San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen, offensive line/run game coordinator Chris Foerster, and quarterback Brock Purdy spoke to reporters after Thursday's practice as the team prepares for its Week 5 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. Here's everything they shared.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Defensive Coordinator Nick Sorensen
You've seen Arizona Cardinals QB Kyle Murray for a couple years. What have you noticed differently about him this year?
"I started to see him progressing last year, just how he operates in the pocket and how he gets through his progressions. He's still dynamic as anything, as far as being able to move, get outside the pocket, create. But I think, you're seeing him grow like any quarterback. He has the arm strength, he always has. He's had the mobility, he always has. But like seeing how he can work through his progression and make all those throws has improved."
By adding Arizona Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr., what has that done to their offense?
"Really good route runner. He's obviously polished. They've got really a lot of weapons along with obviously [Arizona Cardinals RB James] Connor in the run game and [Arizona Cardinals TE Trey] McBride. I think they should be getting him back. He's a really good young tight end. And then even [Arizona Cardinals WR Michael] Wilson on the other side. I just think they have a balance of weapons, starting at the quarterback spot, that makes them a tough team to go against. And they run the ball really well. They have an identity and that's what they want to do. You can see it with how many yards they get, how many carries they desire to get which seems like. Shoot, they did it to us last year, last time they played us."
I don't know if there's a way to quantify this, but how well is DB Deommodore Lenoir playing now that he knows exactly what he's going to be doing every week because last year there was a lot of different guys in the nickel and all that? How well is he playing?
"He's improved a ton. I think he's playing great. And you said it really good actually, that it's hard to quantify if you're just looking at stats like a lot of people. You don't realize it until you actually really watch the tape and understand what he's doing for us and what he allows us to do defensively. Really pleased with Demo."
How's S Malik Mustapha looking to you? You guys played him 62 snaps last week?
"He did a great job. [S Talanoa Hufanga] Huf couldn't go and he stepped in and did great."
LB Fred Warner has been playing lights out every game, but now he's dealing with that injury. He's been kind of not really in practice so far. What are you kind of doing to kind of counteract dealing with that with this week against the Cardinals and then having a short week next week?
"Yeah, it's not really counteract, it's just next man up. You'll never fully replace Fred. Not saying we are, it's just, the next guy's got to practice and he's got to operate. We've had some injuries. There's adversity and there's opportunity. So with that, the next guy gets a chance and they step up and you saw that even losing [DL Javon] Hargrave. We've had guys step in and [DL De'Vondre] Campbell [Sr.] play and not having [LB Dre Greenlaw] Law. Like you just asked about Malik Mustapha playing without having Huf, Huf's played one game. So guys get opportunities and we expect them to perform and they expect themselves to, too. So at practice, that's really where you get those reps and hone your skills. And with Fred and without Fred you've got to communicate and guys are doing that."
What has impressed you most about DL Sam Okuayinonu?
"Sam O, he impressed me a ton last year, actually, just watching him. It's tough with D- Linemen and I think we might have talked about this in the offseason because they're not going against anybody, but with Sam I was excited just watching him in his individual and how explosive he was. So that's one thing you want to see with D-Linemen is how explosive they are, especially ends because you can kind of project like, what's this guy going to do against an O-Lineman? Can he get off the ball? And then with that explosion, is he going to be able to set an edge and be as violent as you would expect based on what you're seeing? So now we get to training camp and he's starting to do it, then he gets hurt so you don't fully get to see it. So now we're getting to see him do it in the games. I'm not surprised, I'm pleased. But this is kind of what we imagined he could be based on what he had shown us in a short amount of time because he got here late in the year last year. So with him playing hard, being explosive and just being himself, it's been really cool to see."
Does your confidence grow in him with every practice rep?
"Absolutely. Like I said, he got here and then you saw him in the spring. Then in training camp he was doing a nice job and got injured pretty quickly and you lost all that time. So with him, he's still growing. He's still young to football. His story's a pretty cool story about how he came here. I think he was 12 or 13, but he's still new to football and he keeps growing and keeps getting better. So, I think with him, he's got a really high ceiling."
