San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak, and quarterback Brock Purdy spoke to reporters after Friday's practice as the team gets ready for its Week 12 game against the Carolina Panthers. Here's everything they said.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh
With the big nickel in Arizona, how do you kind of decide when you want to go big nickel versus base versus regular nickel?
"Every game's different. Depends on what they're doing out of certain personnel groups and what we feel the game will be like. So, it's week-to-week from a game plan standpoint and that can shift once we're in the game."
What do you like about having S Jason Pinnock?
"He's versatile. J.P. can play multiple spots. He's good at man coverage. He's a really good blitzer. He is good in zone coverages. He's a physical player, so he's really good in that regard."
How do you feel LB Nick Martin did in his first action out there?
"I thought he did good. I think it was like 14 snaps, had a lot of production, had the one play that I'm sure he wishes he had back also. But for a first time out, I thought it was pretty good."
Is he only practicing at weak side or also strong side linebacker?
"No, he's been doing it playing SAM. Well, once you get out of training camp, you're playing everything. So, he does everything except for the MIKE."
How hard is it to switch MIKE's mid game? How do you feel LB Curtis Robinson did?
"I thought he did a really nice job. Curtis got reps throughout the week, but it is, it's like a quarterback in the league. Your second-string quarterback's not getting a lot of reps. It goes to the MIKE linebacker or to the starter. And then you got to go into the game and as much as you prepare yourself mentally, the speed of it is kind of faster, you're making the calls, you're making the checks, and then you got to worry about the ball getting snapped. So I thought for the circumstances, especially with how he went down and he was dealing with some aches and pains, I thought he did a really nice job."
What was the film session like on Monday? The three takeaways obviously dwarf everything else, but there was the completions and the yardage, which nobody really likes to see, but it's not nearly as important as getting the turnovers.
"I thought for two and a half quarters. Shoot, it was, 35-10 with about 12 minutes left in the game. And I know their last three drives accounted for a little over 200 yards and two touchdowns. So we called the game that was necessary to win the football game. Not to make excuses for our guys, but we were down to three defensive ends, we were down linebackers, we were down people. So, it was to keep the ball in front, get the clock to zero as fast as we could."
Two weeks ago, you guys blitzed Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford like 55%, it was like the most in a decade, and then this last week you only put like 12%. Was that because you didn't like the way you guys played the week before or why the two distinctive plans?
"It's all part of feel. We called man or man pressure six times in the game and last week we gave up four explosives. Then you get later in the game, and like I said, for a quarter and a half we were sitting back and just trying to get the clock to zero as quickly as we could with the score being what it was. But every game will be independent. We've had games where we blitzed and had a lot of success. We've had games where we blitzed and had no success and vice versa. So like I said, we have a plan and then it's our job to figure out how to pivot once we're inside the game."
What have you seen from Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young so far? Obviously, he's coming off the best game he's ever had, but just overall to look at him you don't look at him as being maybe a prototype number one at 5'10 and the size and everything, but it seemed like everybody was pretty convinced he was worth a number one and he's looking like it now. What do you see?
"Yeah, I see a young man who's developed and has grown year after year. I think [Carolina Panthers head coach Dave] Canales and his staff have done an outstanding job developing them. I think the organization has done a great job building the roster the right way. And you look at a guy like Bryce, they do a great job putting him in position to be successful. But for him, he's also a really, really good processer. What's underrated about him? I do think he's as tough as nails. He takes some shots standing back there sometimes, but he'll stand in there, he delivers strikes. He's definitely an ascending quarterback."
What are your realistic expectations for your pass rush given the players you've lost along the way?
"The expectation is no different, no matter who's out there, it's to step on the gas and give us everything you've got. And I know [Arizona Cardinals QB] Jacoby [Brissett] was getting rid of the ball pretty good last week. And again, it was easy. They were taking a lot of things underneath which we were giving them. But yeah, our expectation doesn't change. We expect to win our one-on-ones. We expect to take advantage of our opportunities. We expect to be relentless, violent, and play with elite strain and effort and that's the expectation. And if you can do that, we feel like we'll have a good result."
This team has good tight ends as well, three of them, and they use them differently. What do you see from their usage of tight ends? What do you think of those three players?
"Good players. They do a really nice job of mixing up their personnels. Obviously, they're mostly 11 personnel, but they will throw 13 personnel out there. They'll work some 12 personnel. But it's a good trio of tight ends. I know the rookie is getting a lot of attention, but they've got some weapons. Their back is really good. So, it's a really young group and a group that's ascending, but we've got to be prepared for anything that they throw at us with regard to those three tight ends and the different personnel groupings that they can give us."
Last year's season opener RB Christian McCaffery was a surprise scratch about 90 minutes before you guys played the 49ers. Can you share with us your kind of reaction, how the team reacted to that news? Did you know that that was a possibility? No Christian McCaffery would seem to be good news for the New York Jets defense.
