San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters after Friday's practice as the team prepares for its Week 4 matchup against the New England Patriots. Here's everything he shared.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Opening comments:
"Injuries for the game: [DL Javon] Hargrave will be out, [LB] Curtis Robinson is out, [WR] Deebo Samuel [Sr.], questionable, [LB] Dee Winters, questionable, [DL] Jordan Elliott, questionable, [S Talanoa Hufanga] Huf is questionable, [T] Trent Williams, questionable. Go ahead."
What is Huf's injury?
"Rolled his ankle yesterday."
What about Williams?
"Toe."
Is Curtis, is that a season-ending?
"Yeah, ACL."
Do you have any details of what happened to Trent's toe?
"Just started, came in this morning with it sore. It acted up a little bit in practice yesterday and it was just too sore for him to go today."
Clarification on RB Christian McCaffrey. When he went to Germany, was he going there to look into treatment or did he actually get some sort of treatment while in Germany?
"He went and saw a specialist. What do you mean by treatment?"
Well, there's all sorts of things you can do overseas, but did he have stem cells removed from his body, that sort of thing?
"He went there to get treatment."
He did get treatment?
"Yeah."
Did WR Brandon Aiyuk come out to practice today wearing the wrong shorts?
"Yeah, he did. Good question."
Is that a punishable offense?
"No. I wish I could wear different shorts."
How did TE George Kittle make it through the week and how has he looked?
"He's looked good this week."
I know that the sample is still really small, consistently since you've been here, the team has led in in YAC and this year so far it's been dead-last. Is that a product just of the injuries of Deebo and George being out or is there something else that you've seen with how defenses are playing you to slow down the YAC?
"No. I think George, Deebo and Christian are three of the best in the NFL at RAC, so it definitely doesn't help, them being out, with that. But we haven't hit any big screens, I think, which is big too. But we need to get going with more of that."
When we talked to run game coordinator/offensive line Chris Foerster, he was incredibly enthusiastic about RB Isaac Guerendo. Was there something that Guerendo showed you guys on film in this last game that was encouraging and do you think we'll see more of him?
"He showed on film what he has been showing us. We've been encouraged about him for a while. He got off to a late start with his training camp injury, but we were encouraged with his preseason play. Everyone, I think, saw that with his kick return and stuff. He had two runs in that game that were encouraging and always a chance to get more."
You talk a lot about the importance of rushing attempts after the fact, after a game, like, "We wanted to get to this many attempts." I think because of what it represents, getting third downs and more attempts and all that. Is it ever anything that's a pre-game focus, like on the board, 35, we want this? Or is it always something you talk about after the game because it represents something?
"No, I don't write a lot or do PowerPoints much. I usually just speak. I mean, I say that to the team a lot. Our goal is to do it every week. Sometimes I make a little more of an emphasis than others. But that's usually the goal every week."
And you said, I think you mentioned once after the game, your wife has told you, "Why don't you just run it 20-straight times to start the game?"
"Right. That would be, that's why it's not as simple as that. That's why I say it usually to the team as a challenge. Offensively, they know what we like to do. Our goal is to, in normal situations, be 50/50. But when you get over 30 carries, it's very rarely just because the offense is dominating. It's usually all three phases are and the way the game goes and everything. And in order to do that, I don't think we've ever really been able to do that without being good on third down, without playing good defense, things like that."
The Patriots, I think, have been over 35 carries like two of their three games. So is that something that as far as--?
"Oh yeah, that's why I think they're a real good team. The way they play defense, their two running backs, the way they're committed to the run, the type of quarterback they have with that. I think that makes them a very good team."
WR Jauan Jennings seems to be ascending and asserting himself big time right now. If he continues his current level of play, would you consider using 11-personnel more than you have in the past? Is that something that you would feel comfortable with?
"I'm always comfortable with Jauan. But our, if we're not going 11, it has nothing to do with always trying to get our best 11 people out there. Jauan, I think, has been one of our best 11 people since he's been here. That usually more has to do with advantages of 21-personnel and things like that. But it's a good problem to have. I want to get Jauan out there more. He's that type of player. It doesn't always mean that you go totally different with your scheme and everything, but you can always rotate him in more too."
Is it or isn't it important to have a third-down back? Obviously, Christian's been first, second and third down, but what's your mindset on that?
"When we've had a third-down back, really a great one the last two years, I feel it's been as easy as football as I've had in my 20 years. So, it's a very good bonus to have a really good third-down back just for situationally what it does in on third-down, what it does in the red-zone. To me, it has as big of an effect on anything that I've experienced. But you don't always have those guys. I rarely have in the past to have a really good one. But you want guys who are serviceable at it and can do a good job. And all our guys do, but Christian's on a whole other level with that aspect."
Is it a process for you to kind of figure out who best suits, whether it's FB Kyle Juszczyk 'Juice' or whomever else at the halfbacks? Is that kind of a challenge for you to kind of figure out what the best way to move forward without Christian is?
"Not really. After Christian, I see all the guys kind of the same. They all can beat people in routes. They all have good hands. And none of them I don't trust in protections. Juice probably being the most, but Juice also has great hands and is really good at check downs and getting off the field. And I feel the same way about [RB Jordan Mason] JP. Christian's just different in that aspect and that's why you always want him out there on third down."
Do you want Christian to start that ramp up process next week?
"Yeah, we'd like to start hitting his rehab here harder on Monday."
You mentioned on Wednesday you're seeing more teams throw three-man rushes or even fewer than that on a couple of occasions. You guys have double the attempts of the next closest team. Is there anything you can put your finger on why maybe teams are doing that a little more with you guys than others?
"It could be just the best way they think to stop our offense, stop our quarterback, stop certain guys. I also think it has a lot to do with, I don't have the stats, but I would assume Minnesota does have more than most teams in the NFL. I'd assume the Rams have been doing it more than most teams in the NFL too, regardless of who they're playing. So, I think it's both of those things."
New England Patriots DE Keion White has had an incredible year. What does he look like on film in their front?
"He's a hell of a player. This is the first time I've been able to really watch him this year. He's great on the outside, sets the edge, does well. Him as a rusher on the inside too is just as scary. So, he is a hell of a player."
You said the pass rushing at the Rams was the best it's been this season. Should that be confused with it was effective or good?
"No, I thought we had a good pass rush. Not on every down obviously, but I thought we affected the quarterback well. I thought guys won their one-on-ones and had a good game. I always want it to be more, always more. But I thought they had their best game."
There's so much emphasis placed by you and president of football operations/general manager John Lynch in building that and having them be disruptive. As far as the team, does the expectation change just because the personnel may not be quite the same right now?
"Your expectation always has to change. You can't always have the exact D-Line. And what we had in 2019, I think that was by far our best one and that was five years ago. But we totally believe in making the D-Line as good as we can. So we pay attention to that, every offseason, every Draft. That's a real important part of our philosophy. But I thought 2019 from the beginning all the way to the end was one of the best ever just in terms of what I saw in the field. And I think we've had some really good years since then. But no, you can't always expect it to be like that."
