Head Coach Kyle Shanahan Press Conference

Head Coach Kyle Shanahan

Press Conference – December 2, 2022

San Francisco 49ers

Opening Comments:

“Alright guys for the game, [RB] Elijah [Mitchell] will be out, obviously. [DL] Charles [Omenihu], questionable. [WR] Deebo [Samuel], questionable. [OL Spencer] Burford, questionable. T [Trent] Williams, questionable. Go ahead.”

What happened with Trent?

“He was having back spasms.”

They just popped up this morning?

“Yes.”

So RB Christian McCaffrey was full go?

“Yes.”

How did DL Arik Armstead come through the week?

“He had a good week. I know he spoke highly on how he’s been feeling and he’s passed the eye test from our standpoint, so I’m excited to see him this weekend.”

As far as your IR designations to return, I think you’ve used six so far. How strategic do you have to be with these remaining two? Would you want to have one still to go by the end of the month as the playoffs begin?

“Yeah, you’re allowed eight, that’s the biggest thing and I think we need to use them by then because the playoffs aren’t four weeks long, so I think we have two more also. I’m not exactly sure on that, but that’s the stuff that goes into it, that’s why we didn’t decide to do it with Arik. Even though it was a long time ago, we just weren’t sure how many we’d have at the end of the year and we feel pretty good, six games left, where we’re at, but we’ll make that a decision on Elijah, most likely in the next 24 hours.”

You’ve known Trent for over a decade, has he had back issues in the past?

“I don’t know him having many. I’m not too concerned about it. I asked [offensive line/run game coordinator] Chris [Foerster] if he was alright, he said that’s just big guy problems. [General manager John] Lynch told me used to get him sometimes, you usually have them on gameday, that’s a big deal, so he had them today, spend the day resting and I expect him to be alright, but hope that doesn’t happen on Sunday.”

How much did Deebo do today?

“Not much.”

He didn’t practice yesterday after he was limited Wednesday, is that a setback?

“No, there’s no setback. Just when you have a deep thigh bruise, you kind of have an idea how it’s going to be and it just hasn’t been as good as we were expecting by now. We were expecting him to be able to go full by now and he wasn’t able, so that’s why there’s some concern.”

Do you have any indication if it’s getting close to opening that window for DT Javon Kinlaw?

“I do believe it’s getting close.”

Like any week now?

“It could be any week now. Very close to that.”

Your first draft was TE George Kittle’s year, what stands out to you in the time you’ve spent with him and do you think of him as like a culture-carrier for the franchise?

“Yeah, I do. When he first got here, it was funny because we’d turn on our film and show cutups and he had absolutely no swag. His hair didn’t show out of his helmet, the way he wore his socks, his wristbands, his gloves, 85 just didn’t look quite the same. And then you watch him the next year when he is breaking records and he wears his socks much cooler, his gloves, everything. He definitely has a different swagger. He was a little quieter at first. He’s always been George, but he was a lot quieter back then and that broke out a lot the second year, but he’s been great. He’s always upbeat, he’s always the same, probably the most positive guy we have on our team. I get on him for that sometimes, not everything is perfect, but that’s how he lives his life and that’s why everyone likes having him around.”

Little too saccharine for you?

“If we’re having a bad practice sometimes. I don’t think just cheering everybody on is always the right thing, but that’s George, so it’s hard to get mad at him for it.”

What do you guys like about QB Jacob Eason? What caught your eye with him?

“Just mainly our pro department, our scouts out there looking for what’s available and the last time I studied him was coming out of college and I remember a very talented arm. Just how he can throw with the velocity that he has with it and he’s up there in terms of throwers. I haven’t gotten to see him play a lot of football in the league, but our guys liked the tape that he had had and I remember the type of thrower he was, so it was good to bring him in here and get a look here these last few weeks.”

What’s your communication like with defense coordinator DeMeco Ryans as far as, say with CB Charvarius Ward? Are you guys going to shadow a certain receiver one week or just play sides? How much do you guys go back and forth on him sharing his ideas with you and you giving him the go ahead or veto power or whatever?

“Always, in the mornings before meetings and then at night, usually before I leave we usually check in with each other, just see where we’re at, but DeMeco knows how I see football and I know how he does, so we don’t have to sit there and check on everything. Usually if there’s something that’s going to change, we discuss it with each other. I don’t think DeMeco’s has to look to me for permission or anything. I trust DeMeco and what he does, but we always bounce things off of each other because we respect each other in that way, so it’s a real good working relationship.”

I’m sorry, did Eason do any Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagavailoa work this week or was that QB Brock Purdy?

“Mainly Brock, we give Jacob a couple reps, but mostly Brock.”

How has WR Brandon Aiyuk responded to this week in practice with some other guys kind of coming in and out over the week, he’s sort of been the steady fixture in practice?

“He’s been great. He’s been as consistent all year as anyone on our team and not only with health, but how he’s approached each day, so it’s been real nice with him, especially at that X position, you always know he is there. We’ve had to move guys around a lot. He’s really the only guy who doesn’t change positions that much, so he’s been steady and been a guy we’ve been relying on all year.”