San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and several others spoke with reporters after Sunday's 38-13 Week 14 win over the Chicago Bears. Here is what they said.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan
Opening comments:
"Alright guys, injuries from the game: [OL] Ben Bartch went out with an ankle, didn't return, [RB] Isaac [Guerendo] went out with a foot, didn't return. Go ahead."
What is the extent of Guerendo's foot injury?
"We're not sure. Possible foot sprain. X-Rays didn't for sure show anything. So we'll have to look into it more tomorrow."
Bartch isn't a high ankle sprain, is it?
"Yes."
How much did you guys just need that right off the bat, to jump out to the 24-0 lead after what's gone on in the last couple weeks?
"A lot. Losing that close one at Seattle in the last play at home was so tough. And then the following two weeks were as bad as it got, so we had to step it up today. Wanted to play well. I thought we did play well, and the most important thing was getting a win and we got it done. I was proud of the guys, the way they came out and the way they finished."
Is that the best offensive rhythm you think this team's been in, the first half especially?
"Yeah, definitely. That first half went pretty well, so having, I think, over 300 yards in a half and I think our defense gave up two. So I don't think anyone in the league has done that in a half this year on both sides, so it was a hell of a first half."
What did you think of the way Isaac played before he got hurt and how consciously were you trying to take advantage of his receiving skills? Those two catches obviously helped.
"Brock [Purdy] got to a checkdown on that first third down. He was waiting on [TE George] Kittle to get across the middle, and that's who I was watching. And then he went underneath to Isaac and they just dropped them. So that was a huge play. But I thought Isaac looked real good today. Ran hard, affected the game in the pass game. And hopefully we get some good news on his injury. That's why I had mixed emotions on that last drive. It was nice to be able to go on a 14-play drive to finish it with a touchdown and kind of put them away, but it was tough losing Isaac there."
What was the difference offensively today? It seems like you've been waiting to have this type of a performance all season.
"It's just how it went. There's not like an answer on this compared to the rest of the season. Guys played well, stayed on the field on third down, thought we got the run game and the pass game going. I thought that, I mean the defense kept giving us the ball back every second in the first half, so it was easy to stick with it. And momentum is contagious. Not just on the offense, but all three phases."
Were you a little anxious on the roughing the passer when Brock stayed down for a little bit?
"Yeah, always, when any of our players are down. But they talked to me in my headset and stuff and by the time he got to the sideline, they told me he was good, so it was short-lived."
One of the themes this season between you guys and the players is, "We need to play complimentary football." And it did seem that everybody was firing on all cylinders in all phases of the game today. I wanted to know, did you think that was sparked by the offense? But you kind of just said that you feel like the defense, well you said they kept it going, so do you think it was sparked by the offense and do you think that's how you keep that going for the rest of the season?
"We got the ball first and we scored. And then our defense got it right back to us and it kind of went that way the whole half. I think maybe our second series we did punt. And when the defense stops a team three-and-out right after that and you get it right back, then you quickly forget about it when you punt. They go down and tie it up, the whole game gets changed. So it's all complimentary football. And the guys were in sync today."
What did you think of S Talanoa Hufanga's first came back and what does his presence do for the secondary?
"Oh, I was just pumped to get Huf out there in uniform. We weren't sure how it was going to go this week with him being back for practice and we thought he looked real good. And then when he told me he had the confidence he had to play on Friday, I was pumped to start him. So just to get him out there, I thought was, just the emotions of it I thought sparked our team. And it looked like he played real well, just from what I saw live, I'll see more on the tape. But just the type of guy Huf is and getting him back out on the field with us throughout the week and then in that game, I think, fired our guys up."
You mentioned the other day that before RB Christian McCaffrey got here, you'd been pretty plug-and-play with your running backs and been able to use different guys. For Isaac to step up like he did, and RB Patrick Taylor Jr. came in and got a touchdown. If Guerendo is hurting, what can Taylor do for you?
"I think you guys saw a little bit today. When we've given Patrick runs, going back to the preseason and in practice, he's a good runner. He hits the right spots, he runs hard. So he's a guy who can definitely help us. And he had some big carries, I want to say, versus Seattle. I think it was when [RB Jordan Mason] JP went out and he was spelling Isaac and he had to spell Isaac today. And when he went in, did a good job on all his opportunities."
You aren't really like a rah-rah guy, but after those two tough games, even three tough games, as you mentioned in the Seattle game, did you feel the need to speak to your team about keeping the mood up or do you just sense that it was going to happen anyway?
"You mean after the game or before?"
Going into this week.
"Yeah, every time you get in a meeting as a coach, you want to figure out something that's going to affect the players. And when I say affect them, make them practice better or play better. There's very rarely some special words that changes how guys play. But we did talk about the importance of this, where we were at. Regardless of the result, I wanted to make sure that we came out today and just showed grit. We wanted to fight. And these last two weeks, just not making it a game, was something we weren't proud of and we were ready to battle today. Regardless of how that went, it went as good as it could. The win was awesome, but I just wanted to make sure our team and how our team worked, were ready. And you could tell in the meetings last night, guys were ready for this game. And they came out and it showed."
