Head Coach Kyle Shanahan Press Conference

Head Coach Kyle Shanahan

Press Conference – December 9, 2022

San Francisco 49ers

Opening Comments:

“Alright, injuries. [DB] Tarvarius Moore is out. [QB] Jimmy [Garoppolo] is out. [DL Hassan] Ridgeway is out and [DL] Nick Bosa is questionable. Go ahead.”

Does Nick Bosa fall into the category of T Trent Williams where he doesn’t need to practice to potentially have a chance to play?

“Yes and [WR] Deebo [Samuel] did that last week for the most part, but it did stink that he couldn’t go today, but hopefully he’ll be good on Sunday.”

How do you balance out what this game means as opposed to turning back against Seattle in four days?

“Yeah, you definitely have to take that into account. It’s not just will he be effective on the short week on Thursday, but can he play in this game and the next one and the doctors and himself say it’s safe, so that’s what we’re waiting for and it’s not there yet.”

You said the other day you have to play it by ear with some of the IR spots. Will you do the same thing with Ridgeway to kind of see how he comes along?

“Yes, him and Jimmy are in similar boats, so we don’t have to make a decision quite now, so we’ll keep it that way until we have to and the more information, the more time that goes, the clearer things get.”

I’m assuming that the practices aren’t as taxing this late in the season and with 16 on the practice squad. Does it make it where you can carry four or five guys, whatever the case may be, who aren’t going to be able to practice?

“It does make it easier,16 on the practice squad, doing that a couple years ago was so needed and huge. It gives you a chance to, also right now, we haven’t done a full-speed Wednesday in a couple weeks and I don’t expect us to the rest of the year. It’s about getting through Thursday and the more guys the better, but it definitely makes it easier.”

Bosa obviously finished the game. Was it just a case where afterwards he felt something?

“Yeah, it was more on Monday. Sometimes those guys are going in the games and that does happen. It happened with Deebo too on the previous week, so it was bothering him on Monday and looked into it and it was legit.”

QB Brock Purdy evidently was talking about how before this happened when he was taking the scout team snaps, he would go out after practice and just kind of go over what Jimmy was doing without a ball. Is that unusual or difficult?

“Yes. It’s something they have to do. He might do something else on his own, but always the backup quarterback and the practice squad, third-string quarterback they don’t get the reps with the first team, so whoever it is when practice is over usually [assistant quarterbacks coach] Klay [Kubiak], [quarterbacks coach Brian] Griese, they stay out there with the quarterbacks and they go through the whole practice again, just like he’s calling the stuff. Mainly on air and by himself just so he can get the process of calling the plays, getting in and out of the huddle and getting the mental reps, but nothing live.”

Did it seem like business as usual with Purdy in there at Quarterback?

“Yeah, it’s been real good. Nothing’s really been different. It’s a big difference not having Jimmy in there, but you haven’t felt like a rookie’s coming in or anything. He handled Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday very well and I think the players and we expected him to, but you never know when a guy gets the first week where everyone’s looking at him, sometimes they get nervous and then the players start to look at each other if it’s bad, but it wasn’t that case at all. He was same guy as he has been and we expect that to stay.”

There’s been a lot made of the first NFL start versus Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady. When you have outside forces like that publicity, fan interest, does it really change materially the game at all for you? Or is it pretty much just another Sunday as far as you’re concerned?

“No, it changes nothing, the game is the game. Everything else before the game, during the game, for people to talk about, after the game is real fun. It’s stuff I loved before I got into coaching, stuff I’ll love when I’m out of it, but if that’s ever a part of the game, stuff that’s out of the game for a coach or a player, then you’re not going to be in the league very long.”

Just to clarify, so his post practice routine is kind of mandated, that’s typical. It’s not an example of his maniacal work ethic?

“Right. I don’t know how they’d get prepared if they weren’t doing it. If they’re just waiting for reps, they’re going to be waiting a while, but those guys all do stuff on their own. That was the story of [Minnesota Vikings QB] Nick Mullens, because, he wasn’t the second team quarterback, he was like for one week until he became a starter that one Thursday night. And he did such a good job, but then we heard stories of, I remember him listening to music we thought before the game and we went up to try to listen to it because we assumed it was going to be some lame music and we were going to make fun of him and it was even lamer, it was me calling plays in his ear and that’s what he was listening to, just trying to get used to the call of it so he could do it when he got into the huddle and things like that, so there’s lots of ways that people get ready. I used to hear stories about how Brady used to get ready when [former NFL QB] Drew [Bledsoe] was the starter and things like that. I hear stories of [former NFL QB] Drew Brees sitting in dark rooms where he can’t see and just going through the whole gameplan so he can know where everyone is. That’s what I’ve heard, but there’s lots of things those guys do that they do away from us. And whether you’re a starter or backup, if you’re just doing what you’re doing in front of the coaches, that’s usually the minimum. This game’s too hard for that and guys have to find their niche and what helps them for Sunday any way they can.”

Did you give him more information in his ear during games than you would say Jimmy?

“No. I think that messes guys up. I only do that If quarterbacks request it. I can do it sometimes situationally, sometimes if we’re trying to keep the clock moving or we’re in field goal range or hey, I’m going to go for it next down, so you have two downs here. Or hey, I’d rather have a sack than an incompletion so we keep that clock running, things like that you want to communicate a lot, but once you start saying like, Hey, throw this versus cover-two that’s what I think, they’re going to come out and they’re going to look at it like it’s cover-two and it’s not going to be cover-two, so most times I’ve learned that messes guys up.”