The following are select post-game quotes from San Francisco 49ers players following Sunday's 37-8 win over the Green Bay Packers.
Quotes provided by the 49ers Communications staff.
DL Arik Armstead
How much fun was that?
"A lot of fun. It was a dominant performance in a big-time game. It was a lot of fun."
When the defense goes out and establishes a tone in the beginning of the game, what does that do for the whole team?
"We pride ourselves on that, stopping the run and getting after the passer. Any time that we can do that, I think that we will have a good chance at winning the game."
It was a close loss to the Seahawks a few weeks ago, but what did you guys learn from that?
"To just keep fighting and to keep playing. It was a hard loss, but we have to keep going, fight through adversity and find a way to win."
Five sacks for you guys facing Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, what is it like to put on a performance like that against the hall of fame quarterback?
"It is great. Going into this game we knew that it was going to come down to that. To first stop the run and then get after him and put them in bad situations, we were able to do that tonight. I am so proud of my teammates, so proud of everyone especially my D-linemen and the rest of the defense on how we played tonight."
DL DeForest Buckner
What was the mentality coming in, knowing what you guys had to do to them?
"Yeah, win first and second down, stopping the run early. All so we can play the game we want to play, which is getting after the quarterback. That's what we did from the start."
How big was LB Fred Warner's forced fumble and obviously DL Arik Armstead's recovery to start the game? How much of a tone setter was that for you guys?
"Oh, it was a big tone setter. We came out guns blazing. That's the kind of energy you want us to start off with, especially with a team like that. For the offense to capitalize off of it, it was just a great start to the game."
You obviously want to pressure Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, but how important is collapsing the pocket and taking away any lanes for him to squeeze out? How much of an emphasis was that for you guys this week?
"We knew he was a Houdini in the pocket. You know he's was going to make plays and extend them. He got out of it a little bit. We tried to bring as much pressure as we can. We don't want to rush reserved. You want to rush to win. When we couldn't get to him and he got the ball out, we had to make sure that we could, obviously legally, hit him and try to get him on the ground as much as we could and make himself pick himself up, so we can wear him out a little bit."
TE George Kittle
How has it been to deal with the chipped bone in your ankle?
"It's football. It's fine. I mean, yeah. It's a mindset. You just have to go out and play football. That's all it is."
Has the knee been more of an issue, or the ankle?
"I think they both looked pretty good tonight. They are good."
You had a 61-yard touchdown from San Francisco 49ers QB Jimmy [Garoppolo]. Can you describe just how you got open, how it felt?
"Oh my, we've been running that since Week One, and I have to run it like two or three times a week. That's like a 50-yard route every single time. I'm just like, 'Hey [San Francisco 49ers head coach] Kyle [Shanahan], relax. I'm a tight end.' We finally got the call and ran it, so that was pretty fun. It's just a corner post. Perfect coverage to run it against. Jimmy gave me a perfect ball and I had to unhitch the trailer and out-run a couple guys. It was pretty fun."
Kyle says that a lot of the run sets that you're in open that up –?
"Oh, 100-percent. Yeah, the run game is the only reason those plays work because when you're in 13-personnel with three tight ends, most the time you're going to run the ball. You're not going to have a tight end run a corner-post for a deep ball for 61 yards. So, our run game is definitely the reason that I get open on those plays."
T Mike McGlinchey
What impresses you most about the defense?
"They are just relentless. They play 11 guys so strong, so complimentary of one another with the pass rush, the coverage, our linebackers. We are missing one of the best linebackers in football and we have two rookies who are stepping up in [LB] Dre Greenlaw and [LB] Azeez Al-Shaair. It is a testament of what [general manger] John [Lynch] and [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] have done in evaluating talent and people and who they are as people because that is important too. It is incredible to see how smothering all 11 guys can be and that is what they do week in and week out. They just shut down one of the best to ever play football in [Green Bay Packers QB] Aaron Rodgers and that is pretty impressive."
Do you guys feel the impact in going against them week in and week out?
"I think so. You don't get as much live work these days but we certainly did in training camp. [San Francisco 49ers DL] Nick [Bosa], [DL] Dee [Ford] and [DL] Arik [Armstead], Arik is having one of the best seasons he has had and one of the best seasons by a DE this year. Those guys have made us so good up front on the offensive line. It does make it a little easier, they are the best in the NFL, and there is nobody better than them."
As an offensive line do you think you guys got into a rhythm?
"Yes. I think we found ourselves again. We had a couple of, I don't want to say down weeks, but we didn't hold up to our standard. We got back to our basics with our game plan and our execution was huge."
What does getting back to the basics entail for you guys?
"It is honing into my techniques, honing into my scheme and what I am being coached to do. Taking that the extra time to study myself and other opponent. I've been studying more of my opponents than myself and these last two weeks, I had to get back into the feel of things. I was knocking some rust off of things after sitting out for five games or four games, whatever I missed. I felt like I got back to myself tonight and played a pretty good game of football."