What was the message to the team and do you think you can carry this momentum into Thursday night?
"I hope so. Momentum, yeah, we feel good right now, we played well. It's going to come fast and the only way we're going to really enjoy today is if we take care of business on Thursday. And then we'll have three days to kind of enjoy it and come back and deal with our last three games. But if you don't take care of business on Thursday, not much to celebrate about today. And the main message in there is how proud I am of the guys and now let's go home, get to sleep. Those guys take care of their bodies tomorrow. We'll put in the game plan tomorrow and we've got to come in Tuesday ready to go, because we're 48 hours from a game once that happens."
Do you feel like you were in a rhythm as a play caller? It seemed like you were calling things we haven't seen that much like zone reads and tight end screens.
"I mean, called some tight end screens this year. Zone read we hadn't. But that's just more of a scheme thing that we thought look good and couldn't believe Brock didn't hand it off. But once he pulled it, I think that was a good decision too. Just, we had to overcome that holding call, which we didn't score, but I thought we did in the second half."
You said you wanted the guys to come out and play with some grit. When you think about the fact that S Malik Mustapha took a hard hit, looked like he was a little rattled, came to the sideline, went back in, and he was the guy that broke up that play with Chicago Bears WR Rome Odunze, when he broke that up. If he wasn't there, that could have been a touchdown, obviously. But then also the grit behind Brock Purdy taking a hard hit coming out, coming right back a snap later. Can you just speak to the resilience of those two guys?
"Yeah, grit, it's such a roundabout saying, but like, we've got gritty dudes all over our team. We've got as tough of guys as there is. I just wanted our team, we haven't been able to battle and finish a game when things have gone bad there. And that's what I wanted to make sure, just the whole team, that we were going to play with grit and show that. Not necessarily as individuals, I know we've got gritty dudes all over. But when you have your backs against the wall like we have had, that's when it's your opportunities to show that your team can still play with some grit, your team can have some resilience. And when we've been in those situations this year where we needed to, we haven't. I think we've done it a lot in the past, which, so we know how it looks and we know what it feels like. But the opportunities that we've had this year, we hadn't gotten that done. And I just wanted to remind them that this year is not over and today was an opportunity to show that. And that's not something you can do as an individual. We've got gritty dudes, but as a team, that's collectively. And everyone's got to be kind of, I mean they say like psychology is contagious. You try to think like one and play like one. And I felt that today from our team."
Over the last week, there's been some rumors over the webs that you could be traded to Chicago and president of football operations/general manager John Lynch called them comical. Do you have a word to describe those rumors?
"I don't know why they come out, but I don't want to be any place in the world more than here. And my family feels just as strong, if not a lot stronger. So I hope, you guys are going to have to kick me out of here. There's no way I'm making that decision."
Without McCaffrey, DL Nick Bosa, T Trent Williams, that's three captains. Do you see other leaders kind of younger players emerging as, somewhat as leaders?
"Yeah, I think we've been needing that all year. When you want to be a leader, it starts with what you do on the field. It's got to be genuine. And when you have a certain way of playing on the field and you're out there and you do things, guys will start to look to those guys as leaders. And then it's kind of how you carry yourself and what you do in those moments. I think we've had a lot of guys on this team, going back to even Week One until now that weren't, that didn't expect to get a lot of opportunities maybe when we drafted them or back in training camp, and they've gotten opportunities fast. And that's, I think, one of the positives, that there are a lot of guys that we do believe in, that I do believe are getting better each week and hopefully they're going to be good Niners here for a long time."
How valuable is it to have a guy like Isaac, with that kind of speed but also enough size to run inside?
"I don't get how you can do one without the other. So if you could just draft track guys to run the speed plays and big guys to run the other plays, then that'd be easy. But you can get hit wherever you go. So you better be able to run outside, inside, you've better be able to lower your pads and take hits. And the faster you are, the better, as long as you can do all that other stuff."
Have you run that screen pass to Kittle, that 33-yarder on the first drive, before? And then, just how well was he able to exploit the defense?
"It was good. We caught them in a zone dog, which helps, because there weren't, they were matching all the guys down the field. So there was only kind of one guy looking at him. Got scarred a lot back in the day calling that because, especially people like [defensive quality control coach] K.J. Wright, they would just sit and stare at Kittle every time he blocked. So as soon as he'd catch it, people would drill him. So sometimes it's hard to get screens to guys who are really good at it, but that was a good play to open it up, got it versus the right look and when you can get George the ball versus the right look, I think everyone sees how explosive he is. We just give him some crap for getting tackled inside the five twice. But he was unbelievable today."
Brock had then bump shoulder against Seattle, then had to sit out, then it was in a snow storm. It was kind of difficult for him during that three-game losing streak. Did he stay kind of steady throughout? Did you sense any sort of frustration?