DL Nick Bosa got about nine pressures last game. He didn't get a sack until about two-and-a-half minutes left in the game. Was that him wanting to stay in to get that sack to reward him for a hard day's work?
"No, I think he just missed like three of them. He was in there and he was finishing the game. I don't think it was anything like that. A lot of times the other guys cleaned it up, but Nick can always get better. He could've finished those. We knew going into that when you watched [New England Patriots QB Jacoby] Brissett, I was getting flashbacks of [former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben] Roethlisberger. It wasn't just the number either. It was just the way he moved. And we knew it was going to be tough and we had to get the second guy to get there. You always want to strain to finish, but it was visible with Brissett. So it was tough that he fell off a few times and it was good that he got it at the end."
Kyler is almost an opposite because he can escape a lot easier?
"With him you're not touching him. With Brissett a lot of times he can get off and he can break tackles. Kyler can too, but with Kyler it's tough. He's extremely dynamic, really, really quick."
When you're putting together a game plan and the other team doesn't know who you're going to be lining up there at linebacker, specifically Fred, are there certain things that you think like, well, "Fred's on the field, they're not going to do this, but if he's not on the field, this is an area where they might do some different things?"
"We'll find out I guess in the game."
Do you prepare for anything like that?
"We're preparing for what we have, and it doesn't change a whole lot. Maybe a little bit, but we'll see."
Your guys' blitz rate's going up every week. I think it's started at nine and it's now like at 33-percent. When you watch Kyler against the blitz, what does he look like? What's the challenge this week bringing extra pressure against a guy like him?
"It's famine or feast with any call really. You could think something's really good. There's always calls you want back, 'oh this would've been good there.' I think offenses feel the same way. There's certain things you like if they don't do this or they do this. So I think it just depends on the situation really and the plan. Sometimes that does change in-game based on how we are playing and how our guys are playing and some of the things they're doing."
How difficult is it to contain a quarterback like Kyler in the pocket and does rushing five sometimes help that effort?
"Yeah, it can. Absolutely. I think a lot of guys do, do that. He's hard. He is. Those guys are hard to deal with because he does have the arm strength and he can escape like a freaking punt returner. He's got elite quickness and doesn't have to have his feet set to throw the ball. So you have to be disciplined and you have to just keep running. You just have to keep going, regardless of who's going. Even if you've got four, three, five, six, you have to keep going. Even in coverage too, really everybody, any of those guys that can extend plays. It's one of those track shoes type days."
With S Ji'Ayir Brown and Malik, what are some of the challenges of being a young safety in this league?
"A young safety, I would say the toughest thing maybe in being somewhere new and being young is having your voice and taking control because you do have to be a good communicator back there. And I think both of them have done a great job. I think that was something we noticed really early with Tig. He's got great command. He's very confident. He puts the time in and he is very smart. So that was something also with Malik that we saw. These guys, they stepped right in. And Huf was the same way as a young safety. And those are really important qualities as a safety because you're kind of back there seeing things. You've got to help direct. So I think those are things you look for guys that can lead and make calls and make sure that they're communicating across the board because you've got to get from corner to corner and everyone in between to be on the same page with the backers."
How is DL Evan Anderson progressing?
"Really, really pleased with Evan. We made a decision last week and he's consistently gotten better. The 19 snaps he got, he did a nice job for us."
Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Chris Foerster
There's recently been a lot made of how teams are playing two-high safeties a lot, what it's doing to the passing game and what it might mean for the run game. I'm curious what you're seeing when you watch, obviously your own run game, but around the league in terms of how that's affecting things.
"It's hard for me to say I'm noticing a trend. I'm not really, so whatever people are saying, they're saying. I look at our stuff, I look at the stuff where we've got to prepare. I look at teams that are like us. Everybody decides to stop the run game in different ways, some people pressure, some people deep to short, some people show eight-man fronts, base defense. And then most times with us, it's something different that they haven't shown. So every week, there's a little bit of a variance. I think they've always been that way with [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan]. I think over the last, it's been a long time now, I think, where they just don't want Kyle to really have a beat on what they're doing. So we'll get a lot of different things sometimes and they'll change a pace just to keep us from getting a rhythm."
What have you seen over the first four weeks, in terms of teams defending you different without RB Christian McCaffrey?
