Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Head Coach Kyle Shanahan
Opening comments:
"Injuries for today: [S Talanoa Hufanga] Huf, wrist, won't practice, [LB Demetrius] Flannigan-Fowles, calf, won't practice, [K] Jake Moody, right ankle, won't practice, [DL] Jordan Elliott, knee, won't practice, [CB] Charvarius Ward, knee, will be limited, [WR Chris] Conley, oblique, limited, [TE George] Kittle, ribs, limited, [LB] Fred Warner, ankle, limited, [S] Ji'Ayir [Brown], ankle, limited. That's it."
What was the diagnosis on Hufanga?
"Tore some ligaments in his wrist."
Is that a multi-week?
"Yeah, it will be at least a month, probably longer."
IR?
"We haven't, could be, but we haven't decided whether to do it or not though."
When did Ward get hurt?
"During the game. Had a bruise on his knee."
A lot of people make a lot about Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald's defense and what happened last year on Christmas. What can you tell us about Macdonald's scheme and what makes it special?
"Does a real good job mixing all the schemes up, fronts, coverages. His players play real hard, they're coached well, their techniques are good, good tacklers and they mix up the looks."
What has looked different between that Seahawks squad and a former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll Seahawks squad?
"The schemes have changed. They run different schemes."
Seems like Seattle Seahawks QB Geno Smith is throwing the ball probably, I think, maybe more than some people. He's throwing it more than any quarterback in the NFL. How is he doing and how much of their offense maybe revolves more around him than their running game in the past?
"It's still early, so you never know, but they've definitely started out that way. I think Geno is doing a hell of a job. He's got three big weapons in the pass game, including his tight ends, also. His running back is as good as it gets also. They've got some talent over there and they can stretch the field and Geno can get hot."
Do you have any reaction to former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh's dismissal and have you guys exchanged texts or anything?
"I haven't yet, just because of how backed up we've been. I sent him a text, but I haven't gotten to talk to him. And yeah, I was pretty shocked. That stuff throws you off, especially when they're competing for first in the division this week and I think they're up there on defense and have got a pretty good team and a chance to have a hell of a year. So that was pretty surprising."
What has S Malik Mustapha done well so far and how has he been in sort of the communication aspect of his job?
"I think communication is one of the hardest things, especially for a young guy coming in. I think he's been getting better at that the more he's been out there. I think, just his lack of not hesitating. I think you guys saw that a little in preseason, just with some of the hits he had. Especially, you saw a couple in that Tennessee game, from what I remember. And when he's come in, he's done the same stuff. I think he gets faster each week, just recognizing things and not breaking down and trying to run through his tackles."
Do you have the same volume of plays and the same size of a playbook on a Thursday game as you do for a Sunday game?
"Yeah, I'd say the same size. We don't try to put in as much new stuff or things that take a while to get down. Sometimes we overwhelm guys on Wednesday, but you can repeat it on a Thursday and Friday and come back to it and eventually it sticks. So you try not to do that with new stuff, but volume-wise isn't much different."
You talked about kind of a do-no-harm approach to special teams, which can be read as, well why don't you want to make them as great as possible and make a difference. Is that an accurate reading and kind of what is your philosophy as far as, I guess what I'm referring to is, sometimes you've said, "We don't want them to screw it up?"
"Yeah, I don't know if I always had the right words for that. But what I'm trying to say is, you'd like to build a team to where you don't feel you have to return a kick, a punt or have a fake kick or a fake punt or you don't have to rely on something like that to get a win. I like to feel that, you feel like you can do it between the offense and defense of just beating someone. I think in this league, one of the best ways to win games is to not lose a game, to not find a way to lose it. A lot of games are given away. When it comes to special teams, with the amount of touchbacks there are and stuff, just extra points, getting a punt off, those are opportunities to lose it if any of those are blocked. There are only so many special teams plays that go into a game and so you don't want to be overly risky on trying to win it there when you're only going to have 10 to 15 plays. You take out all the touchbacks and stuff, it's even less than that. So you don't want to go out of your way to be risky to try to get your stuff there. You'd rather do it with people who are out there for 70 straight plays."
