WR Brandon Aiyuk Press Conference

WR Brandon Aiyuk

Press Conference – November 4, 2021

San Francisco 49ers

You were saying after the game that your favorite play was a block and I think we’ve seen the video now. Just kind of looking back on that, how much pride do you take in that and how far you’ve come along in that aspect?

“I think the whole receiver room as a whole is kind of taking that, just not letting any of our guys make plays on our backs or any of the ball carriers really. So I think, yeah, pretty much the whole room, but that play was where the game was sealed. The game was pretty much one right there. So that’s where the excitement was from.”

QB Jimmy Garoppolo said on a radio interview yesterday that sometimes with the young guys, I don’t know if he was talking about, tend to let your foot off the gas a little. Particularly, if you have a good rookie season. Was some of that going on, I guess earlier this season of, I don’t know, not maintaining that intensity? And it seems like maybe you’ve rediscovered it.

“I guess you could that. I think it’s more of just a thing just stacking, not taking it personal every rep, every play, every day of practice type of thing. I feel like it’s not hard to set out for me– saying I let off the gas, but you can say that, but it’s kind of a thing where you don’t really keep track of it. It kind of just gets away. But yeah, like I said, taking advantage of every single play. Starting fresh one play over. One play is gone, the next one comes and treating every single play, like the first play.”

Everyone keeps talking about how the past few weeks you’ve had incredible weeks at practice. And obviously, we’ve seen you improve from the beginning of the season. What do you think has changed and how did you feel you had to hit a restart button maybe?

“A little bit. Yeah, kind of like after the Bye Week just talking with coaches, sitting and assessing where we were at. I just kind of took that as after the Bye Week that was the start of the season. That was Week One and kind of just taking that approach every single week. So, it’s like this week I came into the league, like this is the first week of the season, it’s the first week of practice, taking that approach. So, you’re just reasserting yourself every single week. And showing what you want to do on Sunday throughout the week.”

Is there a player or a coach that influenced you at all throughout this process?

“Definitely a lot of players. [FB Kyle Juszczyk] Juice, he’s my locker mat, so I talked to him a lot. But also, me and [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] had some words. We had some words and so, definitely Kyle too.”

Did you meet former Las Vegas Raiders WR Henry Ruggs at all during the draft process, as one of the first-round wide receivers, and did the tragedy that he’s been involved in, is that something you guys had talked about in terms of making good decisions and that kind of thing?

“Well, first prayers out to everybody in that. We haven’t talked about it, really. Like we haven’t talked about that situation, but it’s on the part of decision-making. I don’t know, I don’t want to speak too much on this situation.”

You got two division games coming up at home, you guys have yet to win a game at home, is there a little bit extra juice week?

“Definitely, definitely. A whole bunch of juice at practice, you could feel it. But we’re just in the mindset of getting this thing rolling. Despite, whatever the record– the streak is for at home. Regardless if it was an away game, home game, we are in the mindset of getting this thing rolling so. We kind of feel that more than whatever people are talking about the home game streak. But we’ve definitely heard about that, so we know about that, but it’s just about stacking them.”

You said you and Kyle had some words, can you speak in maybe general terms on what some of those words might have been?

“Some words, some words.”

Was that recently?

“That was just like, like I said, before the Bye Week, assessing where we were at.”

Can his tone, can it be hard not to take it personally when he’s coaching you hard?

“Oh, no. Not at all. I know, I think for me it was people, they joke around about all the time saying that I have trust issues or whatnot. But, kind of just getting over the fact that everybody in this building wants the best for you. They’re trying to help you out whenever they’re talking to you and telling you stuff. And every time somebody gave me some good information and I’ve used that information, we’ve got out what we wanted from it. So, I’m trusting everybody, trusting them and trusting what they’re saying and believing what they’re saying and going out on the field and doing it.”

You had trust issues?

“Had, yeah. Had. You could say that. In life. In general. Period.”

When you talk about the energy, how much of it is because TE George Kittle is now back at practice?

“Oh yeah, George is even the energy in the locker room with him, even when he wasn’t at practice, just having George around. It’s just always good, good spirits, high energy and fun, so we’re glad to have him back this week. And it’s a good feeling, even with all the tight ends, but it’s a great feeling when you get in the huddle and George is screaming and yelling.”