"It's different. Not something I want to really talk about, but it is different. And obviously because there's a lot of things you need to do to take care of all the places Christian can line up. So it does kind of limit the things you can do or it opens up your playbook a little bit when he is not out there, because as good as [RB Jordan Mason] JP and the other backs are, they're just not going to be able to be Christian. And then that does have an effect."
In a general sense, not specifics necessarily, how do you go about working through that?
"Well, you already assume that because he's not there, certain things aren't going to happen. Certain teams aren't going to want to do certain things because Christian is in the game. You kind of know what those things are, because we saw it happen when he was there, that when he showed up, all of a sudden, things changed. We noticed how defenses changed, how they played us and things that we used to see, we didn't see as much. Now that he's not there, we're seeing things again that we used to see that we didn't see before, that we saw before Christian was here. It's a balance. And then, it's based on the team and their matchups. Some people can do what they do anyway. It didn't matter whether Christian was there or not. There are so many variables to it. It's hard to just put your finger on it. I don't want to say it's, 'they play more this, they play less that, they play more --' Who knows? But it is different."
You generally have pretty good continuity on the line from last year to this year, only one new starter. Can you see that? Can you tell how that group has continued to develop and get tighter and maybe more kind of locked down?
"Oh, it does, it helps a lot. I've always, we've talked about in the past, I don't mind rotating a guy. So, it's like, 'Well that ruins the continuity.' It really doesn't. It's still just, they practice rotating, so they get the continuity that way. It is nice when two guys can play like [T] Trent [Williams] and [OL] Aaron [Banks], and you get the continuity with [OL] Jake [Brendel] in there and then obviously, [OL] Colton [McKivitz] and now, you have [OL Dominick Puni] Dom in there and it's a good balance. But yeah, they do have a chance to develop and get better. If they stay healthy and they work and we see things week in and week out. That's the goal. And that's why winning is important and it's very important. Obviously, it's the most important thing. We have to win these games, but within that, we have to get better every week. We all know you don't win the Super Bowl in September or October, to win the Super Bowl, you get in the playoffs, you have to win your division. There are so many steps before you get to that point, but the bottom line is you're not judged by how many games you win in September. It helps, but you have to get better, and that's the key. The key is improving through the course of the season. Learning from what's happened and drawing upon these things. So many times, I'll spend more time talking about something that isn't necessarily your question. I do the same thing in my meeting room. It's like, it might start us down a road of, 'Now look guys, this really doesn't talk about this week, but I'm telling you this thing that we're talking about right now, it will be bigger in six weeks. And this thing that we're talking about, we have to build on this. So this just isn't, don't just learn this for, okay, I got this for this game plan. This is something that's going to continue to show up through the year. Something that's consistently showing up that we need to continue to get better at. And there's other things that, that will fit along with this that we'll see as well.' And that's where my job is. It's, 'Yes, we have to win the game. Yes, we have to do everything we can to shoot all our bullets in this game. But at the same time, it's a building process.' And that, for me, is what's so much fun, is to kind of get guys to see the game. As I've always said, I want them to own it. They should, after the game, they should walk in and say, it was them. It wasn't me. They've learned the offense and they make adjustments themselves during the game and they come to the sideline and they suggest things, I suggest things, but in the game, it's their adjustment. They're owning it. That's when we become a real football team. That's when, on Sunday, you're in the last drive of the fifth quarter of the Super Bowl and everybody comes together to pull it off together as a group, because I can't be out there. Kyle can't be out there. They have to pull it together. And that's what's cool about having a group that's played together."
It seemed like early last year, a lot of questions about Colton McKivitz and those questions kind of died down a little bit as the season went on. How has he come back in year two as a starter? How has he played?
