San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters following the team's thrilling 34-31 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night. Here is everything he had to say.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Opening comments:
"Before we start, I just want to say how much we appreciate the Beathard family. What happened last night was very tough on [QB] C.J. [Beathard] and his family. It was a tragedy. Such a great family. We've been with C.J. here for three years. He's as good as any person I've been around. Their family is unbelievable. I never got a chance to meet Clay, but knowing how his parents are, knowing how C.J. is, knowing the stuff they've told me about him, he was an unbelievably special person. Just our hearts and prayers are out with them. His dad reached out to us on text just about how great everyone has been on social media and just the respect everyone has given their family and stuff, he can't appreciate it enough. I think everyone understands how horrible a thing that happened to their family last night. Our prayers are with them.
Alright, from the game, the only injury that we had was [DB Tarvarius Moore] T Moore. He left, was in the concussion protocol, so he never came back."
Would you just talk about how difficult it was on you and the guys to get up to play this game?
"I think it was just tough seeing C.J. last night. Just finding out about it the way we did. Just going to be there for him and how horrible it is and there's nothing you can really do about it or say. You'd have to ask the guys that. I know they had heavy hearts. We all knew. Everyone finds out on their phones before all of us get a chance to talk about it. Everyone knew when they got in here. People on this team really, really respect C.J. and his family and regardless of anyone for something like that to happen to is as horrible as anything I can imagine. I know C.J. left to go back there this morning to be with his family and we'll be reaching out to him as soon as possible."
What did QB Jimmy Garoppolo show you that last drive there, the two 3rd-n-16s?
"He was resilient. It was third-and-16, not the best situation to be in. Usually you're not feeling great in those situations. Those guys gave him enough time in protection. I think he made the first one to [WR Kendrick] Bourne over the middle and had a similar play like that over the middle, but the safeties got real wide and got the opportunity to [WR] Emmanuel [Sanders] down the field. So, the guys just to give him the time and for him to hang in there, the game just for everyone, wasn't perfect. Offense, defense, or special teams, play calling, the quarterback, protections. Everything was up and down throughout the whole thing. There were a lot of times I think that each individual on our team could feel like they had messed some stuff up. But, each individual kept coming back and to find a way to end that game there at the end was pretty special."
Can you take us through Sanders catch there at the end?
"We had Bourne running over the middle. They played a two-shell defense and you're going to work Bourne in the middle if it's a two-man type deal, but the safeties got so high and wide, I think it was somebody flat footed in the middle of the field and we were able to get over the top of them. It was a good throw, great route. Something we tried for earlier in the game, but we didn't get the right coverage for it, but we got it there and guys made it happen."
Is there a third-and-16 area of your play sheet you go to?
"We actually do, but yes, we do and it's not a fun area. Until today. It went well, usually I get in I-formation and run the ball out of frustration, but that would have been bad in that situation so I'm glad I didn't."
When you look at third-and-16, generally, in the room, what are you thinking in terms of percentages if ever converting one of those?
"They're less than 10 percent, I know that. In the league, you watch some people on the year and it's like one out of 20 or something."
Would it surprise you if you had missed 50 in a row on third-and-16?
"No, it wouldn't surprise me at all. Usually it's such a low percentage that you don't really try on third-and-16 much. Usually you just try to survive the down and get half of it and punt. But, we were in a situation that we didn't have that and I think we struggled on third down most of the day. Just have to get in longer distances, I guess."
Since the New Orleans game, Emmanuel, before that long pass, had been quiet in terms of production against the Falcons and then tonight. Broadly, why do you think that is?
"Today was just a huge zone coverage day the way that they played. I had a feeling going into it that our guys weren't going to get a bunch of targets and stuff down the field because of how they play their coverages. We thought we were going to have to hit a number of underneath stuff and get up the field. Fortunately, they came up tight on a couple of things, so we were able to open up a little bit, getting [TE George] Kittle on that high cross when we were backed up, I think, on the series before. I think that was the start of the 90-yard drive and then we just got a couple good looks on third down. But, Emmanuel played a great game. I think all our receivers did, but it's just how the coverages worked."
Can you take us through Kittle's touchdown where he was double teamed at the very start and just what happened after Jimmy started rolling out?
"He was the number one guy to start in the progression. He was double teamed, so he got off of him. I think he looked low to the back. I didn't see what happened to the back. Then you have to go across the board to the guys coming into your vision, and by that time verse this pass rush usually, that's coach talk, if the play breaks down. Jimmy got outside the pocket and ended up making a hell of a play on third down."
Do you think that was one of those moments where Kendrick Bourne maybe didn't know how big that moment was?
"Probably. That's how KB rolls. That's why he usually comes through in those moments."
What defensive adjustments did you make at half time? It seemed like those rollouts were getting you the first half.
"I think we made some adjustments on that which I think was definitely needed. From what I saw in the second half, it looked like we slowed them down a number of times on those roll outs. They had a good plan for us, we were playing sound in the run game and when you play sound in the run game that's usually what you give up, the bootlegs and things like that. We had to make a few adjustments and they had a good plan, but I think we were able to slow it down enough in the second half."
With how the game went last week, how important was it to get a W this week?
"It was very important. To me, just as important as last week. You try not to look ahead. I thought we had to win this game no matter what. I think possibly, based on how tomorrow goes, we'd still be playing for the West next week verse Seattle. So, if that would have happened we would have dealt with that. Now, winning this, you don't have to worry about anything. Now we've got one game here left in our season before the playoffs. Got eight days to get ready for it and we're pumped about that."
Are you alluding to the importance of the first-round bye specifically?
"You would always love the first-round bye, without a doubt. You always would like two games instead of three to get to the big one and you'd always like to rest your guys if you could. But, everyone has done it every way possible, so you never know which way is going to be the best way until the season is over then you can have hindsight. I think that's what everyone goes for, but if that doesn't happen we'll be excited with whatever situation we're in."
That game at Seattle has loomed large for a month and a half and it's as big as ever right now. Your players get an extra day to recover, but for you and your staff, how soon will you dive into preparation for that game?
"We'll do it like we always do. I'd like to say we can't do much more than we do in any week. If we tried to do a lot more, we'll probably overthink it and mess everything up. We've got eight days, hopefully we'll only need seven. So, we can be smart with that and come up with as good of a plan as we can."
You said you talked to C.J. last night. Generally, what was that like?
"Tough. Probably exactly like you guys would expect. I got the call. He called me at about three in the morning. I was in the hotel, so I was able to go down and be with him. There's not much you can say. You just try to hold a person and be there for him. We tried to figure it out, what we could do and the quickest way to get him to his family. But, that was probably my first time in a situation like that, but I think it's exactly what anybody would expect. There's nothing to say and it's as tragic and as sad of a thing that can happen. So, to me when you try to say stuff, you're just, you're insulting the situation. It's as bad as it gets and you just have to be there for them and it will be a hard deal to recover from, but he's as strong as any person I've been around."
With so many games coming down to that last-minute field goal, are you getting used to it at any point?
"You get used to it happening, but your body still feels the same. Not great. We'll go rest after this, but it's a lot of fun. I mean, as long as you win them, it's a lot of fun. It's good practice. That's how most of these games get when you go against good teams and that's how most games are in the playoffs. I think we've gotten battle tested throughout this year and hopefully that will pay off for us here in the long run."