WR Deebo Samuel
Talk about how good the offense was tonight?
"We did a pretty good job of moving the ball and just following the game plan to go in there and execute."
Can you talk about playing against the packer defense?
"I think we played well as a whole, just beating man coverage. We knew their defense would do a lot of crazy stuff so we had to find the holes in the defense and capitalize on that."
How does the defense set you up by dominating in the early part of the game?
"The defense is really unbelievable. The energy they play with and the physicality they play with, it just gives us the urge to do that on the offense."
Tell us about the play you made and the chance for you to run free like that?
"It was just an end breaking route. When I see the ball, I take the ball. When I turn the corner all I see is the end zone. I was like, I got to get there."
How much fun is it to be the counterpart to a defense like that? Does it make it easier on the offense?
"Most definitely. The field position they give us is kind of outrageous. We just go out there and capitalize on that."
CB Richard Sherman
Most games that Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers plays in don't look like that. He wasn't able to make any of the big plays we've seen him make. What did you guys do so effectively in the game in that regard?
"We just played our game. We just played disciplined football. Our D-Line, they hunted and in the secondary, we just tried to play tight coverage. We played a lot of man-to-man. [Defensive coordinator Robert] Saleh called a lot of man-to-man today and we felt like that was the plan to try and stop the run and stop [Green Bay Packers RB] Aaron Jones. You have to step up in the secondary. [CB] Ahkello Witherspoon played a heck of a game. [DB] Jimmie Ward played really fast. [S] Jaquiski Tartt played really fast. Obviously, you see the linebackers. [LB] Fred [Warner], [LB] Azeez [Al-Shaair], and [LB Dre] Greenlaw all played a good game because you have to when you play man coverage in those situations. They still got some plays that we're going to have to correct and be better on but whenever you play a Hall of Famer like that, you never know. He can go for 400 at any given time and he can take the game over at any given time, so you've got to play as hard as you can, as fast as you can, for as long as you can and you let the chips fall."
There has been so much talk about you guys having to play the Packers and the Ravens and the Saints. Did you think all that discussion was being overlooked by not saying those teams have to play you guys?
"Yeah, but what's new? Apparently, nobody has to play us. We've just got to play everybody else. We're just the punching bag that people come punch on. We don't worry about the outside noise, though. We talked about it before. Before these rooms were filled, there was only six or seven of us and the locals. At the end of the day, we understood what kind of team we have. We don't worry about the opponent because you can't control what they do. You can control your execution, your effort, your attitude and your approach. Most of the time, that will be good enough. If you do your job effectively, you fight hard, you trust your teammate, you play disciplined football, especially on the defensive side, then that will be enough to give you a chance to win. Now, sometimes the ball doesn't bounce your way. Sometimes, there are great players out there. Like I said, Aaron Rodgers is a Hall of Famer. Aaron Jones is a great back. [Green Bay Packers WR] Davante Adams is one of the best receivers in this football league. You know they're going to make their plays, but to give yourself the best chance, you have to play disciplined, sound football and 11 people did that for four quarters for us. That's what you appreciate. You hope that our D-Line gets the All-Pro recognition that they deserve because they do. You can give it to [DL DeForest Buckner] DeFo, you can give it to [DL] Arik [Armstead], you can give it to [DL Nick] Bosa. Anytime you got a Bosa, you're probably going to have two Bosas in the Pro Bowl. You've got to give those guys their just-do. When you have the discussion and you say, 'Well, they have to go play this guy,' then it becomes weird because these guys have been consistent throughout, regardless of who they played. Then, you start to lose that discussion and you start to give these guys more credit. I don't think they are getting enough."
S Jaquiski Tartt
You are one of those guys who is everywhere on the field, when you see San Francisco 49ers LB Fred Warner out there do you feel like you guys are kindred spirits because he seems to be everywhere as well?
"For us, I feel like everyone is always everywhere. Every time we have everyone running to the ball. It is just being relentless, that is our mindset. Be relentless every play. Other teams will see that on film and they are going to see everybody running to the ball. That is just how our defense rolls."
When you are coming in for a blitz, what is going through your head?
"I hope that I come free. I hope that I get a strip sack. Maybe make a play like [New York Jets S] Jamal Adams did against the New York Giants. That is always my mindset to be able to strip the ball and possibly get a score from it."
It seems like at least nationwide for you guys to make that statement win. Do you guys pay any attention to that? Was tonight that statement?
"To be honest, we just want to come out every game and play the style that we play and show the world that we are serious."
When you have that front seven doing what they do and making your job easier on the back end, how much confidence does that give you guys to play free?
"It gives us a lot of confidence. We are all attached to one chain so when one person messes up it affects the whole defense. Our D-line and linebackers have really been doing their jobs and we play a complete team game."
DL Jullian Taylor
How does it feel from the defensive side when you guys come out and establish the tone of the game?
"It is what we have prepared for throughout the week. No matter who it is, we want to come out and dominate. It was just one of those weeks where somebody just caught it. It doesn't matter who we play to be honest, it is just how we prepare, how disciplined we are and it shows on the field."
