Offensive Coordinator Klay Kubiak Press Conference

Offensive Coordinator Klay Kubiak

Press Conference – December 19, 2025

San Francisco 49ers

Did you get a text from your brother?

“I texted him. That was a pretty cool game. That was awesome. What a great game. So, pretty happy for him.”

How much of it did you even get to see?

“I had it on, we were doing third down and just had it on in the background and towards the end couldn’t take my eyes off of it. So, it was a good game.”

You guys have been searching for ways to generate explosive plays in the running game this year. Have you given any thought to maybe an end around, or a screen for WR Skyy Moore? He’s played so well on special teams. Has he earned that potential opportunity?

“Yeah, definitely. Skyy’s an explosive player. We’ve had stuff up for him. I don’t think it’s been called. It’s definitely something that we talk about, we kind of have up week-to-week. Some it’s timing, some of it’s just finding the right time in the game to call it. So yeah, it’s definitely part of the planning as we go through the week, and he’s a guy that we definitely try to have those plays for.”

What does WR Javon Baker look like in practice? He had a pretty good college career.

“Yeah, we loved him coming out. He was a guy who, we loved the way he came off the ball, the way he ran routes. He’s powerful. Super talented guy. We like watching him run routes out there. We haven’t really gotten him into the offense yet. He’s still learning it, but when you watch him on scout team, routes on air, we’re excited about him. You know, he is a talented dude, and I hope to get to work with him in the offseason, and as this year goes on, see if he can help us somewhere. But still a guy we’re integrating, but excited about him.”

There are not many teams that could have a backup quarterback start as many games for you guys to still be in the position that you’re in. How did QB Brock Purdy and QB Mac Jones help each other? Both, in-game, but also maybe in meeting room, things like that. Just what have you seen in terms of the way they’ve interacted?

“Brock’s role is just really of helping Mac understand how we go through the process of our game planning week and kind of the steps along the way. And kind of sharing probably his experience about how he prepares for the week, for how we put things in and how we kind of go through each day. I think that helped Mac a lot, you know. And then Mac just being around for that part of the season and seeing Brock go through it. Those guys are just good friends. They support each other. They’re good teammates. Mac’s a pro, like he’s a guy who’s just here all the time. This guy, he loves football and so there was no issue with him being ready and having his own process to prepare. So that’s what it takes to be a good backup. You got to prepare like you’re a starter and that’s what he did.”

How did you kind of just see them handle the situation, obviously, and a lot of guys in Mac’s position say, ‘I played pretty well. I have a chance to keep starting here,’ but he seemed like he had no problem. You know, this is Brock’s job. I understand. How did that kind of land with you guys?

“No issues. I mean, Mac understood. He knows his role on the team, was ready to go and play. And I know Mac probably wants to play. That’s why he’s a good player. But he’s here to support the Niners and be a teammate, and that’s what he did. There’s been no issues there. I know Mac’s competitive and he wants to play, but he’s going to do whatever it takes for us to win. And that means supporting Brock and helping us win games that way.”

OL Dominick Puni started the season a little rough and he’s ascending. T Trent Williams is coming off his best game. Is this offensive line playing as good right now as it has all year?

“I think so. I think with any O-Line it takes, whether they’ve played together or not, it takes time in the year to grow, to just kind of start getting in a rhythm and takes time playing together. Dom had an injury early in camp, and you’ve seen him get better every week. You see that unit kind of cohering as we’ve gone through these last few months. It helps that we’ve had [OL] Spencer [Burford] out there for an extended period of time too, so it’s been a cohesive unit. Those guys are getting better. They’re doing a heck of a job and knock on wood; hope it stays that way.”

From your standpoint, what has this year been like for WR Jordan Watkins

“The injury in training camp, I think set him back. We loved the offseason he had. Then you get injured and you miss time, and it’s just hard for a rookie to sometimes catch up. But man, he’s done nothing we haven’t asked him to do. He works; he has gotten better. I think he had another injury earlier in the fall too. It kind of had him at a setback, but then times when he is been called upon in games, I think about the New York game when you step up and made a huge catch in that game. He’s been preparing like a pro, like he’s going to play. And you know, given [WR] Ricky’s [Pearsall] situation now, we’ll see where Ricky gets in the week. I know Jordan’s fighting and preparing like he’s going to play, and we’re happy with where he is at. He’s just got to keep going and you never know when that time’s going to come where we’re going to really need you.”

Did you put him ahead of or behind WR Jacob Cowing?

“Jake’s been out. I mean, Jake hasn’t been practicing, he is still rehabbing those hamstring injuries that he is reaggravated. So, Jordan’s available right now, so Jake, we’re still working on getting healthy.”

What makes Skyy Moore unique? Dangerous as a weapon, as a gadget guy.

“He’s got speed for sure. That’s one thing. He’s extremely tough, he’s a guy who, you see it when he returns kicks. He’s going to take hits. He’s running fearlessly, that’s dangerous, he sees a hole, he can hit a hole. To me, that’s the biggest thing. It’s his mindset when he has the ball in his hand, he’s not trying to dance around. He’s taking yards. And that’s what makes him a cool player to watch.”