"Yeah, normal frustration. We want to win and Brock's as competitive as anyone I've been around. So he was real disappointed about the Seattle game and how they got away from us at the end. And then for him to come in Monday and feel the way he did was kind of a shock to him, and to all of us and it didn't respond very well that week. And so, he wasn't able to come back versus Green Bay and get that taste out of his mouth. And when he did versus Buffalo, that wasn't a very fun game, for obvious reasons. So he's been battling, he's been awesome in practice, he's been great in the meetings. I was real happy him for today because it seemed like he played his ass off and he was decisive in everything he did and he's always a competitor."
On that second challenge, were they already in the replay review or did you throw the flag to try to get them to do the review? How did that all go over?
"Which one?"
You threw the challenge flag on the second time.
"The low catch or the fumble? The fumble. Yeah, once they said it was an incompletion, then we saw on the scoreboard that he threw it backwards, so then I just threw it and said it was a fumble and I think they overturned it anyway after I did that. So got my challenge back."
After a couple of cross-country road trips and inclement weather, how much did you feel the home field advantage today?
"We always feel a home field advantage. It's so nice to not have to use a silent count and to be able to use our cadence and tee off on the ball and everything. We don't mind going on the road. We've been able to play in loud environments, we've been able to play in cold weather. It doesn't mean we prefer it, but we always love being at home and can't wait to be here in four days."
49ers QB Brock Purdy
How can you build on with the big performance today?
"Yeah, it's huge. Obviously just where we're at and every week matters so much. We all know that. So I think just the biggest thing was just getting some energy and momentum. This league is hard. It's tough. If you don't have momentum or energy and belief within a building, it can be really tough. So for us, I think that was the emphasis today and I think we got it."
I'm sure it wasn't just you, but you were mentioned as someone who said some things to the team. What was your message? What do you think the mood of the team was going into this game?
"We said some things. I was just trying to keep it real and remind guys this isn't easy. This job isn't for everybody, but who we have in this building, we have what it takes. And we've shown that the last couple years and we've just got to dig deep and find ourselves. And I think we did, I think guys responded to it. Really I was just talking to myself too, not just trying to preach to the guys, but remind myself of how hard this thing is and how much of a competitor you've got to be for four quarters and go and take it. Nothing's ever given to you. So it was just a reminder to myself and to our teammates of where we're at and where we're trying to go and some other guys spoke. I think we all feel it. We just want to win for each other at this point."
Was it last night?
"Yeah, it was last night."
You guys looked different offensively today. It feels like you've been waiting to have this type of 60-minute performance all season?
"Yeah, I think we just all executed, did our job and kept it simple. I don't think guys were overthinking anything. Whatever it was called, we trusted in [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and we just executed. And I think it was just more of our mindset. We were aggressive, I think everybody across the board. Once we scored, defense got a stop, we go back up, put some points up on the board, they got a turnover, we scored, that's team football. And I think it just all starts with our mindset. Something that we've all been talking about a lot more around here, but today we just went out there, we executed and we played aggressive more than anything."
How do you assess TE George Kittle's performance today?
"He is a baller. You get the ball in his hands like that and he can get all the YAC after and he's just so explosive. For where he's at in his career, to continue to put up those kind of numbers and be that dominant it's a pretty sweet thing. Obviously would like to get him the ball in space and let him do his thing, and that's what he did today."
You mentioned momentum. How important is it to use this as a springboard Thursday Night?
"Yeah, it was huge, but it's a quick turnaround, that's for sure. So we've just all got to get healthy, get back on track and come back out Thursday with this kind of mindset of playing aggressive and doing what it takes for four quarters. And I think the game will go how it needs to go. But for us, our mindset is the biggest thing. We've got to clear this, not get too high on it or anything and learn from it and come ready Thursday. It's a 0-0 game and a clean slate."
Can you describe the clothes-line hit and the pain that you felt and what you were dealing with?
"Yeah, it was just a weird hit. My body was in an awkward position and for me, never really been in a situation like that. So I was just sort of in shock. I felt some stuff within my body and I was just letting myself cool down. That's why I went out for a play and just making sure I was being smart about it and I was fine. My body was good and went back in. I'm good."
Did you hear the crowd when you came back onto the field?
"Yeah, I could hear them."
What's your reaction? Are are you able to appreciate that moment or is it laser focused on what's happening?
"A little bit of both. Obviously I'm trying to go out and do my job and execute for our team, our organization, our fans and everybody. But just hearing them sort of have my back like that was pretty cool. I love playing for this organization, for our fan base. Every time I step out in that field at Levi's I'm very thankful for it. So, love playing for our fan base."
The ball was coming out on time and in rhythm. A lot of guys were just wide open. Nothing that hasn't happened more this season, but for a sustained period. Did it feel more like 2023 in some ways?
"It's just sort of how the game went. I think Kyle did a good job dialing up some plays and for us to just go out there and just play. Guys, we just trusted each other. Just when I threw the ball to [WR Jauan Jennings] J.J. or George, like it, there's a sense of trust that we all have and where they need to be. And I think last year going back and watching a couple games it's like that. There's a lot of times where I go through a progression and I lay a ball and expect a guy to be there and they're there. It's just getting those reps and those trusts to continue to grow together. I know it's late in the season, but it's never too late to continue to work on those things and grow. And I thought today we just did that."