You guys set a pretty good statement at the beginning of the game.
"Yes, it is pretty good. You never know those match ups out there. That is the crazy thing about football. You never know how the drive is going to go. Luckily today's game went our way. We prepared for it so it was no surprise to us."
The guys in the secondary did a great job in covering. When they do that you guys have time to get to the quarterback, that is a pretty good thing for all of you?
"Yes. Absolutely. It all works together, we are a team. There are 11 people out there, it is not just one player making the play. There is someone causing him to make that play. It is all a team effort. I am proud of how we played and how we are sticking together throughout the season late in the season and now it is just time to finish."
DB Jimmie Ward
How does it feel to have the year you are having based on all you have been through?
"I take it one game at a time. I still haven't felt like I have done anything too much. I just make tackles, which is something I have done since I was nine years old, and make a few pass break-ups. I am waiting to get some picks and make some touchdowns, that is when I get excited."
Speaking of the pass break-ups, can you take us through that pass break up on the right sideline against Green Bay Packers TE Jimmy Graham?
"It is just a classic [Green Bay Packers QB] Aaron Rodgers play, rush coming, scramble out of the pocket and throw it deep. He has great accuracy and hit him right in the hands and it was me and Jimmy Graham fighting for the ball. It was basically who wanted it more."
Did you know it is going to be in the perfect spot right there in his hands, and does that make it easier to defend?
"Yes. I have seen him do that. I broke up a pass over my years of playing against Aaron Rodgers a few times and he hit it right on the money scrambling, so yeah."
So, what do you do, just play the hands?
"Yes, really just play the hands because I am at a phase right now where I can see the ball and he is great at knowing that the DB can see the ball so he throws it up and gives his guy a chance to make a play."
What was the mindset of the DB's in terms of staying with the receivers and how did you do it so effectively?
"You know the term cover them twice came from Aaron Rodgers. He was one of the first guys to start that."
LB Fred Warner
There has been so much talk coming into this game about how you guys have to play this team, and this team, and this team. Did you guys tell yourselves, 'Hey, these teams have to actually play us, as well?'
"In terms of playing all these different teams, I feel like what helped us a lot this game was just focusing on what we have right now. I think if you look too far ahead, you might get overwhelmed. We were able to focus on what we have right now and I think that showed in the score. It was great having a full week of work. Monday, all the way leading until now, that was huge for us. It was a good win."
Can you take us through the forced fumble to start the game tonight?
"Yeah, that was kind of just a crazy play. It was just, we had pressure on. It was effort. I just kept going. I got blocked at first and then I saw him kind of scrambling, so I just kept going, kept going. Finally got to him and kind of just, I saw him holding the ball close to his chest, so I just went after it. [San Francisco 49ers DL] Nick [Bosa] picked it up so I'm thinking we have a chance at a touchdown. Afterwards I saw Nick's little graphic showing up on the big screen and I'm like 'So, did I get it or not?' It was funny."
What's your mentality been like as far as forcing those fumbles? Obviously, DL DeForest Buckner was in here talking about starting this in OTAs and what not. What's your approach been to punching the ball out like that?
"It was something in the offseason, you know? I don't know where I read it, but it was just me trying to add something to my game. Like you said, it starts in OTAs. I made a big point of it, to myself, that I was going to practice really hard at trying to add it to my game. The rest is history."
CB Ahkello Witherspoon
How did it feel to get back out there?
"It was fun being out there, just having a blast playing football again. I was a little rusty, but just having the opportunity was a blessing. I had a blast."
Talk about that statement game from the defense.
"I think the rush first and foremost is where it starts. [San Francisco 49ers head] coach [Kyle Shanahan] always preaches rush and cover. For us to be out there and be up front in your face and let them do their thing. All we are trying to do is buy them another split second to get around that edge and to get up the middle. [Green Bay Packers QB] Aaron Rodgers is very good at getting out of there, so to actually finish those, is what's important"
You guys unfortunately lost to the Seattle Seahawks, does that loss get you more motivated to win a game like this?
"I don't think more motivated is the answer. I think we lost a close game. I think we learned from it more than anything and applied some of those things we learned from that game to today and beat a pretty good team."
You mentioned finishing plays, that is harder against Rodgers than it is against most quarterbacks. Was there a lot of conversation about staying with the receivers? How did you guys do that?
"We call it cover them twice is how we go about it. So, whatever the first route is you have more work to do. If you have that mindset coming in, it doesn't catch you by surprise. Aaron Rodgers is going to be himself, but not as often today thanks to our defensive line. He is going to get his. He is going to get out of there and be athletic, throw on the run. So just having that mindset across the board, D-line try to get him the first time, but if they don't, we are there to cover you on the second one."
How much fun is it to be the counterpart to a defense like that? Does it make it easier on the offense?
"Most definitely. The field position they give us is kind of outrageous. We just go out there and capitalize on that."