Can this be a galvanizing moment for your team? I understand it's really early, but you have a short week at Seattle and then kind of that mini-Bye to just get yourselves right before the two home games before the Bye, just like where you're at in the schedule.
"Yeah, in so many situations. Losing our last two divisional games, having one this week is huge, playing against Seattle is always huge, going up there is always huge. And then always in the NFL, it's tough to get ready for a Thursday night game, but I think everyone enjoys them because it's very rare that you get to sit back and kind of enjoy that for three days and watch the rest of the league. They're a lot more fun when you win. When you get to sit back and be pissed off for three days, it's not nearly as much fun."
It seems like we've asked these questions with Robert and with Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans early in their tenures as defensive coordinator. But with defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen, is it kind of a similar thing, just kind of figuring things out? How would you evaluate just the early part of his tenure as defensive coordinator?
"I think Nick's doing a real good job. I've been impressed with him since the beginning. Each week, I like how he handles the defensive staff. I like how they set up the practices and I've liked his game plans and I liked how he's called it. So I've been real happy with Nick so far."
The redzone, creating space in the redzone, is it more about your personnel or is it play design? Is it quickness? What's the key to get that space in that tight area?
"Everything. Wish I could give you guys a theme for the redzone, but you get three tries when you're inside the 10 and depending on what you do, when we run the ball there, I think we need to be much more effective running it. When you run the ball twice, you'd like to get in and not just put one pressure third down on the pass game. And when you do throw it more, then you've got to make sure you come through with those, especially not having a negative play with those. Running the ball better takes a lot of pressure off, also gives some better passing looks. We've tried both and haven't been good enough with both of those. So it's all aspects of offense."
WR Deebo Samuel Sr. had a couple really productive games against Seattle last year. How would you assess how he's performing, specifically as a receiver so far?
"I think Deebo's doing a good job. I think he had his best game, at least statistically, right before he got hurt. Missed a week and a half and thought it was tough for him to come back for the New England game, but he was able to get out there and play. Didn't get involved a ton last week but it's usually a matter of time with that stuff. That stuff comes full circle and Deebo is too good to not eventually have a big one."
Do you have a timeline on Moody? Is IR a possibility for him?
"It's a high ankle sprain, so usually with those, I usually say about a month. Sometimes they can surprise you and go quicker, sometimes they can go longer. So we're not exactly sure yet."
So IR is--?
"IR is an option, yeah. Just with the how quick this has happened, having Huf in that situation where we've got to decide, Moody could be a possible decision. We have a number of guys already on it, so we're just trying to weigh in all that stuff."
You talked a lot about QB Brock Purdy's ability to create with his feet, scramble and buy time. Does the fact that he's doing it so much mean that you need to be doing a better job on offense to get the ball out of his hand?
"Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. It goes both ways. Most of the ones that we're doing that are deeper plays. When they're deeper plays and they get deep people and it's a three-man rush, they usually cover your checkdowns, plays we've been pretty effective with. And when they don't do it, I think that's where you see us hit some big crossers. But yeah, there are times that you want to get rid of it quick, but people have got to be open quick too, which usually has to do with blitzers. If people blitz and you get rid of it quick, you will get rid of it quick, you have to. But when they don't, there's, sometimes your checkdowns are covered and when your checkdowns are covered I'm glad we have another option."
Defensive Coordinator Nick Sorensen
Seattle Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III had a play against the Lions where he was able to kind of stay up. You probably know the one I'm talking about. Is that one that you guys showed to your players just to emphasize the type of athlete that they'll be facing?
"Yeah, I did. I just showed that along with a bunch of other ones that are similar to just show like, it's not like a one-time thing. He's got a bunch of plays that you would be like, oh, it's kind of flukish but he just doesn't go down and he is hard to get down. He's the type of guy that he has the ability to kind of run wherever and he's got the strength and the contact-balance that he just doesn't go down and he'll fight for it. And he is really talented and has top-end speed once he gets outside of breaking a tackle he can go."
Last season the defensive backs intercepted 16 passes I believe in the regular season. So far this season they haven't intercepted any. Why do you feel the production on the ball among the secondary is down this season?
