Press Pass: Chip Kelly

had surgery so um, and really didn't get cleared. We weren't. We weren't sure until the week of the Atlanta game if we were gonna have him for that game. So UM. I think he's progressed nicely. You know, we were um happy that we got him back. He's obviously a weapon for us. He is doing a better job blocking, you know, and I think that's part of um, what he's really wanted to improve on so he can be on the

field more. And he has been on the field more. Um. But I think the numbers for every on offense or down, just because we haven't been successful the offensive side, the rain game obviously hasn't been where you wanted to be. But it seems to have been a little bit better when Ryan has got the ball DeMarco has. Is that just chances? No? I mean I thought DeMarco did a

nice job. Had popped I think a thirty yarder. And when you look at the numbers overall and Steady Moore four games, you also have to remember DeMarco didn't play versus the Jets, So you know, I think that's part of it that there was a game that he missed in there. So we need to get we need to get all those guys going to be honest talking just the aggregate bill, I'm talking about you yards were carried,

that sort of thing. Yeah, again, I think there's not enough data for you to just say that this is better than that because one of them didn't play in the one game where we had success running the football. So you guys that have said this week did they're gonna try to play through injuries and um, you know, I mean, given the state of the team, are you gonna just trust them or will you have to see

something in warm up? We gotta see through through trading this week and what goes on on the practice field and then where we are on Sunday. In terms of that and make a determination on who can go and who can't go, because if you can only go for you know, we had a couple of guys, it just went for a couple of plays on Sunday. You can't then reseb and say hey we need to activate somebody else. You got to live with it. So we'll have to make some determinations as we get to Sunday. What's that

you talk to Alan about that move? Maybe now we don't anticipate in that right now? On third downs? What do you see are the issues on third downs and how to correct I think a lot of it goes to first and second down, you know, and I think would not lack us success on first and second down. Um, I gotta do a better job play call and put

us in better situations. So we've got, um, you know, we got a little bit manageable third down situation in terms of always being in third and long percentage wise, you're just not gonna You're not gonna convert as much as you are going to convert on third and short and third medium. So I think it's a it's an effort for us to do a better job on first and second downs that was illeble to go. A handful of snaps. Yeah, somebody who said it arguably Hall of

see career to this point. What have you seen from him in first four weeks that he's been struggling through injury. Yeah, I just only got injured in the last game, So I think he played well, um against Atlanta and in uh in the Dallas and the other one in the Jets game. It's just didn't We couldn't get what we needed from him because he's hurt, you know, and that's just you know, he's as tough a guy as we've I've been around here in the three years I've been here,

and if he can go, he will go. But um, he's a guy we really got to kind of take a real good look at this week in terms of what he can give us. Hell, Jay Z's sharing right yard and in fact of left tackle, which Jason uncertain, how do you managed to will be during the week. Well, it depends could be laying at left tackle. You know, we got a couple of combinations that we can work there. We just we've got to get through. Today's our big

Today and tomorrow are two big work days. UM during the week and then Friday and Saturday, we'll take a look at where we are, and we've got, you know, really four four days to take a look at kind of the combinations we can have him there if if Jason can't go, scramble Senior scramble to sell it. You know, when he when he scrambled, I ran himself as they were just in tune. We caught him in a coverage.

They were in two man, They rushed four guys and they didn't have a contain rusher on the right side, so everybody had their back to him. You know what's happened to us a couple of times. I think when you do play two men or that type of coverage and you don't have anybody responsible for the quarterback, then you have to be very conscious of where your rush lanes were. In the rush lane on the on the right side got collapsed, so he kind of got flushed

to that side because it was pushing the pocket. And then as he looked as he came out and he was looking to throw the ball, everybody was in coverage and had their backs turned to him, so obviously he felt like he could pick it up with his legs, and he did so good smart decision on his part. Lane to lift tackle if he can play in Jason camp is an option. Yes, it is Lane going to practice. What's that? Were they going to be able to practice? Yeah? I mean we're not going to just do it if