What were you expecting on that one missed connection with WR Ricky Pearsall? It seemed like you guys were on a different page there?
"I thought he was going to keep it a little bit skinnier up the field and then he saw space, so he sort of cut across and I just threw the ball early and sort of anticipated and I missed him. I think his decision on going across the more middle of the field was a great decision. If I would've laid the ball right there for him, it would've been a touchdown. So, it's something that he and I, we talked about and I told him, I was like, 'We've just got to keep growing together and learning each other and seeing each other in and out of cuts.' But that's something that I missed on him. He exectuted his job."
49ers DL Leonard Floyd
How do you feel about your play today?
"I think that we played great. All the guys came out, played at a high level. We knew it was a must win game and guys just attacked practice all week and it showed up today during the game."
Have you ever been a part of a performance where you allowed four total yards to a team in the first half?
"No that is great defense. The goal is that we are going to carry that into Thursday and the rest of our games. We have to build off of that."
Is it easier to carry when you know that the games are must wins?
"Yes. When you are in desperate times, you have to grab it by the horns and go get it. Our mentality is to win because we are not trying to go home early."
49ers RB Isaac Guerendo
We saw you getting downfield and catching those passes today. Do you think you caught them by surprise with that?
"I'm sure there's people out there who didn't expect that from me, so being able to showcase that is obviously a positive."
You went out a little earlier in the game and the commentator thought something went wrong with your knee. Was everything alright on that play?
"Yes, everything is fine. They're just being cautious. We have a quick turnaround this week, so we're just making sure that we're good to go."
In terms of the way you were running the football, could you sense their defense getting worn down a little bit?
"I thought they played hard defensively. We were just able to keep our foot on the gas pedal. Also, our defense kept putting us in great position. They were getting stops when they needed. Playing complementary football always helps."
49ers S Talanoa Hufanga
Obviously, no one expected you to play. It was up in the air. We'd see you out there after your practice window was open. When you were out there, Coach [Head Coach Kyle Shanahan] said you showed excitement and that you were ready to play. How did it feel to get back out there and get a win?
"It's always good to get a win in this league. They're hard to come by. I had conversations with Kyle, I was being smart and I felt good. I felt ready to go. Obviously, I didn't practice too much, but I definitely did stay in my playbook, stayed in the film and I think that's what keeps me up to speed. Coming out here today, I played as much as I felt like I could play and was really happy about it for sure."
Knowing that you're coming back, there's a possibility [LB] Dre Greenlaw returns against the Rams. It's a short week, but I asked Kyle a question and he said a lot, but he also said this season isn't over. Do you guys feel like that and does this kind of win galvanize you guys to feel like that even more?
"Most definitely. Coming into today, each game from here on out is a playoff game truthfully. We'll see how the cards land. We just got to win every week. You want to win every game regardless. There's no 'We have to win against our division.' At the end of the day, we have to win. Period. So for us it's just get a good win. It was a solid win today. It gets us prepped to play a team that just beat Buffalo, the Rams, on Thursday."
Against the Rams two years ago, one of your big moments that year was the pick six. Does that give you a little extra juice?
"Most definitely. I'm just excited to be playing a good, solid team. I love going against [Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew] Stafford, too. It's just the competition. I got to talk to him a little bit last game. He sees a lot and he's played for a long time. We have to come out right, come out correct. Just because the way he plays, he wants to outsmart you and play his style of ball. I'm excited for this match. This is going to be a good chess game for us. We just have to move some pieces around."
49ers WR Jauan Jennings
You guys got a really quick start out there. How did it feel to keep that momentum going?
"It felt great. It felt like we were our old selves again."
What was going on that was so right?
"[Head Coach] Kyle [Shanahan] was calling plays, dialing them up. The ball was moving. I don't think anything too special. We just came out there and executed the game plan."
All season long you guys have been talking about playing complimentary football. It seemed like that's what was happening out there today. Was it sparked by the offense and kept up by the defense?
"We just had some leaders step up over this week voicing their opinion. What it led back to was just everybody needs to bring the energy on the sideline. I think that's one of the big reasons we took the 'W' today."
What was said?
"I can't tell you exactly what was said. I might say the wrong thing. But [QB] Brock Purdy and Dmo [DB Deommodore Lenoir] said a few things and as you know, [TE] George Kittle, and [LB] Fred Warner always gives us the best pregame speeches. It was definitely a help this week."
49ers TE George Kittle
What did Head Coach Kyle Shanahan say in last night's team meeting?
"Kyle doesn't always have players speak or spoke, however you want to say it. He used to when he was first starting off as a head coach, he would let vets talk about things that were important to them and why they play the game. He hasn't done it for a while, but he had [DB Deommodore] Demo [Lenoir] go up and talk. While he looks loud and wise, and he is on the football field, he's more lead by example, lead with the way that he plays. When you give guys like that an opportunity to speak in front of the team, it means a lot to everybody watching and to everybody listening to everybody in that room. We respect and love Demo, not just how he plays, but he is a great teammate. He shows up every day, he works his tail off and he plays the game the right way. For him to speak and then also [QB] Brock [Purdy] in front of the team, which he doesn't always do, but just for him to talk it doesn't really matter what they say. There's no magical rah-rah speech or anything like that. It's just the fact that it means enough to them that that when Kyle asked them to speak that they say, 'yes, I would love to speak in front of the team' and so I think just that in itself definitely motivates the boys."