"Really well. Obviously, he had a rough outing a couple weeks ago and he bounced back, like he always has. Last week he bounced back again. I remember last year, I had to have a talk with him after the Pittsburgh game. We talked about it last year, how we had a plan and we had to get away from that plan to help him. And so we just had to take our chances with him on [Pittsburgh Steelers LB T.J.] Watt, and Watt got some sacks and stuff. And I had to make sure he was okay. 'Hey, the plan was to chip every time, but they went to some different coverages. We needed guys out. And so how are you?' And that's the point we've said in here before where, when guys fail, when they don't have success, how do they bounce back? That's the good thing about him. He has bounced back and he has had some up and down games. He needs to be more consistent. But he has bounced back, and I think he has learned from last season and he's learned to accept that wasn't a good game and why. The whys behind it are very important for him as far as, 'Hey, I'm doing this, this is why I'm getting beat. It's not any major big, like I'm not good enough or the team, it's just I'm doing this fundamental flaw that I need to fix.'"
Your redzone production, for touchdowns anyway, is down, I think it was 50%, last year was like 68. It's only four games, I get that. But what's making it tougher to get in the endzone this year?
"I can speak to the run game and say we're not running the ball as well down there. Whatever the looks are, whatever's been happening, I don't want to talk about. But there's been some things that just, we haven't been, and I blame myself, number one. We had a call the last three weeks, Minnesota, L.A. and New England. Three calls that we made early in a series, in the red zone that just were bad calls on my part to suggest to have them on the list, to even think we could run the plays. Not having enough foresight to think they might do something different. And that's what they did. We had plays prepped for what we thought they were going to do, they came with something different. They were bad calls. And so, not Kyle's fault, my fault. I put them on the list as the number one call. I said, 'Call it.' Stayed to the list, and then they show up with the defense, it doesn't work out. And so we end up with some, it doesn't take much, right? Red zone, there's so few possessions, so all of a sudden, you have one bad call, you're behind the eight ball, the next play, you don't quite complete the pass, and then third down, you are where you are. So we just had some, it's been a combination of everything. But at least it's 50%, it could be worse right now. 68 is a very high percentage and we need to get back to that. But again, it starts and ends, I think, with the running game. We've got to be more consistent. We've had a lot of rushing touchdowns over the last couple years. I think we need to keep working hard at that."
You guys are averaging 5.7 yards a carry running to the right. Do Puni and McKivitz look like they're doing a good job in the run game?
"Yeah, they're doing a very good job. I love the way those guys are playing. Colt's a very good run blocker, as is Dom. They both do a good job with that, as Trent and Aaron do. We've got a good, our guys are a good run blocking unit. I tip my hat to them. They do a nice job. They work really hard and this organization, Kyle, this offense, we take a lot of pride in trying to run the ball well. So those guys do work hard at it. And that's something that they do. And the right-left thing, and I'm telling you, it can be misleading. Go to the right, cutback, maybe it's the left side's doing a better job this year. Vice versa, when we give all the credit to the left side getting the yardage. How they determine the hole hit and where the ball is, I guess it's consistent throughout the league, but all the guys have done it and it's kind of a little bit of a crapshoot as to, some guys do some things better than others, vice versa. But yeah, they've done a really nice job."
FB Kyle Juszczyk, like a lot of these guys, is very serious about taking care of himself and taking care of his body and trying to play for as long as possible. Do you have any insight into his passion for that part of it?
"Oh my gosh. I don't have all the details. I just know he's obsessed with it and as he should be. I mean, if you think about it, I'm trying to stay healthy and stay alive long enough to keep working and do my job but that doesn't depend on me blocking guys and tackling guys and staying healthy or playing 15, 16, 17 years in this league. The things they have to do to stay healthy, all the different therapies from red light therapy to where they get the cell thing. They do all that stuff. I mean they, all they do and they should be. Why wouldn't you? That's the thing, I want to call Dom in, Puni, and say this thing where you have to take care of your body over this 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 weeks, from July until possibly February, that's a lot of banging, a lot of things you need to take care of your body and it's cumulative. It starts now, it's year one, then okay, what are you going to look like in year six? And I've seen guys, veteran players, here's the cliff and they fall right off it. If they don't take care of themselves in the off season and properly train and properly prepare their bodies and take care of themselves, and all of a sudden when their career ends that that decline happens fast. Kind of what's happened to me in the last two years, it feels like, oh my gosh, I've aged 10 in the last two. I thought I was getting old, now I really know it. But it truly, these guys and I really admire how hard he, and like guys like [LB] Fred [Warner] and Christian, they're obsessed with taking care of their bodies. And you think it's over the top and it really isn't if you think about what they're trying to do and squeezing one more year out, it's a lot. It's a lot of money. A lot of things go into squeezing that one more year out. And so I really respect the guys how hard they work to do that and it's hard. The guys have always said to me in the off seasons, the thing that chases guys out of this thing is the off season. The in-season's great. They all want to play the games and the games are fun and the games are great, but all the work it takes to get ready to play that season, whether you're here for OTAs or not, it doesn't change what those Sundays are, how violent they are, how physical they are, the demand that puts on the players now with short weeks, long weeks, 18 game schedules. Finally, they're saying, I just can't do all that anymore. And then ultimately when they get older, it catches up with them and they can't play a young man's game anymore. So that's the part that is really hard to do. So a guy that can do it to the extent that they do it, I'm going on and on because I really respect those guys.