he doesn't practice. US practice. He hasn't. He didn't practice yesterday now, but we still have Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday too we practice, so we'll be limited today. Could Mat too. But in what you saw him, he had to put him outside. Yeah. Um, he's played both and I think to be a backup in this league you have to have versatility. So he's a guard tackle for US. Josh Shanders is a center guard for US, and as Kelly as a guard tackle for US. UM. He I

thought he competed, you know, he competed really well. Um. When he went out there, he had limited number of snaps because you're really training your ones when you get into the season, so he had limited number snaps at tackle. UM had a lot more snaps to tackle in the preseason. Um. But when when we we had to kick him out there after I think it was six plays that Jason played. Um, he competed when he was out there, and that's the one thing you'll get out of madis he'll fight when

he's in there. So, Shi, how do you explain these slow starts? And is it Sam working with this new player's new offensive line, the offensive line? How do you explained? I think a lot of that's on us coaching wise. We've got to put him in better situations and plays and specifically mayn't play calling, so we gotta do a better job. For a sad point, do you feel like him throwing those deep balls, getting those touchdowns, having a pretty good game himself will help him gain confidence get

going here now? Yeah, it's a good question for him, But I don't think. I don't look at Sam that he has a lack of confidence, So I don't I don't see it that way. Going back on first and second down, Yeah, you're playing behind the downs about thirty six percent of the time in a negative place. So what are some of the ways after your review this

week that you think you can fix that? Again, it depends you're gonna review what you did against another team, But then the next Tippona that you have is going to play in a different style when you're there. But you know, I think we got to put ourselves in a little bit more downhill situation so that we're we're not good, We're not We're not going to be in a negative situation. We got to make sure we've got

some quick throws. Maybe we can get the ball out of quarterbacks hands that are nice easy throws to get ourselves kind of get going. I think with this group, won't you kind of establish and can get into a rhythm where we get we can be pretty good. And we did that. I think in the second half we established a little bit of a rhythm against the Redskins and resulted in a couple of Touchdownd drives. But the key is I just starting to get these guys into

a rhythm. About some of the similarities between DeMarco and Ryan in terms of their north south running, but they're not exactly a life What are some of them? What are some of the different dials. I don't see much difference, to be honest with you. I think they're both tough, hard, those physical guys that are gonna take one make one decision on their cut and stick their foot in the ground and go, you know, And I think, um, that's why I say they are similar I don't. I don't.

I think they're a lot more similar than they are different. To be honest with you, you said you questioned some of your play calling. Are you have whatever you Well, yeah, they have to they're not successful. I mean you can't sit there and say it's working. I mean we're not successful on first and second down. We haven't been successful in the first half a game. So it's part of that. Maybe use of personnel or different personnel that you could

use in those situations. Nah, I just think it's us putting our knowing what our players can do and putting them in better situations. I think we have the right personnel here, no question about that. And the use of the personnel that you're using the situation. Do you think that's been fine or I don't understand what you're saying. Well, could you use different personnel in different situations? Yeah, the forty six guys available to a show, I mean that's

what we're doing. So, I mean it's it's it's putting them in situations where they can make plays. Though, did you keep them from having a figure he was hurt, you know, he didn't play versus the Jets and didn't practice until later in a week last week, So it's just an injury that hurt him, and I think when he's back full speed. Before that, he was playing thirty

plus and napps a game and uh was good. But you know, he went down the Saturday of the Jets game in training, you know, when we were up at Monmouth, and didn't play in that game. So I mean it's tough to be it's tough to be productive when you're not on the field. So yeah, but he didn't practice during the week. So if he got recovered towards the end of the week, you already have your game playing

and other guys have practice those situations. So we can get a full week of practice out of him this week, and um see where he is from that standpoint. We need him to be a big contributor for us, but you also have to be healthy to be a contributor for us, so kind of having to learn, like you know last time they Honestly, I think Nelson's like most rookies. You know you're gonna get some real good plays at him. I thought that he made a hell of a catch on that uh, you know, on the post route that