"Looking back at it, I kind of wish he played because [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] would've thrown the ball more. But instead, he pounded it for 41 times. We kind of had an idea. We were prepared either way. We had our game plan and I thought our staff, [former New York Jets defensive coordinator/current Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator] Jeff Ulbrich and the staff, we did a really nice job pivoting, credit to Kyle. He stuck with the run game. He ran the heck out of it. And I thought they did a really nice job getting into third and manageable, but credit to [Minnesota Vikings RB Jordan] JP Mason. If people didn't know who he was, I would like to think that that game kind of woke people up. He's a hell of a back. And he played a heck of a game. Whenever a star player like Christian is ruled out, yeah, it changes only because of what he's capable of, both in the run game and pass game. Different if it's just the back who's first and second down, he might be a hell of a back, but it really doesn't change how the coordinator's going to call the game. Where Christian clearly changed the way Kyle was going to call the game. Sometimes you almost wish that they do play so you have your game plan and you can go attack it and you know exactly what you're going to get. But whenever you lose a star like San Francisco did, then the variables become more."
When you were in Seattle, maybe you guys were too young to even think this, but did you look at Canales and say, 'I can be a head coach', or were you just trying to make your way at that point?
"Canales, first off, is an outstanding human. I don't know if you've ever had a chance to interact with him, but he's outstanding, him and his family are fantastic. And we were both QCs. Obviously he was on the offensive side of the ball just trying to find our way. And he's always been a team-first servant, never looking for his next job, never looking for opportunities. And I think he's one of those guys that when the opportunity showed up, he took it. He's made the most out of every opportunity he's ever gotten. And he's a heck of a football coach. And you can see it in the way this team has developed. I give him and [Carolina Panthers president of football operations/general manager] Dan Morgan a lot of credit. This organization was in the dumps not so long ago, and they're slowly climbing out and they're building it the right way. And it's pretty cool to see."
CB Upton Stout forced a fumble at the one. You had DL Alfred Collins do that at the one, DL Nick Bosa had a strip sack inside the ten in the season opener. What does that tell you about your guys' ability to defend down there on the goal line and go for the ball?
"There's an old saying, it's a blade of grass. Just give us a blade of grass and we'll do our best to defend it. And I think our guys they represent what this organization preaches. It's elite strain all the way through the whistle. And Alfred's play was unbelievable. Bosa's was unbelievable. Even Upton's at the very last second, his technique through the down wasn't perfect, but he fought all the way through. And it's what we talk about when we talk about the makeup of the people in that locker room and the way Kyle and [president of football operations/general manager] John [Lynch] go through the process to select these young men and who gets to wear a San Francisco 49ers helmet. They're made of the right stuff. And those are the individuals who will strain all the way through no matter what the situation is, no matter what the down and distance is, no matter what the score is or where it's at in the game. We've got a locker room full of individuals that are going to do everything they can to win every down."
Offensive Coordinator Klay Kubiak
You guys have run it better it seems like the last six weeks, maybe since the Tampa game. Is it just simply the return of TE George Kittle? Is it the health of OL Dominick Puni? Is it the fact you guys are running a little bit more gap, a little less zone?
"It's a lot of things. It's not one thing. It's continuity with the guys who've been back, we've had Kittle back, we've had some more consistency at guard the past couple weeks. We've gotten better. I think as the year has gone on, through practice, we've gotten better at running the ball more consistently. The way some of the games have gone, we've been able to commit to it a little bit more like the Giants game, this last game. So, it's a lot of things. It doesn't mean by any means it's perfect, but we've got to keep going and look at it week-by-week and continue to try to improve in the run game because If we can run the ball and stay on the field, we're going to have some success as an offense."
You've been converting more plays in the red zone into touchdowns. Can you just take us a little bit into when head coach Kyle Shanahan's calling plays or how you guys are dialing up these plays in the red zone, whether there's a little bit more enthusiasm this year than there was maybe last year when things weren't going as well?
"I wouldn't say that. I think it's guys have executed pretty well down there these past couple weeks. We've made some plays. I think Brock made a really good throw last week in the red zone. We've been running the ball a little bit better down there. It's never one thing. It's not like our plays are better or that we've come up with better plays. I think it's just we've caught some of the coverages that we scouted a little bit. There's times when you get down there and you catch a coverage, like, man, we didn't expect that. And the play you have just wasn't the right play and you hope someone makes a play, but it doesn't work out. We've gotten fortunate in that regard, thinking about last game especially. So, it's just guys being on it, quarterback executing, running the ball a little bit better. All those things add up to me to red zone success. So, I think that's what it is."
Are you happy with the shared arrangement at guard between OL Spencer Burford and OL Ben Bartch? How is that working out?
