Press Pass: Chip Kelly

we had a big run on that. But we just thought we were gonna use all three today and needed all three. But when you got Collins and Nikovic and guys, it's it's as big a linebacker crew as you're gonna face. So um, sometimes those smaller, quicker guys can can cause some problems in the matchup. I thought Darren played really well in all phases, and I think it's something you continue to see out of him. We see it every day in training, and you know it's it's on us

as the staff. We need to continue to get there and involved in what we're doing because he he tilts to field a little bit and when now all of a sudden we hadn't used him that much, so people don't people hadn't weren't double in him. But then when he was in there, I started to draw some extra attention and open some other guys up. So day going down the last three games help proudly you fall teams

and hunting happened. Well, you know, I'm I've always been proud of them, And I told those guys that, I said, I think sometimes they don't see in them what I see in them. And I know we have a good football team. And I think they showed it today and they they shown it at other times during the season. In the last two weeks, we didn't show it um, and that's what was disappointing for them. But I think, um, we got contributions. I thought defensively, the pressure we got

on the quarterback was instrumental today. You know, But then when you have a block kick for a touchdown, you have an interception return for touchdown, and a punt return for a touchdown, it takes those things to win in the stadium against uh this coach, that coach and in that quarterback. So in the defense today, I think we generated pressure and really those guys up front did a really good job. Um, I think we had four sacks.

I don't know how many times are hurries or hits on on Tom, but that's what you have to do because he's so good. And there's a couple of times he shook us off and kept drives alive, um, you know, running and made some big plays there. But I thought the effort that our guys that played with up front was really really good and that's what we needed out of those guests. Yeah, we we felt like we needed

a first down. You know, we could have run it and then you got the appropriate time and where we are numbers wise, and we're talking about all that, we have charts, we know what's there and then but part of it is we felt like we needed a first down and that was our best option on that play. You know, we had run the the naked play on third actually try to throw on first down, you know, try to run the naked play. And I thought Sam

made a really good decision. It may have been closed trying to throw it, but then if it's not there, you know, keep the clock running, you know. I think when you have a smart quarterback, you trust him that you can do that. Um, we ran on second down

obviously got the clock moving a little bit. And then on third down, we just you know, our our concept was we we got to get a first down here, uh And I got great faith and trusting Sam, and I know he's got great faith and trust in his receivers and gonna cut a little mimurd route deal on and he was going to the best side And was a big play by Coop and um big throat by

uh Sam. I mean, fhip always, we always have a couple of schemes going in there in terms of being able to get them in the situation, and the half dictated it, you know, hit them pumping back to us and I was catching it. We're probably not going to get anything generated out of that. I think there was fit was a fifteen seconds I think was on the clock, So we're probably going to go after the punter in

that situation. And that was the rush that we had had practice this week, so scores and then they tried that role whatever was that kind of turned the game around. I wouldn't say that was the turning point, but I think it was a huge another huge play by our special teams. Um. You know, you know when you play this team that they're going to tax you in a lot of different ways. They ran the reverse past to Brady. Um,

you know they did that. But I thought it was a great play by two two good good reaction by him and um, you know it's it's but I think Phip and uh did a really good job of the special teams preparing them for a lot of the different things that they do on special teams, and they challenge it from a special team standpoint. Say that again. So it was, you know, a big, big job by Malk.

You know that that interception was a real backbreaker. You know when you talk about turning good into great, you know, you stop a team when they're in the red zone from scoring. And I think anybody would have been happy of just with the interception. Hey let's turn it over. You know they were driving. We got to stop there. But to be able to take at the distance and return it, you know, I was really happy for him. Um,

he's worked a lot. I know sometimes he gets maligned, but I you know, he worked really hard on on on catching the football and he did a great job. Looked it in the eyes to the tuck as we talk about all the time. And Um, but to convert that into his score was a was a real big, real big turning point in a game for us at the hood. I know, I know you said that the team's given effort and passed. However, this was a different team tonight. Uh, there's something about this game. It was

so much different than the last two. What was it with your players and what? I mean, that's the same thing I told him. I believe in them and and uh that they were a really good football team and just we played together as a group. Cross is just a guy that's shown up in practice every single day and we felt like we wanted to give him an opportunity to play that Jeffrey Lury said something about you fired me up. Did speak to the team before the

game or something? I mean he talks everybody before every game, so he usually is in the locker room and walks around the players individually. He didn't, you know, give a speech or anything. But Jeff, I mean, he's as good an owner as I've ever you know, been around. Um. You know, he really truly cares about the players and the coaches and he always makes sure um before every game that he takes it he and I don't know if anybody knows this, he talks every player before every game.

He talks every coach before every game. So what was the plan in the fourth The last drive and the figures at the ball about the time out worked almost perfect. What was your plan? Well for them to drop it a couple of times, the little voodoo thing going. Now, I just think you knew the distance that they had to travel, and there's a lot of short Matthew have to do. If the ball is completed in bounds, it takes about sixteen seconds to get a clock off. So

now you're just doing the math in your head. There's fifty two seconds if it's completed in bounds, you get the ball down into the high thirties. If they complete another one in bounds, you know, so you're really trying to protect the sideline. You know, that's the key. If they can just nickel and dimeon get the ball moving, they got a shot. But you know, you kind of

knew where it was. If they completed the last one, even though it was fourth and ten, they probably would have only had eight seconds on the clock if it was completed in bounds and then they got to throw for the end zone. Um, you know, so you're gonna get in a clock situation, so we're just kind of playing the situation there. I think just growth, and he's grown every game. That's why it was it was so unfortunate.