Is that a testament to Trent Williams who is now in year 15, really in the NFL and has a veteran rest stay on Wednesday, but because of that, he's able to take care of his body and get extra years out of his career.
"Yeah, Trent is different. Trent just is learning that all of a sudden at 36, Trent is just now learning that he needs to take care of himself. I'll take one step back from that. Trent has really, since I remember when I left in Washington, he changed his diet, really changed his body, started taking care of what he ate. But Trent has always recovered from injury faster. He always had very little treatment time, very little time doing the traditional, these things that Juice and those guys do. Trent just works out and trains and he's just a phenom. But he is at that point now in his career that he does understand that those things become more important. So he has, Juice has kind of brought him along on a couple things and Trent realizes it does have some value. His is purely, he's a genetic wonder and that vet day is what he needs. And then a couple little things here and there, but I think if he's going to make it, and he's talked about it, he's not quite bouncing back as quick as he did six years ago. It's not that he's not healthy, it's just you're older and that ankle injury just doesn't, I get up in the morning, it's a little bit harder every morning. Same thing with him. It just eventually, after all those snaps. Right now he looks as good as I've seen. I keep saying that. It comes from, what am I doing practicing that guy? It's just how good he is. His is more genetic. He's blessed with it more than it is what he's doing."
QB Brock Purdy
RB Jordan Mason had a touchdown catch called back. We've seen what he can do as a ball carrier. What kind of potential does he have as a receiver?
"I think he's got just good skills with seeing the defense and a good feel. So, when he is running these choice routes and stuff from the backfield he understands where the quarterback needs to put the ball. And then from there he's able to make plays, man. Obviously, he's great with shedding tackles and making plays after the catch and the YAC that comes with it. So, he's got a lot of potential with it. We've just got to continue to grow in that area together and give him some opportunities. But from what we've done so far, even dating back to last year, he's made some catches and stuff last year out of the backfield as well. And so I'm really happy for him and I know that we still have to continue to get better together."
Is that part of the process, you and the running back being on the same page as far as those choice routes and just having an understanding of where he's going to be?
"Yeah. Like you can draw up a play on paper, but when everything is live and it's going full speed against another defense and stuff, there's another component of understanding where you need to be and how you need to run your route based off of leverage and all those kinds of things. And especially as a running back coming out of the backfield, that's such a big thing. Obviously, [RB] Christian [McCaffrey] is probably the best in the league to do it and so for [RB Jordan Mason] JP to jump in those shoes and try it out and feel it out, he's done a great job. And it's not easy. We've seen some running backs where you really can't do that kind of stuff, we've seen that practice and stuff, because it's hard for them to read defenses and all that. But JP's got a great feel, he's a natural and he's got great hands. You have to be able to catch the ball smoothly and transition and he does that really well. So I'm excited to see what we can do with him."
You guys on offense still have a lot of success, obviously, but maybe it looks a little different than it has in the past in terms of pushing the ball down the field more, maybe a few more tight-window throw. I was wondering what are you seeing from defenses that maybe is kind of changing the way you have to go about getting that? And is that something that you think pertains to you guys specifically, or is it just kind of team specific and the defenses that you're facing?