Were your impressions of RB Isaac Guerendo?
"You know what my first question was when we knew he was going to start, 'how well can he catch?' because that's a big thing in our offense. I think he proved that today that he can catch like that one down in the sun. You could not see anything in that corner. He caught that which was awesome and pumped that Brock gave him an opportunity on that and then he ran his tail off. All I've been preaching to Isaac is, 'hey man, just run really, really fast and hold on to the football and you're going to get a lot of yards.' I thought he did a really good job of that today."
Was today a little bit of a sign that everybody in the locker room still believes in what's going on?
"I mean, we still have everything in front of us to play for. I know like certain things might need to happen, but if we win every single game, I think we've put ourselves in a very good position to either win the division or somehow sneak our way into playoff contention. I thought everyone's focused on this one week, 'hey everybody lock in'. Forget the whole season whether you've played like crap the entire season, whether you've had missed opportunities, or whether you have a bunch of touchdowns. Whatever it is, flush all that and just focus on this one game. Put all your time and effort and energy into this one game and then we'll live with those results. I think the whole team did that the entire week. We had a great week of practice. Everyone was dialed in and then we went on to this game and ran the heck out of the ball. Brock found a rhythm and our defense was on fire. Playing team football and I definitely think everybody in this building still believes - our coaching staff is excellent. Coach Shanahan dials up great game plans and our execution today was, I thought, really, really well done. If you can just combine those two things, our offense is pretty good."
49ers WR Deebo Samuel Sr.
What was it like for you to watch the defense in that first half? The Bears only had four total yards in the first half alone.
"They were playing real good ball."
What was the key for you guys to have so many explosive plays? I think it was eight explosives in the first half.
"Just have to protect the ball. O-line did a good job today and we made plays down the field."
How about RB Isaac Guerendo making his starting debut and going off?
"The moment presented itself. Early on in the year, when he had his opportunity, he played pretty well.
What is the biggest key to getting ready for the Rams on Thursday? Quick turnaround.
"Just get as healthy as you can for Thursday."
49ers LB Fred Warner
What do you think was shown today?
"We just got back to being us. The product we were putting on the field the last couple of weeks just wasn't us. We knew that. We knew we had a great opportunity this week to come out at home, right those wrongs and get back to playing our style and doing what we do best. It was complimentary football all the way through, the way the offense came out and scored right away. Then we went out there on defense and got those stops early on and played a great half of football. There's things to clean up in that second half, but we just have to build on this win."
Did you feel like that sort of performance was coming because you practiced well on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and that this was natural to be the result of that?
"Yeah, everything was coming along. Even in the last couple of weeks, even though it didn't go our way, we practiced really well in those weeks. It just didn't translate onto the field. Today, you saw it translate with execution when it mattered most."
How important is it to carry this over to Thursday?
"Extremely important. We talked about how we just wanted one win. That was the goal today to get one win. Now obviously, we got that and it's the same mindset this week. Just one win Thursday Night against a divisional opponent. We have to win in the division. We have to win all of these, honestly. But it's just about one game."
It was mentioned by people that some of the leaders addressed the team this week because of the circumstances. You were among them and so was QB Brock Purdy. Maybe that's not unusual. Was that unique for him or his message?
"The message across the board from all of the guys, whether it was Brock, myself or all of us, honestly was just to fight for one win. It was everything today. We treated it like a playoff game and that's what they are going forward. Every game means everything. We're treating it one week at a time. It's a 1-0 mentality. It's just one game coming up. That's our entire focus."
Bears Head Coach Thomas Brown
Opening statement:
"We'll hit injuries first. [Chicago Bears WR] DeAndre Carter had a hamstring and [Chicago Bears RB] Travis Homer had a head injury. We're going to continue to try to evaluate going forward. I'll start with what I addressed with the team. We got our butts kicked. There's no other way to say it. We'll always be straightforward, honest, and open about the things that transpired. We have to do a better job of putting a better game plan on both sides of the ball, so we can execute better and continue to challenge our guys to be at their best. Also, encourage those guys and also demand that we still stay unified. That's a grown man's business. There is no 'lay down' or quitting in our football team, which I do love. We have to do a better job of trying to find ways to start the games faster. Particularly on the offensive side of the ball. I think we do a decent job at halftime of making adjustments, but, get the ball rolling at the beginning of some games to be able to build with the lead. Overall, not enough explosiveness on the offensive side of the ball and gave up way too many on defense."
You've been an offensive coach until this week. What are you doing, what's your role when you see the defense struggling and you're down 21 in the first half?
"I still trust our defensive coaches. I still have to go back and watch the tape. I haven't watched it yet, so I don't want to make too many comments without having a chance to see it and grade it myself. Again, it's about all of us getting back to work to find a solution and put our guys in a better place, better spots to make plays."
