Head Coach Kyle Shanahan Press Conference

Head Coach Kyle Shanahan

Press Conference – August 16, 2024

San Francisco 49ers

On Monday, you said that S Talanoa Hufanga had an important doctor’s appointment yesterday. Did he have it and what were the results?

“He did. It was good. I think he got back late last night. He cleared him for the next steps, which is that we can push him a little bit harder. Not against players, but more football stuff and those type of dynamic cuts and everything. Hopefully he has a real good week of it and we can talk about easing him into practice.”

Have you decided if you’re going to play your ones on Sunday?

“I want to play a number of them. I won’t say all of them, but would like to get a lot of them in there for at least a little bit. We wanted these three practices to go through before we could evaluate that. So we haven’t told each player specifically. But yeah, the plan is that you guys will see some ones”

Does that include QB Brock Purdy?

“Most likely. Right now I plan on Brock going, but that could change. But most likely.”

Did you decide who is going after? QB Josh Dobbs?

“We haven’t told them yet, so I have to tell them first.”

OL Aaron Banks?

“He broke his pinky, had surgery this morning. We’re hoping to have him back by Week One.”

How would you characterize wanting to have these practices and then you had to cancel it with injuries, we know who is out. Would you say it’s been disjointed, just because of that at camp or do you think things are going okay?

“No, I think we’ve had, we’ve definitely been in the situation before with injuries. I thought we had good luck the last two years with them. I wouldn’t say our luck has been horrible this year, because there hasn’t been a lot of long-term ones. We had one week where we missed a lot of starters and the twos and threes had to do a ton for one week. Had to carry it all versus Tennessee. And then just to get them on a plane two days later to take them to L.A. to scrimmage New Orleans, to then come back here two days later. And then to get on a plane three days later to go to Vegas. It was just, it was too much. That was the smart thing for the scrimmage and the way we had it out. But I wouldn’t say it was any more drastic than it’s been some other years.”

Is WR Ricky Pearsall far enough along that you think you can get him ready for Week One?

“I hope so. We’ll find out when he gets back and where he is. We have another week here of camp, we have two weeks after. I forget what the days are, I think it’s like 27 days or something. That’s enough time. He’s able to run and do all those things, do our walk-throughs, things like that. But just want to protect him from hits and things like that so he doesn’t have a setback.”

When you look at OL Dominick Puni, S Malik Mustapha, CB Renardo Green, does this rookie class look like you guys can have people that can contribute right away as opposed to maybe farther along?

“Yeah, I think it does. You hope that’s not the case, but that’s stuff you can’t control. It’s always next man up and we’ve had a number of rookies who’ve gotten a lot of reps here in training camp, who’ve done very well with their opportunity. I think those guys will be ready. We’ll see if they need to be.”

When do you get to the point on a hold-in where you say, “Okay, we’re done with this. You either have to practice or you’re getting fined?”

“I think it has to do with when they have injuries and stuff. I don’t sit there and kind of play that game. That’s how the league works right now. That’s how the rules are. You have a hold-in, guys usually have something wrong with them, so they can keep doing that. And so I just coach the team.”

Not getting into specific finances, but with this team as close as it is to a championship, do you understand maybe fans or whatever saying, “Why not just keep going with the money? Why would you risk your best chance at a Super Bowl over whatever the money terms are?” Do you understand that?

“I understand the question yeah, but I don’t look into anything just as a one-year deal. I think everything is tied together. I think we’re as aggressive as we can be every year. And everything is connected to each other too. And wherever you go one spot, you have to go less at another. So it’s not as simple as that perspective. I totally get that from a fan standpoint and everything. If it was that simple, I think it’d be a lot easier to figure things out. But too many things do connect and tie together with that. That’s why these things can be difficult.”

You’ve been pretty adamant about how much you enjoy joint practices. Now that it’s Friday, what are the pros and cons of not having joint practice this week?

