Offensive Coordinator Klay Kubiak Press Conference

Offensive Coordinator Klay Kubiak

Press Conference – October 9, 2025

San Francisco 49ers

Where is QB Adrian Martinez at in grasping the playbook and if he has to go in for some reason?

“I think he’s right where he needs to be. Super impressed with Adrian since he’s been here. He’s a really smart guy. You know, you can tell, he’s gotten a little more reps just because of [QB] Mac [Jones] kind of progressing a little bit through the week and Adrian hasn’t missed a beat. He’s been on it, and I feel like Adrian can go out there and run our offense. So, really confident in him.”

So there wouldn’t be any limitation in the plays that you could call? He’s in the full playbook?

“Yep. A hundred percent.”

What’s QB Brock Purdy’s contribution to the game plan and getting Mac up to speed to play?

“Yeah, I think just Brock’s presence every day in the meeting rooms. Brock’s been through our process of preparing for games and how we install and how we, you know, watch film and all those things. He can kind of, he’s just helpful to those guys, you know, and kind of sharing his process and showing, talking to guys about what he sees in a defense, kind of how he would do things. So just his presence, his experience, just kind of being words of wisdom for Mac and for Adrian. You know, that’s really all he can do in terms of helping those guys prepare and then just being there to support them.”

I’m sure when you’re watching film on a guy like Mac before you signed him, you can envision how he’s going to fit stylistically. But in terms of toughness things that you can’t see until you get up close to him. What have you learned about him and what you’ve seen from him so far?

“I think that’s very true. You know, you don’t really know until you get a guy and you see him play. I think we all knew Mac was a tough player. I think we didn’t have any assumption he wasn’t. But when you see a guy go out there and battle and, you know, work through the injuries and get hit and stay in the game when it’s not looking good or when we have to come from behind in a two-minute drill, like all those things and you learn a lot about a guy. And Mac just keeps proving time and time again that he’s made of the right stuff and he’s built to play quarterback in this league. So, it’s been pretty cool.”

Last week, how close did you think you were going to have to go to Adrian there briefly?

“I think for a moment we were all pretty scared, you know, [laughs] when he was down and then he popped up and jogged off and we’re like, all right, we took a breath. But you know, so yeah.”

Former University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban was saying last week that when he had Mac at Alabama he called him McEnroe because of his high school tennis background, but also because he was prone to going off if he made a bad throw or he did something bad and he was throwing like almost mini tantrums. And I don’t know if he was exaggerating, but I’m curious, is there any part of that still with him now or is he totally zeroed in?

“I mean, Mac’s very competitive and you do see it in those moments where he might miss a throw or somebody was off on a play and he just has a passion and it can come out sometimes. And we love it. I mean, it’s part of what makes him who he is. It makes him a competitor. He’s very detailed and he likes things very detailed and he’s hard on himself. He’s hard on his teammates and that’s what we like about him. As far as the tennis thing goes, it’s funny you say that because we happen to think the way a guy moves in tennis and Mac’s tennis background can help you as a thrower, the way you move in a pocket, there’s similarities and so yeah, both of those are true.”

What have you seen as far as the interaction between head coach Kyle Shanahan and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as far as game planning and back and forth, and how much of a resource they offer for each other?

“Coach Saleh? Oh yeah. I mean that’s really cool to be a part of and to see just the way that they both kind of share their knowledge and experience with each other. You know, Kyle kind of sharing things he’s seeing from an offensive perspective to help him and vice versa. And Coach Saleh is helpful to me. We talk all the time. We just kind of, you know, share what we’re seeing on with our opponents and it’s a great working relationship and I’ve benefited from it, our whole team has, so it’s good.”

Tampa has a really good run defense but Seattle ran for over six yards a carry last week. What did the film show when you watched? How did they have success?

“Yeah, they hit a few big ones. I think they had a couple carries, I know they had like a 30-yard carry. [Seattle Seahawks RB Kenneth] Walker III maybe had like another 21, so they had a few explosives, so that adds up. They did some stuff to kind of, I think, wear down Tampa a little bit just by staying on the field. And so just kind of, you know, the fatigue caught Tampa on a drive or two that allowed them to run the ball. But you know, they’re the number one run defense in the league for a reason. They’re big, they’re physical, they do things schematically that really can shut down your run game. So yeah, we see some things that Seattle did that you’d love to do, but we know they’re going to be ready to go and ready to stop the run. So, it’s going to be a big challenge.”

How much is what WR Kendrick Bourne has done on the field give you confidence in what can happen going forward?

“He just gets better every week. He’s a gamer, you see a guy who’s still learning to grasp our offense schematically, but he gets better every week. He’s such a joy to be around because he’s all in. He’s got a great attitude. He works at it. I think he’s a guy, the more he is out there, the more he is going to help us. And so really excited about what he’s done, what we hope he can keep doing.”

Is his chemistry with Mac evident on the field, and not just in games, but at practice throughout?

“Yeah, you can tell they have a good relationship. They have the history; you can just tell they can talk to each other in the game too. When I think KB had the drop and Mac can just go to him and just communicate and get them dialed in for the next play. It’s really cool. So, we kind of knew that about him. They had a relationship in the past, so yeah. I’m glad it’s working out for us now.”

With the injury setback how would you assess how OL Connor Colby has done?

“Connor’s done a good job. Like a lot of rookies, there’s ups and downs and there’s plays you’d want to have back. There’s things he can do better. Yeah, he is battling through some stuff, but a lot of guys are. So, Connor’s just about getting better every week and learning from the film. We’re coaching him hard, he’s playing hard. It’s like anybody else, you’ve got to learn from the previous game. You got to keep getting better. I think the more he is out there, he is going to keep getting better.”

Kyle over the last few years, he talks more about the rushing attempts more than the rushing yards and how important they are. Even the last game with like 70-some yards on 30 carries, that doesn’t look good but how important are those attempts to sort of keep the defense honest?

“You look at the last game, we didn’t have good yards, but we had the attempts, which means we’re on the field. We’re staying on the field, and we’re converting some third downs and we’re sustaining some drives. Even though the runs aren’t producing what we want them to, we’re still able to get those. And even if they’re four-yard runs, three-yard runs, they still have that effect on the defense. So that is a positive, but do we want to keep getting better? Yeah. Do we want to have more yards? Yes. But anytime you can stay on the field, whether it be throwing the ball or not, you’re going to get those attempts and that means you’re moving the ball. So, it doesn’t always work out that way, but that’s how it did work out on Thursday. So, we want to get more production on the ground, but as long as we’re staying on the field, we’re going to keep trying.”

What are the characteristics of Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles defense? I know he brings a lot of pressure, but what does it look like?

“Yeah, a lot of pressure, you said it. It starts with just the experience of the guys who are running the show. I mean, you look at [Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB] Lavonte David and in the back end and you got [Tampa Bay Buccaneers DL] Vita [Vea] in the front. Just guys who’ve been there, those core guys, they run that scheme very well. They’ve been doing it for years, so they have a lot of confidence in each other. They’re tough to go against. They’re very physical. They challenge you with pressures. They challenge you with man-coverage. They get after you on third down with blitzes. And so, they’re a defense that can make a lot of plays and you got to be ready for all that stuff. And it’s the challenge of the week and that’s what we’re getting ready for.”