You told us about your postgame message to the team. How did it seem like they were doing? What's the mood in the locker room? We know what it's been the last few weeks. What is it today?
"We got our butts kicked, so the mood isn't great. But obviously our guys are still together. Like I said before, I'm going to be open and honest with them about what transpired, but also moving forward, we have enough of the right guys in the locker room from a leadership standpoint to get back to work. After today we'll hop back on the plane and put all the focus on Minnesota."
In the second quarter, Chicago Bears Defensive Coordinator Eric Washington got the defense together. Did you hear that message that he delivered to them on the sideline?
"I did not hear that message, no."
How do you get your brain around the slow starts and how consistent they've been this season?
"That's a great question. I mean, if I had the answer, I would've already fixed it. But I think again, just being able to understand how to sell ourselves into a game, being able to stay in the grass, convert on third downs and keep some drives going is going to be the biggest part of it. That will be a point of emphasis for us moving forward."
There's a really long way to go before you guys cross the finish line of the season. How do you do your part to make sure that these guys understand that there's still four games left and there's a lot of football to get through?
"It's simple. I'm going to be the same guy every single day regardless of the circumstances. The message will be the same, my approach will be the same and we'll find ways to get back to work and get better."
Can you just talk about the experience of running the show as the head coach for the first time?
"The goal always, I don't care what my role is, is to win football games, right? We didn't win. That's always going to be the focus and the point of emphasis and I have to do a better job again. It always starts with me. So communicate better to the entire staff. Continue to try to find ways to demand more from our players so we can show up on game day and play the right way. We played a really good football team and they kicked our butts."
The sacks on third down. What did you see on those plays and then what did you think of Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams' game overall?
"I think he fought his butt off like he always does. I think we continue to try to find ways to get our guys open so we get the ball out on time. But also going back to the slow starts. When you're behind and having to come back in games, you're kind of forced to have to drop back more, which obviously exposes you more to sacks."
Most coaches get months to prepare for their first game, but you only had one week. How are you doing as far as getting the operation leading up to the game, and then on game day, the way you want?
"I feel like the operation leading up to it was fine. I kept my same rhythm offensively. Obviously there's more on my table when it comes to how I set schedules, communicating with the team multiple times a day. That's going to continue to be something I kind of work through in the future. But I don't make excuses, whether I have a week or five months to go to win football games and we didn't win. That's going to be my only focus today and moving forward."
What did you think of Caleb today?
"This is the first time I've been on the grass, so having a chance to meet with him face to face kind of makes it a little bit different when it comes to that versus being in the box and being on the headset. But again, I think he's relatively always calm, cool, and collected, and obviously super competitive. There was no quit and no crying and complaining with him, which I love and appreciate and he is a super confident dude, so he's not rattled one bit, but we have to find ways to be better for us offensively."
Did you get an explanation on the fumble?
"Yeah, I did. Rule change. I kind of argued that, but it is what it is."
What did they say?
"As far as the change of the tuck rule, and it wasn't about his arm going forward when he tried to pull it back. It was more about how the ball came out of his hand, so they ruled the fumble."
First half, I think it was 320 to 4 in total yardage. How do you wrap your brains around how lopsided that was?
"I don't. We got our butts kicked. Like I said, we didn't stay on the grass offensively, take over on third down, and we just gave up too many explosives on defense."
In 18 days you went from the passing game coordinator to the offensive coordinator to the interim head coach. At any point has this felt like a lot, especially with your first game as head coach in the books?
"Not really. I try to keep it from a small focus standpoint. I think the outside world puts a bigger emphasis on certain things and I understand why, because the role is big. I'm not going to act like it's not. But my focus always stays on the job that I've been asked to do, and I try to be the best at that."
Chicago Bears WR Rome Odunze has been kind of in the shadows since the day you guys drafted him because of Caleb being there and the experienced receivers being there. What are you seeing from him? He had two touchdowns today, but what are you seeing from him now as he's getting toward the end of his rookie season?
"Rome has been very consistent from day one, like I've said before. I think as far as his approach to the game, he is super mature. He does a really good job in meetings and taking notes, being detailed, doing exactly what we asked him to do, and I'm glad he showed that when we had an opportunity today."
Bears QB Caleb Williams
First half struggles have been a consistent issue all year. How do you wrap your brain around the slow starts?
"Yeah, exactly what [Head Coach Thomas Brown] TB said. I think if we had the answer we would've solved it by now as players, as coaches. It's not something that you want to do. Because that puts you behind the games and then when you're behind in games, which we've been in a couple of these past games that we've been playing, you got to come back and it's a taller task. We have to do it if it happens. But, it's a taller task and you don't want to deal with that every game. If you can get out and jump on people in these teams and impose your will, that's obviously what you want to do early in games. We haven't been doing that."
We've talked about the value of you getting reps this season. When you're chasing points the way you've had to chase them in the last two weeks. Are those reps a little less valuable because it's not kind of the ideal situation of run/pass mix and you're probably throwing a lot more than you would ordinarily?