“Just how bored we are going against each other. That’s the main thing. I came in today and it was the same routine that we’ve done a number of days, or a number of weeks, in a row. I remember seeing [senior offensive specialist] Mick Lombardi this morning, we go over the team meeting clips and stuff I’m gonna show and right when he walked in this morning I’m like, ‘Gosh, this is getting old, meeting with you every morning here.’ And he goes, ‘I feel the same.’ I go, ‘I think everyone feels the same right now.’ What would I have done the last day, on this day for the last eight years? Not counting COVID. We’ve been scrimmaging someone which is just less boring. And then we usually cancel walk-through, let all the players get an early start for their rookie show that they usually do the night before this second game, which they’ll be doing Saturday. And then, since we’re all usually in a hotel together, all the position players usually go out for dinner together and the coaches go out for dinner together. So we’re doing that today. We’re canceling walk-through, allowing the rookies to put some work into their show because that is important to us on Saturday. I know guys aren’t all in a hotel, some guys have family and stuff, but I think most of the guys are gonna go out to dinner tonight with the groups.”

And then not having joint practice, how does that change when you want to get from the game on Sunday?

“Not much. Sometimes when you compete against another squad and your starters get so many reps versus them, sometimes I rest them for that game because of it. Not doing that I might play them a little bit more.”

Will they all play against the Saints?

“Probably some of them, not all of them. Haven’t totally decided.”

The perception always is that the coach is going to want guys in, just because you want them to play. You don’t have to always worry about what’s going on in financing. You haven’t really ever expressed something like that. But is it hard to just not say, “Let’s just get the guys in and let’s go win football games?”

“If I only understood 40-percent of the business, I think that would be extremely hard for me. But yeah, I don’t think you can be like that as a head coach. You have to know the big picture and it all ties together. So, hell yeah you want every player in camp and you want every player healthy and you want to be working at everything every single day. But that’s not the reality of our league. That’s not the reality of our situation.”

I want to make sure I understand. Are you saying, if there’s a hold-in and you force the issue that you would expect like a Miami Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey in Jacksonville type of situation where he says, “Oh my back hurts and I’m just not playing?”

“I’m just saying when you guys call it a hold-in, and I’m not disagreeing with you guys on that, but people say that they’re hurt. I think B.A. has a sore back right now and it is what it is.

Are you hurt?

“Always. Getting old.”

It sounds like progress is being made with T Trent Williams situation. But we’re right on that three-week window before the season. If something is able to get done, say next week, is that enough time to get him ready for the opener or are you making plans to move forward with OL Jaylon Moore in that role?

“I make plans to move forward with everybody. I’m not just, whether it’s a contract issue, from the perspective of a coach going through it with contract stuff, I just try to equate it to we have big plans for Trent at tackle. We have big plan plans for B.A. But just as easily as a contract thing holding him out, they could also come and get hurt the first day and not have them the rest of the year. In 2020, we planned on having [DL Nick] Bosa the whole year and he tore his ACL in Week Two. Same with [Los Angeles Rams QB] Jimmy [Garoppolo] in his second year. He tore his ACL in Week Three. The result is not much different. You have to always be ready for stuff, as a coach, like that. So that’s what you plan every day, whether they’re here or not.”

What have you seen from Jaylon so far in camp?

“I think he’s had a hell of a camp. I think he’s been, I think he had a hell of a year last year too. Especially with Trent never practicing on Wednesdays and stuff with his age. Jaylon always gets those reps on Wednesdays. He’s had this whole camp against Bosa, [DL] Leonard [Floyd], [DL] Yetur [Gross-Matos], all these guys. He’s only gotten better and I have a lot of confidence to play with Jaylon.”

On the radio, obviously you said the Aiyuk situation could go any number of ways. You did express confidence that the Trent situation will eventually be resolved. Is that a fair characterization?

“Yes, I think so.”

What gives you the optimism with that is just maybe a matter of time?

“I think we have to work out a contract thing and I think Trent, I haven’t spoken to him, but I think we’ll be able to work that out.”

What is OL Ben Bartch’s injury?

“Knee irritation.”

It’s not long-term, is it?

“No.”

What is your assessment of WR Jacob Cowing? He caught a nice ball today.

“He has done a good job. He’s been behind the eight ball with some injuries, so this is his first week, full week of getting through a week with no setbacks. It’s always rough at first. But I think he’s gotten, he’s improved each day. Looked like today, I’ll see the film, but it seemed like it was one of his better days today. Hopefully he’ll get a lot of playing time in the game and be able to get through and get that experience and keep stacking those days up.”

Do you videotape the rookie shows? Have there been any legendary performances throughout the years?

“They’ve been pretty disappointing the last couple years. That’s why I’m telling them that we’re canceling walk-through for them to practice and making the threats that if it’s not good enough, they’ll be doing it Monday and Tuesday also. So hopefully that’ll work.”