"We've got to attack it more. I mean, there's always ops. It's just one of those things where we need a mindset of when it's up, it's ours. Be the receiver, be the aggressor. Just hasn't happened yet. We need to be more aggressive with it."
When you're talking to these guys after five games, what are you harping on with them that we're right here but we need to do this a little bit better? What are those specific things that you think would just take you guys back into the identity that the Niners have always had?
"I think it depends on the play. I mean, more so right now it's just the mindset of getting ready on a short week and we're cramming first, second and third down today. So it's more of just dealing with today and then when you're evaluating the plays, I think it just depends on what the play is. I don't think it's one certain thing here. It's just there's different stuff that shows up. For a minute there it was explosive passes because those have consistently led to points for years and years and years. And when we give those up and we don't take the ball, like you just mentioned on the interceptions, it's tough to win games because those are stats that are continuous and they're consistent and it's every year. So, whatever the turnover margin is, if we make it even I think that last game's different. So I think we always feel like we have to do our part. So that was one of them. But also any explosive plays, whether it's run or pass."
Does it feel like teams are trying to show you things that they haven't put on tape yet?
"It does. I mean, that kind of happens each week because you want to show something. I mean, we try and do it too, where you give some look and try and do something off of the same look. I think that's what most people do really. So, I think the un-scouted plays, that's just what the NFL is. That's what smart coordinators do. That's what smart coaches do. You kind of challenge to do what you do, but how can I make something be different off of the similar look."
How much do you second guess yourself after a rough game and how much do you lay into the foundation of what you do and believe in that?
"It's a good question because you don't ever have regrets, but there's always things you want to improve on. And if I'm honest, there's times I'm like, 'God, I could have done this, but no, I believe in that.' You know, we can coach this better or we can execute that better. You don't want to get too far off your fundamentals of your beliefs either. And so that's what I lean into more than anything. And then it's just how can we get better fundamentally and that's with coaching and with how we play and how we practice and I think there's always going to be calls that aren't perfect for what they do. I think it's the whole whoever has the pencil last. And depending on the route or the run versus the pressure or the coverage. So, there's always a little bit of that, but you also have to trust your process. And like you said, if there's un-scouted looks, sometimes you've just got to be ready to adjust."
When you watched the Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray 50-yard run film, what was the breakdown of that play?
"They got us a bit on that one. We were in single-high there and they just got us on the edge. We didn't bump out and then we got caught up from the post and it was a couple different things."
What was the situation where the receiver was wide open and I think it was CB Charvarius Ward and DB Deommodore Lenoir both dropped?
"Oh, on the third-and-seven? Miscommunication after a motion. We had one similar to that off a stack and a similar d-and-d earlier to the other side and it was good communication and that time it ended up just being on the wrong page."
With Ward's success against Seattle Seahawks WR DK Metcalf, would you expect that to be a one-on-one that you're focusing on most of the game?
"It can happen. We'll see. We evaluate everything and we'll go from there. I like all our corners. I respect DK a lot. I respect [Seattle Seahawks WR] Tyler Lockett a lot. He's done it for 10 years and even [Seattle Seahawks WR] Jaxon Smith-Njigba. I think they have a really talented group starting with [Seattle Seahawks QB] Geno [Smith] and the running back too. I think overall if you look at their skill group, it might be the most talented one we've played overall when you put the tight ends in it and all the receivers, really both running backs and then Geno who can still do it. I think he still moves around well enough. He has been getting rid of the ball fast. I know how he's got a great arm and they've been getting a lot of explosive plays. We talked about the explosives. I mean, they've been explosive. I think they're top-five in explosives."
The last two weeks, the defense has missed 29 tackles. What does the film show? Is it fatigue? Are these guys breaking down a little bit?
"I wouldn't say it's fatigue. I think we miss tackles sometimes because we're aggressive. We do coach our guys to take their shots. If you make me a cut up of those tackles, I'll tell you if it's a good or bad one to be honest. We play aggressive, we play violent. I think sometimes [LB] Fred [Warner] shows up with quite a few missed tackles, but if a guy stops his feet and they're having to take time and that guy loses a yard but you kind of fall off and now we've got two other guys coming, then that's not a bad missed tackle. You know? Sometimes they're a little bit different. I'd have to quantify it by looking at tape then I could probably talk you through if they're good or bad or not."