I thought he was playing really well. I think his passer rating was one eight team when he went down in the Miami game. Then you lose him for two games. But I think he's he's very smart with the football. Um you know that. That's why the two plays before we called naked on first down. But it's not like I'm worried about him just throwing the ball away and

stopping the clock. I thought that's as good a play, just kind of scrambling and get himself up there for to make it second and nine and taking so that the cluck continues to run. So I we have great faith and great trust in him. I think he continues to grow because we we were around each other. You know, he's gotten um, you know, eight or nine games underneath this belt. But I think you've seen improvement out of him. And that's in this league. Turnover as a paramount. I

think that's a big part of it. When you got a quarterback that's not going to go out there and turn the ball over to the Now we're just talking about playing the next game. And I've said it since well, you know, we'll pick our head up after the Giants game and see if we played well enough to get

in or not. But I mean, I think that's just wasted energy to talk about playoff picture and what happens here and who wins here, and you know, because there's there's so many different things going on in terms of everybody's bottled up. You know, it seems like in the entire league there's a couple of teams that have played really well, you know, nine or ten wins, and then there's a bunch of us that are kind of in

the middle there. And um, I just like it's wasted energy to talk about that when what we should be talking about is who our opponents and let's prepare to put to play them. So this kind of sends a message. I mean, I don't think we get this question all the time. We were supposed to send a message after the Dallas game when we went down there on Sunday night. You know, it's every week in this league is a battle and you better prepare. Um, you're gonna get everybody's

best and you hopefully you can give your best. And um, I think when you look at all that stuff, sending messages and all that, I think they make good stories. But you know that's not what we're talking about school. But you know, they went key through way with Frady And yeah, I thought Eric Roll, you know, for his first time, you know, started the game because obviously losing Nolan who was a key key for us on defense. And um, I thought Eric and his first time of

extended playoffought, he did a really nice job. They went after him, which we knew they were going to go after him, but I thought he battled and competed, you know, and uh, you know, they took the long bomb on him. You know, there's a lot of different things they tried him. They d a couple of comebacks on running people off.

But um, for the most part, I think Eric did a really nice job and it's good to see him, you know, start to develop that confidence because we we as a staff have a ton of confidence in Eric to play. So about austin memory, But was their conscious decision from uniqu shakings up just a little bit, No, we just we talk about who's competing who's playing and who gets an opportunity that you know, it's it's every week is an evaluation. Every week is you you get

an opportunity to show us what you can do. And um, you know, we brought Jonathan Cross in here for a reason. We felt like he was a really good player. Um. We brought him up for a reason too. It wasn't just you know, let's just reward a guy. But when you watch him in practice and we see him as a staff that you know he can continue to do some really good things. So um, and I think he had one catch on the shallow cross But um, you know it's it's good when you have I think it's

really good when you have competition. That's that's a good thing to have what THEYD apoplished years. Is there a sense of satisfaction, maybe even just for a moment. I know, you don't say carries over just for the moment, gret such a satisfaction maybe now, I mean, I think obviously and we're very aware of it. You got a first ballot half coach, you get a first ballot Hall of Fame quarterback, you know, maybe the best quarterback they'll play in this game. Um, so you're aware of that. You know,

when his record here is it's off the charts. I mean it's like one hundred and I mean to like three losses or something. I mean it's and I'm not even exactly I think it's something like that. I mean it's it's unbelievables in thee. So we're aware of that. But I don't think it's anything where you just you know,

we I guess we always have the mindset we want. Now, that's what's the next game, you know that week, because you spend too much time kind of patting yourself on the back of you're gonna We're gonna play a really good Buffalo team coming in here. I think one today. So you know, there's always the next challenge in the next step. But it is, you know. I think I'm

really proud of how our players played. I think that's the most important thing I took away from today, almost the way the team played against the Lions, against the Belts. When you see them go out and do what they need, this plays against Brady and Dollership, I don't I'm not surprised at anything. I said that all the time. I think you better every single day come to work in this league. If not, things can happen, and usually they're bad things, you know. So I think our players, um

even know what that was. I think our players did what I told him. I told him when I saw him last Tuesday, that I know we have a really good football team. And UM, when we put everything together as a group and everybody plays hard and kind of gives everything and plays with an edge, UM, we can be a good football team. So last year, that specific pump block play, how many? How many times does that work for you either? You know, in this this year career, I don't think we have a I mean we blocked

a couple of punts last year. Uh, San Francisco we had a pump block. I think in the Titans game. Um, at home we had a pump block. You know, we've had a few. Up in the Giants we had a pump block. But they're all have their own little individual wrinkles, um, in terms of who you're playing and from a protection standpoint. So I don't know if um, that particular scheme we ran today is something that we ran those other games we've we've blocked a few in the last couple of years. Thanks