Kyle Shanahan: ‘We Needed to Step It Up’ | Press Pass

Guys. Injuries from the game, uh.

Fred Warner had an ankle, did not return, Kittle ribs did return, Jordan Elliott had a knee did not return. Cowing shoulder did return. Con le o'bleak finished the game.

And Juice went out there at the end with the shoulder go ahead.

I don't I know.

Fred tried to go, came out in the third corner, tried to go, but didn't feel like you could.

Prognosis on Elliott.

Uh no, no, I mean I don't think we don't think it was an a c L or anything, but it was just has some swollowen and stuff, so he couldn't go. That defensive start helped you guys today especially.

That was awesome.

I mean, I thought the defense was awesome all day. Anytime you score even better, but you know, to start out the way they did the first couple of drives, especially scoring Fred getting the score, the two turnovers they created, I think I didn't get a look at all the stats, but I think they were really good on third down. Defensive, felt like dominated all day.

It's been so good for so many years. But defee, he's playing at a different level now.

Uh, I do a little bit it's kind of hard to say that. I mean, he's been so good every year, so but the way he started out this year, it's it's been a big time year for him so far.

You went up top in this game seemed like three or four times. Was that part of the original plan or was it something that they were doing defensively that.

Kind of led to that.

I mean, it's you always have that stuff in just you know, they play cot him in quarters a couple of times on both those plays, and their safeties were down tight, and that's where the balls got to go, and Brock me two good throws and both the guys came down with the play, had a third chance that was incomplete. Corner did a good job staying on top. But I think it was versus all the same coverages.

There were some good deep Bault last season and the season before, But do you think he's better at that even now?

I think it's the same.

You know, I thought we had some better looks today on a couple of them, But now Brock's done a real good job with that.

Uh. The first drive he had two h third dance scrambles for first downs and then he who would uh.

I guess a sack and then through the kittle for fifteen yards.

Is he better at like decision making when it comes to you know what to take off, when to stay in and grow? You know, I guess from his rookie year on.

I mean, I think he started doing it more last year. He's done it a lot this year. It's something he did in college a lot. I think Brock has just got the confidence on winning to hang in there and try to make the play work and when to break and by time and try to make a play getting people open later off schedule or trying to move with his legs. And it's in a hell of a job of that these last two weeks. If he didn't do that in the playoff last year, I don't think we

Is that just a rookie play?

How do you chalk down?

I chalk it up to an NFL football player getting head and fumbling it.

You know, I don't put it on being a rookie. I don't.

I mean you can fumble it whoever you are. It was a big fumble, especially opening up in the third quarter. I think is what gave them a chance. They answered right away. Biggest thing when someone has a turnover, you want the defense go out and hold him to three. I think they scored on a fourth down. Maybe you know, we had a commitment stop trying to stop at inside zone run and they had a good play call getting out there to score.

But we'll come back to him. But yeah, that was a big fumble.

The video of Va Friday throwing his shoes and stuff didn't look awesome.

Are you surprised that he cared that much about his shorts?

No, no, I'm not. They know you guys had it on video. That's that stuff happens.

I mean, well, does it usually happen that a player would throw a shoe because he had shorts. I didn't see what he threw. Maybe he was just joke and laughing about throwing a shoe.

Maybe he didn't like a.

Shoe, and then I didn't interview him about about.

His shoe toss.

But I hate I hate some of the clothes I gotta wear out there also, But it is what it is.

Reception. Rock kind of just threw it up there for maybe Brandon to make a play. Is that something that's in the system or that you would prefer.

No, I don't want him to throw into double coverage. But there was a busted route on the backside.

It looked like Ba was gonna be alone. It was man coverage and someone ended up in the wrong spot.

So, uh, there was a guy Brock wasn't expecting to be over there, cause we should have distributed the field.

A little bit differently. But I didn't like how late it was.

I didn't throw really in the rhythm of the play and had a chance early, but it didn't have a chance laid and uh, that was a big turnovers one of the reasons they had a chance to get back in it. But our defense lit up strong.

This a lot. But is Jawan playing which is a.

Different level of confident vision, I don't think so. I think Jawan was born this confident. He's always like that, you guys know. I think how Juan is, He's as confident as it gets, and I think that's one of his best assets. He's very talented player, But Juwan never feels he can be denied and so he's been so important to us over the years.