"I would say it's more team specific. Everybody sort of has a style of how they play. You know, Minnesota did their zone coverages and everything like that or brought all out. Last week against the Patriots, they did a good job of playing man and funneling everything to the middle. So, like there's different themes every week. Obviously, they're going to scheme us up and try to do what's best for them and stopping us with the playmakers that we have. But at the same time, I do feel like there may be a theme of, you know, man coverage and try to play one-on-one football. We got that from the Rams, we got that last week with the Patriots. So, we do see it more and more to get man. And so for us, what does that mean? We've just got to beat the guy in front of us and then for me as a quarterback, I've got to be accurate with the ball and we've got to execute. That's football at its finest. And so, I feel like we may see that a little bit more, but at the same time, you never know, because every defense has their different style."
Do you think defenses are purposefully like mucking up the middle of the field a little bit more in terms of trying to take away some of the intermediate crossers and things that you've kind of made a living off of for the last couple years?
"Yeah, no, I 100-percent agree that they are. I feel like my rookie year and that 2022 season, even with [Los Angeles Rams QB] Jimmy [Garoppolo], man, we hit a lot of stuff over the middle and we had a lot of explosives like that and cross courting plays and getting the ball into like [WR] Deebo [Samuel] and [WR Brandon Aiyuk] B.A.'s hands and then they break one tackle and they're gone. And so, I feel like we do see a lot more help and stuff in the middle of the field for sure. But at the same time, that opens up other things and avenues and areas for us to get better and attack. And so, some defenses do that, some don't. I guess that's something that we've seen over the last year or so. But we have to adjust, man, that's football."
You've made 25 career regular season starts now. Where have you seen or recognize the biggest growth that you've made during that time? And then what's the next step for you to take it to an even higher level?
"Yeah, I think you know, over the last year or so, it's been about getting in and executing and doing my job well. And I feel like when I first got in, it was, 'alright, how can I handle this offense as a whole,' just mentally with how [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] calls it and the language that it is, it's tough man. And you've got to study, you've got to be on top of your stuff. And I feel like I've grown in that area for sure. And then I think just for myself, the challenge for me now is, man, how can I continue to have that mentality of having the chip on my shoulder and competing every down in the game for four quarters? I feel like when I first got in my rookie year, there was this, this energy of, 'hey, I'm a young guy getting thrown in, man, I'm going to just show my guys that I can compete and bring it and bring it every down and every play and give our team a chance.' And sometimes, like when you play for a long time, you can sort of lose that and get into the mental part of the game of, I just, I need to do this in the game or that in the game. But what it boils down to is for four quarters, man, how can you compete and elevate everybody else's game around you by doing what it takes to win and that simplicity of it. So, I feel like that's still an area that I can learn from and grow and be reminded that that's what football is."
Following up on that question. Your teammates, they believe in you. It's clear when they're asked about you and your abilities, but there's this crowd of people that they still want you to make them a believer that you can do what it is that you can do. Do you ever listen to that kind of stuff and go out in a game and say, huh, like, watch this? Or do you just block it all out?
"Yeah, no, I don't buy into really what people say about me or what they believe about me. Like I've said before, all that matters is for me to come in, do my job really well, allow this offense to move and be the machine that it is and go out and win. Find a way to win. And so, if we're doing that, I mean, people can say all that that they want, but if I'm performing for my guys in the locker room and the coaches and in this organization, that's all that matters. And so, I continue to hang my hat on that and that's my mindset every game is I'm playing for these guys right here, no one else. Like obviously our Faithful and the fans and everything, but more than anything, man, the guys in the locker room that we go to work with every single day. And so, that's my mindset. And then obviously if you watch the film and the games, then you see what you see."
Early in the game, you hit Brandon on a crosser or it was kind of a deep cross, it was like the fifth play, and the route combination seemed really to make him wide open. What did you anticipate when you were going through that play the night before and did it shake out the way you thought it would?
"Yeah, I mean they had two safeties split deep. They played cover-two. We had a guy on the outside running off a corner and a safety, and then all B.A. had to do was clear this MIKE linebacker going deep in the middle of the field. And so, as I'm dropping back, going through my read, I'm like, alright, we got this if I can get this ball out in front and B.A. crosses that linebacker, we should be good. And so, you know, the night before we have our set of plays that we're going to try to run in the beginning of the game and I just try to go through every scenario with coverages and stuff of, 'what's my answer if I get this coverage or that?' And so, with cover-two on that play, I was like, alright, if we get this, I just got to get enough time for B.A. to cross field and it should be there, and sure enough, it was."
