesome having Bobby back. It’s been weird not having him. He told me last year he was very clear, ‘Kyle, I’m not retiring, I’m just taking a year off to get my surgeries, get healthy.’ I’ve been talking to him the last month or so and his wife. He was ready to come back. We saw him in Denver. It’s awesome to get him out here. Got here two days ago and it’s been great having him around.”

Is he doing the same stuff he always did or is he doing new things? I mean there already is a running backs coach, so I’m just curious how does he fall back in?

“Just helping in every way. I mean Bobby, he’s been around a lot. He’ll tell you he’s been around about 80 years coaching. I think it’s 45, but no, we got a great running backs coach in [assistant head coach/running backs] Anthony [Lynn]. Anthony who was coached by Bobby, so their relationship is great. They got a lot of love for each other and I just like Bobby coming around and getting on everybody on every little detail the way he does, so it’s not just the runners, it’s the receivers, it’s the quarterbacks, it’s everybody. And I think everyone’s glad to have Bobby in here.”

Sometimes with a coach like that, it’s good for them also, it seemed like that for linebackers coach Johnny Holland, to be back in this mix is good for their mental health.

“Yeah, I see it a lot with those guys. You get used to doing something for a long time. I think it happens to probably a lot of people in a lot of lines of work. Everyone looks forward to vacation and everyone looks forward to getting time off and I think a lot of people look forward to retirement, but after you do that you realize that that’s something that you loved and I’ve seen that, definitely. You knew it was going to happen with Bobby. I see that with my dad a lot. It took him a while. You feel it with Johnny and I think once other things happen you realize you get an appreciation for it more. Oh, I don’t do this because I have to, I do it because I really love it and that’s what makes those guys so good.”

Bobby’s been such a staple for you and your dad. What was it like not having him here for that six months or so?

“Yeah, it was really weird for me. I have little things I always mess with Bobby on. Anytime I have an awkward time in a meeting, I just make a Bobby T joke or call him out on something and we kind of just make everyone laugh and not having him there has been awkward. I always start with every meeting, addressing him, stuff like that. So just things that you get used to that. For me, it started for all those years in Washington I was with him and then same thing with Atlanta and being here with him the last five years, so it’s a really nice to get him back.”

When you look at the running backs that you have, are RB Marlon Mack and RB Tevin Coleman and RB Jordan Mason, are they all ready to go Monday night? If you need any of those guys to back up RB Jeff Wilson Jr.?

“Yes.”

Coleman will be elevated?

“Could be.”

QB Jimmy Garoppolo was talking the other day about an identity, finding an identity. When you look back at the way you played the Rams the first game last year, that’s your ideal identity, isn’t it? The 40 plus rushes, that pretty much helps everything, doesn’t it?

“Yeah, I think when you look at our team, when we’ve won the most and won the most consistently is when we’ve ran the ball the best. Haven’t turned it over. I think that’s what we’ve done when we’ve always won, so there’s other ways you need to be able to win, which I think we’ve found a way to do that, but that’s the thing you set out to do.”

Watching Jimmy this week, we already talked about needing more practice. Do you see those incremental steps going on throughout the week?

“Yeah, it’s not just always going right, it’s always up and down. It’s play-to-play. But that’s what the whole season is. That’s what the season is every year. No different than this, you have to find out how to win games as you improve throughout the year. And that’s what we’re trying to do. No team, to me, should be where they’re supposed to be at, at the beginning. You have to make sure you improve as you go through it, but you also have to find ways to win as you do that.”

I think last time, when you guys had the Rams here, you beat them pretty well. WR Deebo Samuel was celebrating with a big necklace, the game-changer chain I believe is what it was called and then it kind of vanished. So what did you think of that chain and whatever happened to it?

“I think I’ve answered this. I was not a big fan of the chain. I think anything gimmicky and college-like is kind of lame to me. [CB] Jason Verrett got it for us and he’s like as cool of a guy as I know and the players thought it was cool, so I didn’t tell him no or anything, but I was really hoping we didn’t use it in the wrong way because I think we’re more professional than that. But the time that he did choose it, I can’t lie, it didn’t come off that bad, so I’ve liked their decision making on it. I don’t know if it’s gone. I hope it is, but I trust those guys to handle it right and they haven’t let me down so far.”

S Tashaun Gipson Sr. and S Talanoa Hufanga have gotten really close very quickly and have great communication out there. How is it that they were able to do that so quickly?

“One, Gip has played a lot of football. He is a real smart player. I was with him in Cleveland for a year and got to get to know him then. I don’t know how many picks he had that year, but he has had a ton. I think he’s had like 30 in his career, so he’s a guy who’s always been athletic and talented, but he understands football. That was eight years ago, so he’s gotten a lot more reps since then. He’s played in a lot of schemes, so he’s seen a ton of stuff, so when you have a vet like, that who’s been around, it’s like that naturally. And you got someone like Huf who just always wants to learn, always talking ball, always trying to find an edge on something. I think those guys enjoy talking to each other.”

How’s QB Brock Purdy progressing on the scout team and would he be ready to go if necessary?

“Yeah, all these guys have to be ready, but the fortunate thing for Brock is that he’s getting more reps. The three never gets really reps, you give him one or two a period in scout team, but Brock’s got a ton of them now and I really like how he’s been handling himself.”

Was WR Willie Snead IV on scout team playing Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp?

“I think he played 18 this week, I think he mixed it up, it depended on the period, he was Kupp in some periods, but he also was playing 18’s role.”

What was it about his scouting performance that was so good?

“Just how hard he goes. He did everything we asked for. We threw him in at both the receiver roles, doing the fullback position that they use him at and just his competitiveness. He never backs down. We we’re down some receivers this week with just reps, which means you have to do scout team and you also have to go in with the regular team, which can kill a guy and you never hear him complain. He just keeps going.”

You guys have won five in a row here now, so do you sense that home field advantage that teams always want?

“I always sense home field advantage, I think home field advantage has to do with one thing. It has to do with the other team can’t jump off the ball as fast. That’s why I believe that home field advantage is realer in football than most sports. Not that I know a lot about other sports, but that’s what makes sense to me because cadence is a big deal and when you can’t hear the quarterback it does always give the other team an advantage. I think our stadium’s been real loud and every time we play in our stadium we feel we have an advantage.”