"I think it's been working and we kind of take it week-by-week, kind of see where they're at in practice. I think the way the games have gone, the guys have benefited from being in there, getting in a rhythm and then getting to come out for a little bit and just kind of see the game a little bit differently. Take a break, let the other guy go in and play, that can help guys sometimes. That can help guys, whatever it is mentally, it can help a guy play better, more consistently if he knows, 'Hey, I've got a guy coming in and I can kind of take a breather.' But, it also depends on the game. I think back to some games where we didn't get into a rhythm and we just kept guys out there. And so, if we're playing good and we're running the ball, I think hopefully we have that consistency with rotating those guys. But, we'll just kind of see how each week goes."
Do they know before the game, like alright, you're going to go the first four series then you're going the next four? Or is it just like, you start the one guy and then tell the other guy to stay ready?
"Yeah. We don't predetermine how many drives or whatever, but we give them an idea like, 'Hey, just be ready in a couple series.' You never know when it's going to change, but he's ready for it."
How hard is it to keep everyone involved in the offense when you have a few players who deserve so many touches?
"I mean, it's a good problem to have. It's tough. I mean, you want to get everyone involved. But, it's a good problem to have. You design plays where you think everyone's got a chance to touch the ball and let the coverage dictate kind of where it goes, but we're fortunate to have that problem. I wouldn't say I'm complaining about it, but you want to keep guys motivated, you want to keep guys in it because they think the ball's coming their way. But, our guys do a great job of playing unselfish too. They don't really care where the ball goes. They run their routes, they play each play and they know that the ball's going to be distributed based on the coverages we get."
When you get to Week 12, do you want to meet more with your quality control coaches and your helpers to make sure that you know what your tendencies are when you're putting together your game plan?
"Absolutely. We kind of do that every week. We kind of look at, our scouting department does a good job of giving us a report of kind of what we're presenting to the defense and what kind of shows up as tendencies. We kind of do it on our own too. We pay attention to it. We try to offset things every week. We've done this on tape last week, let's try to offset it and try to show something different. So, you've always kind of got to have your eye on that."
QB Brock Purdy
What's the excitement level of starting a second straight game now in November football where it really matters?
"Yeah, I'm extremely excited, feel great, body feels great. So, to be able to go back-to-back games and obviously try to win back-to-back games will be huge for us. But, more than anything it's a crucial time of the year. It's getting towards the end of the season. So, obviously everybody knows November and December football is huge especially going into playoffs and everything. So for us, this is a huge one."
I think a lot of people looked at that last game and the reaction was, wow, he hit the ground running and he looked really good. What did you think when you looked at it?
"I thought it was good just to get my feet wet again and sort of go through reads, compete, find a way to win, all that kind of stuff. It's hard to emulate that at practice and so until you're in a game situation when you go out there and they score and we've got to respond, like those kind of situational football moments, it just felt good being in that. But, I think outside of that, for me it's I went back, watched the film and thought I could still play better and make some better decisions with the ball and at the same time just be aggressive and have that aggressive mentality. So, it's a balance of that. And so, that's just where I'm at after last game, but I think as an offense, we have a lot of momentum right now from that last game. We've got to find that again come Monday night. So that's sort of where my mind's at after watching the game."
After getting a full week of practice, WR Ricky Pearsall getting a full week of practice, how close do you feel this offense is to kind of taking off?
"I think just like you said, Ricky feeling good and for myself being able to come back and just as a whole, I feel like we've all been able to put some practices together. I feel like throughout the year it's been someone's out and there's been not a whole lot of consistency, but obviously guys have stepped up and done a great job. But, it just feels good that we're all able to practice together, play a game together, watch film together and grow in that regard. It's huge for the little details and stuff, especially in this offense, in the NFL. And so, that excites me. It excites all the other guys and sort of back to the last question, it's the end of the season, we need consistency right now going into the end of the year and trying to get into the playoffs and all that. So, it's huge for all of us, but we all feel really good about it."
Along those lines, you haven't gotten a lot of overlap with WR Kendrick Bourne. How do you kind of create the necessary chemistry at this point with somebody who's going to be in the game?
"I think just from the games that he played with [QB] Mac [Jones] and watching film and being around him in the locker room and on the field at practice, I feel like K.B. and I, we've gotten really close in that regard, but at the same time we just haven't been in the game a whole lot together to get a lot of throws and reps. That's just sort of how the game plans have gone when I've been in the game and how the game has gone. But, I know that when the time is right and he's in there, the right play, the right time, I have 100-percent confidence that we'll connect and he's going to be where he needs to be. Obviously, he's been in [head coach Kyle] Shanahan's system, he understands our concepts and where he needs to be and so more than anything come the moment we're going to capitalize and be just fine. And then obviously outside of that we've got [WR Jauan Jennings] J.J., Ricky, [TE] George [Kittle], [RB] Christian [McCaffrey], we've got guys that can all come together and help each other. It's not just we're relying on one guy to be where he's at. It's everybody doing their job, but we've all got each other's back. So, I mean, K.B. and I, we're just fine."