You see a game like the other day when Brock has had some good games since he’s been back, doing some of the improvisational stuff that he was doing running around. Does it make you feel better just about kind of where he is in terms of like, he feels more like himself at this point?

“Yeah, I think Brock’s natural way of playing is he’s got confidence of moving around making plays. And when you see him playing like that and he’s having a good time doing it, and he’s extending plays to me, that tells me he’s seeing the game the way he naturally sees it. He is not afraid to move around and run and throw the ball down the field when he is scrambling like he hit to D-Rob [WR Demarcus Robinson] in the game. I think it just tells us he’s playing with the right mindset and he’s confident and that’s where we want him to be.”

What does Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s defense look like? What’s the challenge this week when you watch them?

“Yeah, huge challenge. Schematically, just a lot of variables with these guys. He’s always been a guy who mixes it up. You never really know what you can hang your hat on with him. He’s going to change it up, play a variety of coverages, do a variety of blitzes, third down, you never really know what you’re going to get either. It’s a defense where you have to prepare for a lot of stuff and that makes it a challenge. And on top of that, they’re good at everything they do, so it’s not like they’re vulnerable in those areas. They’re going to play sound coverages. They’re going to get after the quarterback, and they stop the run. They’re one of the top run defenses. This is one of the best defenses we’ve seen. It’s going to be a huge challenge on the road with the crowd noise, and we have to be at our best.”

You see that Brock Purdy can extend plays and he’s very quick. Can he also read defenses like an old man? Like, would you give him the same compliment that you would give Indianapolis Colts QB Philip Rivers?

“I don’t know what that means. Old man – yes, Brock can definitely read defenses and he does, and he works really hard at that, at preparing and studying defenses so he can anticipate and that comes into play a lot during the game. But there’s also instincts that need to kick in. And there’s also times when you don’t know what the hell the defense is doing. You have to play ball, and you have to react. And he’s got that, and that’s what makes him a special player. So, I would say he combines the two things very well. He’s going to try to diagnose and be as decisive as he can be based on what he thinks the defense is doing, but shoot, when the defense lines up and you’re not real sure, you just have to go through your reads and play fast and make plays.”

Is it harder to decipher what defenses are doing in terms of coverage pre-snap than it was maybe 10 years ago?

“I can’t speak to that. I wasn’t coaching the NFL 10 years ago, but I’ve studied enough to, I would say, yeah, it’s harder. The defenses and coordinators have gotten so good at disguising things, at combining coverages, pre-snap looks and going to different stuff. You just see a lot of stuff. So, yeah, it’s harder. You still work at it though. You still work at trying to understand what’s happening and try to minimize the variables in your brain. So, hey, it’s either this or this. You try to get to that point on every snap. Yeah, I think things have gotten – things get added to the mix all the time in this league and coordinators evolve, so it’s harder.”

You’ve got guys like TE Jake Tonges and OL Connor Colby who were thrust into positions that maybe they weren’t expecting early, and then the regular guys come back, and they take a step back. How valuable is that time to put in the bank as starters in case they’re needed again?

“It’s huge. I mean, that’s really huge. You never know when those guys are going to be needed again. Someone like Jake who’s one snap away from getting right back to where he was in terms of being a huge target for us and it lets you know that he can do it. It’s not too big for him. It lets you know he’s a pretty darn good player, and it lets you know that he’s developing into a guy who’s got starter quality and us having that confidence, it gives us depth. We believe in the guy, and it’s just huge for us as a staff, as coaches, and for him as a teammate. It gives people confidence. And same with Connor. He’s a guy we know it’s not too big for him. If he gets called upon and we know he is going to step in there and be ready to play.”

You guys have one of maybe the deepest quarterback rooms in the league right now. After getting a three week look at QB Kurtis Rourke, what’s he look like? You guys obviously like QB Adrian Martinez. Talk to us about those two guys and what you like about him?

“Yeah, Kurtis, we got him back a couple weeks ago. He’s been practicing in the NFL for the first time, I mean, truthfully. And he looks good. I mean, he’s a big dude, good athlete, he can throw the ball. I’ve been watching him in Indy and how he throws and moves and in scout team, you can just see the talent. We love his brain. He’s been dialed in to every game plan this year, he’s learning the offense. And then, we know about Adrian and we’ve talked about him very highly this year. And so, I hope we get the chance to work with all those guys in the offseason and keep them around and keep developing them.”

In terms of Jordan, you mentioned that the really tough part about missing that month in camp was you felt that was the time to really prove himself and stand out. At this stage in the season, maybe it’s not the same being on scout team and not having that much opportunity there. Is there some truth to that?

“I think there’s always opportunity to stand out and to prove something and to show that you’re preparing the right way and that you’re practicing the right way, and that you’re taking advantage of those scout team reps. And he does get reps with the offense and when you go in, you know what you’re doing and you’re playing fast and you’re showing everyone every day that you’re ready to play. And he’s doing that. And, like I said, in this league, you never know when you’re going to lose a guy and you’re going to need to step up at this time in the year, and he’s ready. We’re happy with where he is at and I think he’s been growing this year, so I’m happy with where Jordan’s at.”