"I wouldn't say that it's hindering anything or anything like that for me personally. I think they drop back in these coverages. They're mixing up coverages and things like that. Because, obviously, when you get down now, they're trying to make sure that you don't start coming back and scoring points. It's something that we've done recently pretty well when we get down and we come out of halftime and things like scoring points and getting after it. I wouldn't put it in that context of it being negative."
Was the communication with you and TB the same today as it had been? What ways was it different because he was the head coach?
"Yeah. I'd say it's the same. I would say him and I, him being on the field, obviously you're right there, being able to talk to each other and things like that face-to-face. I'd say that was the biggest difference. And then from there when you have these promotions, when you have these situations that we've had happen with coaches being fired and things like that, and promotions, people earn or are promoted to new jobs and there's new things that they have to deal with. I always talk about in all the interviews that I do is all the small things matter. When you have to add more to what you're already doing it's something new and it's live bullets flying, every once in a while, things are going to happen. Communication is going to be different than what it was in the previous position that you were in just because you have a lot more on your plate. I think we did well today with the situation that has occurred. We got to keep going, keep fighting and stand tall."
Thomas told us earlier in the week that his message to you guys was about how football rewards teams that play violently. Just knowing that you guys got outgained by 315 yards in the first half, how do you rectify whether that's effort, whether that's just being outplayed, how do you rectify that knowing what Thomas had kind of encouraged you guys to do today?
"I don't know if Thomas said it like this, but we got our butts kicked today. There's no way around it. Like you said, I think at one point, going into the half, they had 240 something, I believe and we had 4 total yards. That's regardless of how we feel, regardless of all of that, we got it handed to us. As an offense, defense, special teams, myself, we got to come out and be better. It's just totally what it is. We got to be more violent. We got to have our screws screwed and we got to be on point. That's not what happened today. We started to get something going and then I end up fumbling the ball, I guess. Not I guess, I ended up fumbling the ball. Our momentum and things like that from there started going down and they go score again and off that. You have points off turnovers and you're already down. It's tough. It's tough at the end of the game."
Just to touch on what you were talking about earlier, with the slow starts, knowing that that's been a problem all season long, and sometimes when there is a coach change mid-season, that can maybe give you guys a bump for a little bit or it could put a bandaid over a bigger issue. Does seeing the same problems today that have existed for the previous 13 weeks show you that there might be some other things this team needs to fix that are deeper than just one thing?
"It could or could not. I don't have the answer for it being something bigger or just the bandaid aspect of it. I think as players, coaches, I think we just overall we need to do better. I can definitely speak on myself. When we get out there that first half we got to go and score points, find a way to score points some way somehow, regardless of how it happens, regardless of the situation, we got to go out there and score points."
What was happening out there on third down? There was a sequence where there was four consecutive sacks on third down. What do you think was happening there?
"The most important thing is first and second down efficiency, such as not taking sacks on first and second down. Whatever the case may be, taking a sack goes into the category that obviously matters. In those situations, first and second down, you don't want to take sacks. That makes third down the time to make the play, and we didn't do that today."
What happened on the fumble?
"We called a play and the timing was just a little off. I was throwing the ball, I held it, and my hand was still coming forward and it was ruled a fumble."
How hard is it for the leadership group and captains to continue to galvanize guys when you're losing? I know we talk about the culture and the veterans and everybody in that locker room, but is it difficult to keep pushing week after week until you get that win?
"My job is to lead. The captain's job is to lead from the front even when it's tough. My job is not to get you up to come into the facility to do your job or have after hours treatment, all those different things. Our job is to go out there and lead the guys the right way. It's an internal thing to get up and do the job over and over. As leaders, we have to encourage and keep encouraging. We have to stand tall and have that courage. That's the most important thing for yourself: have courage. From there, you can encourage other guys. We have to keep getting up, fighting and leading these guys. Like I said, it's an internal trait. We'll keep throwing punches and keep coming together. We have to keep finding ways to have productive drives, and that includes the defense and special teams. Whatever the case may be, we have to find ways to have successful downs on special teams, defense and offense."
Very small silver lining today, but you did hit Chicago Bears WR Rome Odunze for two touchdowns. What did you see on each of those connections?
"On the first touchdown, the defenders on the motion were confused and Rome ran a great route by not colliding. I just gave him an opportunity by putting the ball on the back pylon, which is something we practice all the time. He went up and made a great play by getting both feet down. For the second one, knowing the type of player that [LB Fred Warner] is on their side of the ball, they end up being in a two-high shell while playing Cover 4 behind it, I believe. The running back was going one way and we started off with three receivers to that side of the field, on the right side. Rome ran a great route and froze Fred, who had his eyes on me in the back. Rome ran a great route, made a great catch and second touchdown."
Bears DB Kevin Byard III
How much did the tumult of the coaching change and the tough week of adjustment have to do with this? How much of an effect did that have on your performance?
"The coaches aren't out here playing. It's players out there. So, regardless of what's being called we have to execute better and we didn't."
Is there any way to explain the frustration of expecting a better effort and just falling flat?
"I think you're trying to get a certain answer that's really just not there. We just didn't play well. We didn't execute better. We didn't play well. It's not really any type of hidden joint. It's really just that we didn't play good today. We got our butts whooped and that's what happens when you don't execute. You don't play well, you don't make plays, you don't stop guys. They ran the ball, they threw the ball and that's what you get. That's the result you get."