After the game, DL Nick Bosa was asked about Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner having more success on the final two drives and he said they made some adjustments to the zone-read. He suggested you guys could have adjusted to that better and sometimes throughout the season you could have made better in-game adjustments. Is that a fair assessment?
"I don't think it was something we didn't adjust. We started changing some of the calls and we did mix up whether it was two-high or brought pressure. I thought we talked about it on the sideline, what happened on that one play and I don't think it was really any breakdown or miscommunication on not adjusting late because we were changing things up and getting different looks with our shell and with bringing different types of pressures as well."
Where has S Malik Mustapha made his biggest strides from the point where when S Talanoa Hufanga was out early in the season so that now you have confidence in him starting?
"I think his strides have come just because he has played a lot. I mean, we've had a lot of guys play and I think it's good that guys gain knowledge through getting their snaps. And for him it's just being comfortable being out there. I think I've mentioned before, like with safeties, it's that comfort to communicate and the feel of the game and the flow of the game and how it moves and how you have to be a leader back there behind our backers that you can communicate across the board and be tied in. And I think he's done a good job with that."
QB Brock Purdy
When you start to dive into the Seahawks, are there a lot of similarities from what you faced last year with the Ravens?
"Yeah, I'd say so. Scheme is pretty similar and how they're calling the plays and stuff looks similar. Obviously, the personnel and everything is different and so we've just got to know obviously which guys to look out for in certain situations. But yeah, the scheme is very similar."
How do you look back on that game against the Ravens? It didn't go the way you wanted it to, so how do you just look back on that game?
"We've watched it a bunch just in terms of like what we're trying to do, what their scheme was against our offense and our scheme. And so watching it, obviously I'm watching how the game went and the decisions that I made and stuff and obviously learning from it. But more than anything, just when I do get in those situations again, handling everything in the right way in terms of getting to my answer and taking what the defense gives me and those kinds of things. So it's been really good watching, but at the same time, we're playing a whole new personnel in the Seahawks and so should be a little bit different in that regard, just playing different players. But when it comes to the scheme versus scheme, it was good to watch the game last year against Baltimore. It was good."
On the last interception against the Cardinals, it looks like you were waiting for WR Brandon Aiyuk on the out route and then had TE George Kittle underneath. I saw as you're walking out the field, you're looking at the video board. Do you in that moment see it? Obviously you weren't thrilled and kind of grimaced. When you looked at the video board, do you see it like, 'oh, crap?'
"Yeah, I got hit and so I'm like, 'alright, how did that happen with our protection that we had on and stuff.' We had two guys come to the side of where our protection was set and one guy was free. So that's on me in terms of getting the ball out and not holding onto it. In that situation when I was walking off looking at the video board, I was like, man, did I miss a guy or did I just try to get to Aiyuk the whole time and not see what was going on with the blitz and stuff?' So, in that moment, that's what I was thinking about. I wish I would've executed it differently."
The stats suggest that you're holding onto the ball longer than any other quarterback and obviously your scrambles are producing that number. Does it feel different than '22 and '23 as far as just snap to release time for you?
"I feel like there's just been some plays where I'm scrambling and stuff just because what the defense is doing in terms of dropping eight and giving us some different looks in that regard. For me it's more been about keeping a play alive. It's been good. There's also been some plays obviously where we've had minus-10 or whatever from trying to scramble around and stuff. I think those kinds of plays that pop up so that's maybe how that's affected the stats with that. But for me, I still go about my progressions and everything, just like I have the last couple years with our offense and our system. I'm not going into a game going, 'alright, I'm going to hold onto the ball longer here and try to make something happen.' It's how can I be efficient, help out the O-Line, get the ball out of my hands and do my job? The teams that we've played, the schemes that we've played, I guess they've done some of that where they're dropping more back in the zone and making me go through my progression and turns out I'm holding onto the ball."
Your play-action is down this year from what's been in the past. Is that a function of that when teams are dropping more, you don't want to turn your back because you need that extra time to go through progressions? What do you kind of attribute that to?