that Sam through. Um, but he also made some mistakes, you know, I think that's part of the maturation process that goes along with it. He's certainly very talented, highly skilled player. Um, that we're excited about. But um, you're gonna have some ups and downs as you go through as a rookie in this league. Was high Barber coming into the year. What's been holding him back? First quarters? I guess Alan Barber. Yeah, yeah, And I think Alan actually for US has actually graded up pretty good as

at an offensive guard for US. So, um, he's been better, a little bit better in pass pro than in in the run game. His pass grade is probably a little bit her than his run games. But I think he's been consistent and we're pleased with Alan right now. Um, Offensively, obviously, it starts with the quarterback. You know, he's got he's been there for so long and has such a good grasp of what they're doing. They've changed a lot of parts around him, but Drew doesn't seem like he's missed

a beat. Uh. Extremely accurate pastor, one of the more accurate pastors to ever play in this league. Um, there's a lot of times where you'll say, boy, that guy, it's covered and he throws it exactly where a lot of quarterbacks in those situations would say he's covered and move on to another guy. And he'll say he's covered, but he's not covered on his back left shoulder and

actually throw it to his back left shoulder. So you know you're dealing with a different type of quarterback than than a lot of guys you see in the league. He's in that Aaron Rodgers category where he can say, hey, we got pretty get coverage on this play, but we don't because of where he exactly can play the football, and there are on a lot of guys that can do that. They rotate three backs. I think the addition

of CJ. Spiller has really helped them. You know, he obviously had an eight yard touchdown and overtime against them on a wheel route where they caught him in a matchup where a linebacker was on him and the linebacker couldn't run with him. They've always admired away CJ played because he's he is one of those tough matchups. He's got a lot of sproles characteristics to him. He's gonna be a returner, and then defensively, they give you so many different looks they're very multiple in what they do.

You know, you're gonna see Tampa two one play, then you're gonna see a zero blitz with everybody in pressed man across the board on the next place. So, um, there's a lot of multiplicity of what they're doing. And they seem like they got a lot of guys that are role playing. So on one play, this guy's a sam linebacker, on the next play he's playing the defensive line, and then on the next play he's out and coverage.

So you know that you don't have a lot of keys, especially with only four games that you got a chance to look at, and the fact that they're all young players, and the fact that three or four of the guys in the second we just got back last game, so it was the first time he had Bird, first time he had Keenan Lewis back. So what packages are you going to get from Rob Because his packages on the defensive side change week the week you'll see a blitz

and week one that you don't see again. You know, it seems like he has a new package for each team he's playing, So you can prepare for those, but you also got to be ready that he's going to give us some things on Sunday that we haven't seen yet from him. Nice question, guys, correctly from wrong. But I think he used Drew as an example in the aftermath to trading for Sam the idea of you got you're gonna get a franchise quarterback. One way is to find one who's been hurt and they can trade one.

How deeply did you examine Drew's career both before and after his injury before deciding, hey, maybe you could try is for the same REGI say, hey, there's an example. Now we studied it, and I think, um, you know, when you look at his injury, and that's really a credit to him. No one has ever come back from what he came back from. So you can see the case where people would say don't take them, you know,

and and why that existed. And I'm sure and you've heard coach Aban has even commented on what would his career have been by Miami had been like if they had taken Drew as opposed to not taking Drew. And then you look at what the impact that he had. Um, you know, it's a specific case, but you know, I think it's the impacts he's had not only in this league, but you know, in terms of what he's done, He's won them a super Bowl. He's he's he's really he's

a Hall of Fame quarterback, you know. And I think that the reason he was available is because of the injury is really what we kind of looked at. But I still think you have to look at the individual injuries and what they can come back from and what they can't come back from, and what he came back from. From our understanding of what that injury was and how they repaired that shoulder, there's I don't think I think he's the only guy that's ever come back from that.

So and that's that's kind of what you're facing. You've got an unbelievable competitor that that's going to give us a huge test in here on Sunday. Thanks. Yeah,