Did they throw things at you that you weren't expecting?
"No, I wouldn't say it's something that we weren't expecting. They ran some pretty good plays, some scheme plays and stuff like that. But at the end of the day, I wouldn't say it was something we weren't prepared for. I think we had a great week of practice, and at the end of the day, you can't prepare for everything. You're going to get in the game and they are going to throw some stuff at you that you can't necessarily see on film. The coaches are going to do some different things. Like I said, we just didn't make the plays we needed to make."
Bears LB T.J. Edwards
We need to know what happened. Why did the defense struggle so much today?
"We just didn't execute and that's on everybody. I was always going to look at myself first but it's about everyone in general. They made more plays than we did."
San Francisco 49ers RB Isaac Guerendo. He's the fourth running back on this roster, but just how efficient was he out there? What do you think was the root of that?
"I have to look at what happened and everything like that. I felt like, at times, we were good in the run game and at times we weren't. I think it was really just the explosive plays that hurt us today. I think it was just us not executing and not doing what we prep for the weekend. You're not going to see everything that you see in the game that you see on tape. So we have to be able to play our rules and execute."
As you watch these games back on film every week and talk about player execution, is there a theme that's popping up that you're noticing?
"I don't know. It's pretty cut and dry in the NFL, right? It's a results based league and they're making more plays than we are. We're not doing things to stop that. Especially when it's a team that plays well with the lead. They're able to kind of open up their playbook and do whatever they feel at times. We just have to do a better job. I think we need to start fast and play as a whole."
Bears DB Kyler Gordon
You guys were hoping for a bounce-back win with a new voice. How do you compartmentalize this? You guys got blown out here by a team that had been struggling. How do you guys deal with this?
"It's still the same way. There's no point in falling over the deep end. That's not what you do in this situation. You just keep trying to ride. There's no folding over here."
What was Chicago Bears Head Coach Thomas Brown message to you guys postgame?
"He gave us the truth and he kept it real with us. At the end of the day, we try to execute. We're going to go back, fix it, take it into our team and handle our business at home."
What was that 'truth'?
"Everything that you saw today."
Bears WR DJ Moore
Were you surprised after? It seemed like there was a lot of energy this week. Does a loss like this highlight bigger problems here that have to be fixed?
"It might. I don't know. I'm a player and that's probably for the upstairs to figure out. I'll just leave it at that."
What do you guys have to do to make sure that the next four don't go like this?
"I don't know. Stay together right now and find a way to score some touchdowns. [Chicago Bears WR] Rome [Odunze} had two in the second half, but we have to figure out a way to get them in the first half."
Bears WR Rome Odunze
I know that no one is thrilled with the outcome today, but individually how do you feel?
"We are always growing and I feel like it's been a theme to talk about our development, that's what we're going to do as football players and as the men that we are. We are going to continue to develop, but we have to put things together to be able to win some games. But we are always growing."
Did you think that there will be a little more energy at the start of the game? Throughout the week it seemed like the room was good and Chicago Bears WR DJ Moore said that practice was good.
"We were having great practices. We were executing, getting the job done and it just didn't translate. That is something that we have to look internally to find out why that is happening. It has been a theme throughout the whole season to not be able to start fast. When you don't do that in this league, it is hard to compete. We need to come out with that energy and execution from snap one."
Can you pinpoint, whether it was maybe third downs early, Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams was sacked four times on third down in the first half? Can you find the inflection point and then build off of?
"I think that it is tough to identify one thing because first and second down and then it is third down, there are so many components to the offensive scheme and things of that nature that kind of all have to play together to be on point for the offense to execute. I don't know if you can pinpoint one thing but I know that we have to find something, find the answer to develop and progress as an offense."
Bears DL Darrell Taylor
What did the Niners do offensively? Was it anything different or anything you weren't
"I think they were just a little more efficient. We didn't execute properly. They made us pay for it. That was all it was today"
What's the mood? You guys have had a long 10 days here. What's the mood like? I know you say, 'hey, we gotta stick together' but I'm guessing that it's exhausting to try and stick together. Is it?
"No, that's what we really just appreciate about each other. No one wants to hear about exhaustion. At the end of the day, we are going to pick each other up. It doesn't matter how much we lose, we can't help it. That's all we have at the end of the day. So all we have is brotherhood, you know? From our coaches to everybody that puts a lot of energy, effort, into this organization. All we can do is keep going. That's it."
Bears DL DeMarcus Walker
What do you think attributed to the slow start today?
"I don't know. I have to go back and take a look at the film to see what was causing those type of things. It was definitely eye opening for us. Things just got out of hand so quickly."
How surprised were you?
"Honestly, I felt like we had a great week of preparation. It just came down to execution today, and we didn't execute well."
You guys talk a lot about having strong culture and having a lot of veteran leaders. Do you feel like it's been hard to lean on that with the losing?
"Obviously, there's only so much you could say. It's all about going out there and doing it. We just have to get one win and see where it goes from there."