What do you notice defenses giving him this season?
"I mean, I feel like he's definitely a guy that when defenses are scheming up our offense, they've got to circle 11 and know that if you leave him one-on-one, he's going to be a target at some point in the game. And so, they do their best of clouding, putting a safety over the top and double-teaming him and all that kind of stuff. But you know, for us, that's football. We still have plenty of opportunities for us to be able to get him the ball and stuff. And that's something that throughout the game plans and stuff throughout the week, we still find a way to make it work. So, I know we're going to get him plenty of targets and plays coming, so we're excited about it."
You've kicked more short field goals than you probably wanted to see in the first four games. I think you're 50-percent in the red zone and last year was like 68-percent. I mean, the obvious answer is that the best red zone back in the league is not playing. But what other things do you see that you guys can get in the end zone at the kind of frequency you did last year?
"Man, I mean, I know it sounds pretty cliche, but I think just the simple executing your job, you know, and everybody doing their part. There's been, everybody's sort of had their moments in the red zone, including myself with reads, protection, guys picking up certain guys. And that's what it comes down to, man. It takes 11 guys to do their job really well and then for us to be on point when it comes to the throw and catch. And so, that's what it comes down to. Obviously, I think being able to run the ball in is a huge thing. And so, when it comes down to third down and stuff, we just have to execute better in the red zone and that's what it comes down to. And that's why we haven't executed the way we've wanted to, at our standard and that's why we've had to kick so many field goals. But you know, everybody just has to do their job. You learn early throughout the season of what it takes, and it's not just given to you down there. Especially down there, everything's tighter. So, we've just got to be on point and learn from our mistakes and push each other in that area."
FB Kyle Juszczyk, maybe more so than most, is really obsessed with what he puts in his body and health and all that. Is there anything you can speak to as far as, have you noticed that, and do those guys like him and TE George Kittle and RB Christian McCaffrey influence you as far as what it takes to stay in this game for a long time?
"One-hundred percent. I mean, you see the longevity of Juszczyk and for how old he is because he is extremely old [laughter]. For how long he has been playing seriously at a high level and he still looks great and feels great and he's there at every practice and every game and every moment. He is there, Juice is there. And so, obviously the way he prepares and what he puts into his body is real. Same with George, Christian, [LB] Fred [Warner], Bosa, all these guys, man, the best of the best. Every little thing matters. Sleep, hydration, nutrition, those are things that they hone in on and, and we see it literally every day in the cafeteria of what they put into their body and how some things can make your body inflamed and not recover as fast and that's why they're eating so clean and stuff. So, they're a testament to that. I've definitely learned from them. Obviously, I want to continue to get better in that area as my career goes on. But he's a testament to it, so he is the best to do it."
In your mic'd up, you said to Deebo after that play that you could have led him a little bit more. What did you see from that play when you were in it and then afterwards watching the film?
"Yeah I still believe that. If I would've just led him in stride, I think that's a touchdown. But obviously the safety that was in the middle of the field wasn't getting deep and we had a post on in which Deebo ran really well. And for me, I saw him so open that I didn't want to overthrow him. I did that last year against the Rams. There's some plays where I've underthrown him too. And so, I was just trying to get a completion, but in hindsight, I have to be aggressive. I have to lead him in stride and trust him more than anything for him to go and make that play. That's what I meant by it. So, I wish I would've led him and it would've been a touchdown, but JP finished it either way."
And then you confirmed it after you watching the film, correct?
"Yeah, 100-percent."
After it's best start in almost 25 years, care to comment on the unbeaten Iowa State Cyclones?
"Oh yeah. Man, just what Coach [Iowa State head football coach Matt] Campbell's done over there, what he believes in, all the guys that he's got rallied, going. They've got really good players, they've got a good team, good culture. I'm pumped for them, so I just hope they keep going. I know they will. They're going to compete every Saturday and bring their best and, man, am I proud to be a Cyclone and see them have their success."