All the games you played in high school, college, have you ever started the game on the one-yard line?
"No. I've had some good kick returns and stuff, but to start the game on the one, that was the first. So, shout out [WR] Skyy Moore."
You said you're not quite 100-percent healthy. Do you feel like yourself? Do you feel like you can do everything you've been able to do in the past? Are you like learning new ways to perform?
"Not 100-percent by any means, but pretty close. And I would say I can do everything that it takes to play quarterback at a high level and be myself for sure. But I mean, it is what it is when it comes to having to deal with something health-wise, but I feel like I can scramble, I can make plays on the run, step up in the pocket, rip the ball aggressively. So, I feel like I can play my style of ball for sure right now."
RB Christian McCaffrey seems to be greatly motivated for every game, but do you imagine that he has any extra motivation to play the team that traded him?
"I mean, I know that dude's going to bring it every game, doesn't matter who it is. You know, it being the team that traded him and stuff, I'm sure Christian just being the competitor that he is, he definitely probably wants to go out and compete his butt off. But, I feel like that's a question for Christian to answer. Knowing him and stuff like, yeah, he's going to have that chip on his shoulder for sure. So, excited for him."
He gave a non-answer.
"There you go. That should give you an answer."
Heading into a primetime, Monday Night Football game, there's a strong connection between this team and the fan base. What does it say about the culture here that the support remains consistent no matter what the circumstances is?
"Yeah, I mean we call our fanbase The Faithful and they show up. Doesn't matter where we're at, home or away. They've been an amazing fanbase just over the years. It doesn't matter where we're at, the state of our season or anything, they're going to show up and have our back. So, Monday Night Football late in the year like this, and a lot is on the line and we all want to go out and show out for each other, but more than anything our fan base, get that place rocking, get Levi's rocking, this is what it's all about. So, we appreciate them, we love them and we're going to play for them."
They said on the broadcast you had reached out to other players who had toe issues. Can you share some of those conversations and what you learned and who you talked to?
"Yeah, just teammates and stuff around here and in our locker room. I mean, receivers, DBs, everybody, you name it. Like, I was just asking guys and a lot of guys have dealt with a toe injury at some point in their career, I feel like, and a lot of the guys that have were just basically saying that it's not going to be a thing that heals overnight. I mean, that's really just with any injury. It's not going to be perfect right away or anything, but you find ways to do what you can to keep strengthening it as you go along, find ways to play and you know what that threshold is of when you can go, when you can't, what makes it worse, what doesn't, stuff like that. And so, I just feel like for me, everybody's injury is a little different, but I just wanted to have a good idea of what to expect, what the rehab process looks like, when I do get back out in the field what to expect and how long could this thing feel like this until I get to that line and feel better? So, I don't know, it was just one of those things where I was trying to do my research with guys here that have dealt with it and sort of go from there. So, I feel like I got some really good answers, but at the same time, everybody's injury's a little different."
Were you curious about on Monday how the toe was going to feel?
"No, honestly. I really did believe that after the game and traveling home and everything, it felt really good just walking around and being myself. I was like, I know I'm good. And so, big difference from the previous two times where I hurt it. And so, Monday I woke up, went about my business and feel great."
When you complete a pass to FB Kyle Juszczyk, are you as amused that the crowd just immediately recognizes him? Like he gets that and nobody else gets that?
"Yeah, I mean, it's pretty sweet. He's a fullback, love him, but it's just cool that the crowd immediately feeds off of our fullback when he gets the ball and he's just got this different kind of aura. Everybody has their own different kind of aura, but Juice's aura with our stadium, our fan base, like everybody knows him. Even when we're on the road, the dude can catch a two-yard check down and the whole place goes nuts. So, he's the man. He does everything that we ask for and he deserves the crowd to go crazy like that."
He's been in this system for so long, almost a decade. Back in high school, he had some quarterback experience. Is he someone who is just like an encyclopedia of knowledge about what Kyle is trying to do in your meeting rooms and in the huddle?
"Yeah, he's extremely smart, went to Harvard and all that, but more than anything his experience with football, he's been in the League forever and been around some good quarterbacks and as the fullback his position is obviously similar to a tight end and a running back. So, he has to sort of know our whole system, the motions, the routes, the check downs, you name it. So, he's in it just like the quarterback is. And so for him, I don't know, he's up there when it comes to understanding our offense and our system and having good football IQ. So honestly, like when we've got questions and stuff, we can always go to Juice and he usually knows just about everything. He just can't throw as good as a quarterback."
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