"I don't know if that's the case. I would say, you've got to be running the ball really, really well and then setting up certain plays and stuff. Where we're at, I think we're running the ball really well. But I think within schemes and trying to win with certain plays drawn up, for us it's just been drop-back plays. We trust in the guys to just be able to drop back and allow me to go through a progression and rip it to them. We're not going into a game saying they're going to drop back a lot so we're going to stay away from the play-action pass. We still have plays dialed up in the play-action world, but we just haven't had opportunities to run them in the right situations or whatnot. But again, we're trusting in [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] within all the play calls with that regard. And so, that's just sort of just how the flow of the game has gone and the play calls have gone."
Last year you guys were the number one team in the league in red zone touchdown percentage. This year it's been more of a struggle. What does the film show? How would you evaluate what you guys have done in the red zone?
"I think we've had some opportunities and I think that's an area for me to be better for sure. Trust the plays, trust the concepts, trust my guys, and being willing to go down there and rip it. Like I said when I talked to you guys last time after the game, the windows get tighter and the timing of it is quicker and faster. For me it's about getting back into a rhythm down there and giving my guys a chance. That's probably the biggest thing that I've seen on film."
After the game, you and DL Nick Bosa both said that you need to get back to complementary football. What does that mean to you?
"Yeah, it's a team sport. So, for four quarters, when the defense gets a stop for us as an offense, it's like, 'alright, let's pick it up and go put points on the board.' And vice versa, when we're rolling, defense gets a stop, special teams do their thing, that's complementary football. That's how you win in this league. And if defense is getting all these stops and the offense is cold, it's pretty obvious to everybody that it's going to be tough to get into a rhythm and pull away from a team and then you allow a team to stay in the game and those kinds of things. But the last couple years when we've won pretty well, it's been about complementary football, defense gets stops and turnovers, offense puts up points on the board and we pull away. So, we both believe in that and everyone here knows that's the truth."
Can this type of game galvanize you based on a little bit of a slow start and knowing what the schedule looks like with a couple of hard home games after this?
"Yeah, I think every game for us is extremely important. Obviously, you get through the end of the season, it's like, where are you at wins and losses and all that kind of stuff going in the playoffs. So, everything matters. But for us, man all that matters right now is Seattle, Thursday Night, getting back into the win column and just picking up our momentum. I think this season is so much about momentum and obviously staying healthy and getting ready for the next game. But for us, it's one game at a time. We're not looking too far ahead in the future. And whoever we get up on our schedule for the next game, that's who we've got. We're not looking too far into it. We've just got to win."
Your scrambling and extending plays has largely been positive. But when you do have the one, where you run around for 10 seconds and get sacked, is it a reminder of like, 'oh gosh, maybe I can take this and go too far with this?' Or is it 'if I do this, 12 times and I get sacked once, that's just the way it goes?'
"I think it depends on the situation that we're in within the game and being smart with the ball, putting my team and my offense in the best situation possible. If I can make something happen with my legs and move the chains or get a positive gain, great, let's go. But at the same time, knowing that's not going to be the case every time I'm scrambling around like it's backyard football. I've got to be smart, make a couple guys miss, maybe throw the ball away, being willing to play with third-and-manageable rather than trying to make up for it after a 10-yard loss with a crazy scramble. So, it definitely depends on the situation, but also knowing that I have confidence and belief in my legs as well to make some plays in the right scenario. So it's a fine balance."
How much does it help your confidence level, you've gone in there twice, once with broken ribs and then last year on Thanksgiving night that you're able to go in that environment and come out with a win? How does that help you comfort and confidence-wise, obviously it's not the major emphasis?
"For us it's sort of just a good reminder of you're going into a hostile environment where they're going to be on you every time we step out into onto the field. They've got a great defense, great players that we're going against and a great team. So, every chance and opportunity you get, you've got to be on top of it. If you can and execute and play team football, some good things can come from it. It feels good when you're able to walk out knowing that you guys did your job really well. Obviously, we've learned that as a team the last couple years, but this is a new year, it's a new team for both sides and we've just got to go in and execute and be dialed in at every moment."
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