Plays based on what obviously what your quarterback can do and do well at this point or is there any plays that you can't call from Rock?

No, I don't think there's no.

I think Brock, since he's his first game playing here, there hasn't been a type of play. I mean, he's very good in the dropback game, play action game. He's good on the boot legs and stuff. You know, we don't call too many like zone reading things with them. I think he'd be capable of it, but we're not trying to make a living off that. But you know, Brock has been one of the most consistent players in the league since the first game he's played.

I see what, you guys outlot more blitzes than than you usually do. How much of that as a result of Jayvon being gone and how much is just kind of the appoint.

I think I think all of it.

Uh, you know, when you know there's a lot of run blitzer in there too, because of how heavy of a run team they are and stuff.

But Nick did a real good job today. The whole defense did really good off.

In the starting lineup.

Do you think he was ready for Was there a need there mustafa? Uh, yeah, we thought he was ready for it.

I mean when him and g O were going, you know, we started rotating him a little, I think the second week, so he's been doing awesome in practice. We started to mix him in there in game two. I think Helf came back in game three, so we didn't need to do it. But when we found out howf can have played today, we knew he was next.

Man up to playing today.

Is this something I don't think so, I mean it's you know, he we thought he would play today, but we knew it would be a game time decision. He got here early, he worked out, and he didn't feel like he could go, and I'm really glad that he didn't.

You make a Mason.

I mean, it's rare for running back to go for five yards to carry, and this guy's doing it almost every single game he plays.

I mean, JP runs so hard when you commit to the run and he gets a number of carries, it's just eventually he's gonna get him, you know. I mean he's just apologizing for I walked in here because there's a couple he missed, which is the type of guy he is there was some that he left out there, but there's also when I feel there's nothing there. And he also always gets a lot more than I'm expecting.

Dan Anderson got a fair amount of snaps today.

What were you seeing from him that allowed him to get ummed up today?

And how do you think he did?

I mean that was just cause injuries. It was next man up.

You know, he had two guys on practice squad and they battled it out all week to see who would get their run, and uh, he won and he's gonna be part of that four person rotation. And then those in Jordan Elliott in the game made it much more important cause you only have three left and that's why you got to play probably more than we expected him to, and it seemed like he did a good job out there.

It after I went the defensive played in.

General, I mean, from what I saw it there, it seemed like they dominated the run in the pass game, so I was really excited with them, especially losing a Hardgrave last week.

We really needed to step it up.

And then losing Jordan in this game too just made them down a man, and I thought they played well throughout the game first quarter to fourth.

You want to be fifty fifty run past. You always say that, understanding I got you the passed this party success, May you think, yeah, we can go through a whe I think you were sixty to forty pass most of this game until the end when you're running it. Is it a case where your quarterback allows you to think out, you know what, let's just start throwing the ball.

Uh?

Yes, but I think that's how we've been since really he's been in or gotten in.

Took a couple of weeks to realize that, and.

But usually that's that's is how it works out, you know, especially a team like that, the way that they play up front. You know they had six guys on the line of scrimmage a ton which you can run the ball versus that. But if you just think you're gonna do it every first down and second down, you're gonna be a lot on third and longs and have some three and outs, so you got to mix it up and you know, get them on their heels, make them play some other stuff.

That's why we had to throw some of those posts today. Just the guys they had on the.

Line of scrimmage, how tight their safeties were. And usually when you do that, you get guys backed up and when your defense plays like they were, and then you can usually close it out by running the ball and trying to make sure to keep it a two three score game. And I think all those carries was a good example of how that's not always just an offensive stat.

That's a huge team stat.

A lot of holmost sacks there in the second halfs No, I wasn't happy for him. Yeah, I was happy for him. I'm happy for everybody who gets a sack. But yeah, Jacobe's he's.

A big man.

We compare him to like Ben Roethlisberger, Like if you don't get your body on him, he doesn't go down. You can't just grab that guy and pull him down. You got to hit him dead square. And he was close coming around the edge a number of times, which you can get the strip and stuff. But I haven't seen really anybody just pull him down with one arm. You got to hit him square, and that's why he's one of the more competitive guys I've seen play that position, and it usually takes two to take him down.

All right, guys, thanks,