San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and quarterback Mac Jones spoke with reporters after Thursday's training camp practice. Here's everything they had to say.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris
What are you seeing out of DL Gracen Halton back in practice today? He kind of flashed a couple plays.
"He did, man. I see a young man that's really feisty. Obviously, was off the field for a couple days and coming back really into it. Kind of fired up, sometimes a little too fired up. You get those kind of guys. Sometimes you got to tell them to kind of slow down a little bit to get with the tempo. The guy's been going at a really high rate. Really going fast, really getting after it. He got out there today and really wanted to be a part of it the last couple of days, so it's been fun to watch him get back."
Sometimes these guys have to learn a new technique. How close is his technique to what he was doing in college?
"Gracen, when he played in college, we noticed the initial quickness, the movement. You notice his get-off. You notice a lot of things that we covet. He was able to do those things. A lot of the things that we're going to ask him to do is the things that we saw on tape, the things that we require. He brought some other things to us that I've seen, like some real sudden power, a couple of things he's seen in the run game today, things of those natures. He'll always be asked to do the things he does great. Then the things that are required based on situational football, he can do for us. That's a lot of fun to watch when you see a young player have that kind of ability."
When he was talking to us the other day, LB Dre Greenlaw used the term "fever backer." I'm curious if you can explain what you're looking for in that position and what is that in your system?
"I've been making up a lot of terms as I've been here. Obviously, you know what traditional backers look like. Stand-up guys that can move around. Those fever backers are kind of those guys that bring you subtle changes, subtle different things. They can do different things. They can play star for you. They can play outside edge and play sort of a big nickel. They can get at the line of scrimmage. They can use their hands, do a couple different things. We've got a couple different terms for what those styles look like and what they feel like in order to get guys lined up, put them on paper. Those guys have been doing such a good thing. Some of the spinner-type stuff that you've heard about. All the unique things that these guys can do, you want to find ways to use them. We've got some guys on our team that got some real unique skill sets. Being able to use those guys, whether it be a spinner situation, a fever backer, whatever the call is. Getting those guys out there so you can have those names so you can be sharp, crisp and be able to substitute those guys the way you need to do it, I think is important."
Is that a position that's a staple, like you use it a lot, or is it more specialized based on just the situation?
"I think that depends. A lot of this stuff is based on how you can utilize guys. A lot of stuff is based on how you get through games, how you utilize those guys to be able to get through games. What's your plan for things you can't plan for? When you get those unexpected injuries and be able to fill people in in those positions and do different things. A lot of guys on our football team have been able to show that they're versatile and I really love that and that's pretty cool."
When it comes to DL Nick Bosa, is there any concern with the time missed of him being able to catch on to all the adjustments made?
"He's played a lot of football. He's got a lot of banked reps in his history. Not with just the Niners, but just in general in football. He's very smart. He's very unique. He's been able to be out there to get all the mental reps, be able to do a lot of those things. He's starting to get his physical activity increased when it comes to individual and things of that nature, so just getting his body right, getting ready to play football. I feel really good about where he's going to be and what he's going to be able to do for us. He's a special player and you plan around special players. You make sure they know you're planning around them. He's smart enough to pick those things up and be able to go do those things at any time."
Several of your defensive backs, S Ji'Ayir Brown, DB Deommodore Lenoir, they've come in here and said how you've let them play free. What has been your focus for them and how have you changed what their direction is on the field?
"It's an above the neck game, and it's not just me. I'm just the guy that's talking to [LB] Fred [Warner]. It's all the other guys that are in that room. The [defensive backs/cornerbacks coach] Ray Browns. Obviously, the guys that are with those guys every day, talking to those guys, giving them the above the neck knowledge. We've got a bunch of guys. [Defensive quality control coach] Jake Lynch is in that room, [defensive passing game coordinator] Jerry Gray. You've got a wealth of knowledge in that room. You've got a bunch of young guys that can do things in that room. You've got different ideas. You let those guys be, have some freedom to be able to articulate their thoughts and what they see, to be able to catapult those things, put them together and go out there on the field and be able to execute those things, I think really helps those guys play and play fast. I'm just fired up where they are. I'm fired up that they compete at a very high level. I love how they feel. I love how they're going about their business. But, I would not take the credit for that just for myself. I think that's a credit to the defensive staff, the people out there working with those guys, and everybody, all hands on deck. The players being able to communicate at a very high level when we have our group meetings, I think that's really been helpful for all of us."
Deommodore Lenoir even said, "We're allowed to be ourselves." Same with CB Renardo Green. What have you seen from them in the past that maybe has needed to be and is allowed for them?
"It's hard for me to talk about the past with those guys. Especially based on the fact that I was so focused on the offense, going against those guys and doing different things. Being able to be here and get in the building with these guys, man, really watching them grow and develop into what I think they can become, it's been a lot of fun. I'm enjoying it."
You said you'd never get tired of Dre Greenlaw being near you.
"I'll never get tired of Dre, but it is nice when he's out there playing as well. Getting him up in the front. He's a little sore. He went through the whole process doing the stuff that he needs to do to get back. He's eager. I know you guys see him out there in full pads today. He's ready to go. Greenlaw is one of those guys that you like playing football instead of being around you, but I'll never get tired of that guy. A lot of fun."
How do you think DL Romello Height has handled the workload that he's been allowed given the injuries at that spot?
"Smart young man. He's been able to come out and always the guy you're scared to talk about early. I'm sure for you guys, when you watch him move around in shorts, it's not real football yet. Then you got a chance to watch him in pads, and you got a chance to see his physicality and some of the things that he can do. Particularly rushing the passer, setting the edge, doing all the things that he's doing. Then you get a chance to see a little bit of versatility out of him. So, you're excited about his learning capacity. You're excited about his ability to go out there and play at a very high level. You're excited about the what if when he gets a chance to play with Bosa and some of those other guys like [DL] Mykel [Williams] that we've got coming back. It's exciting. He's an exciting young player that we had a lot of hopes for and hopefully he can meet them."
It seems like when you guys drafted him, he would be sort of the classic speed edge rusher guy, but it seems like he's been used in more ways, and you just spoke to his versatility. How much is that part of the equation at this point in training camp where you know he has the speed to do things but can maybe do some other things for you?
"It was fun because you just had to talk about those things in the draft process. [President of football operations/general manager] John Lynch and his staff and all those guys would be able to communicate with those guys at a very high level. Obviously, on tape you saw the designated pass rusher role that you can feel that we lost from the team from the year before. So, he can come in and feel some of those things. Then there was some further thoughts, some things that we could possibly do with him, whether it be fever backer, whether it be spinner, whatever it is, being able to get him out of different roles. Then you've got to meet the young man to find out what his learning capacity is. Can he handle those things from a down-in, down-out basis? And he's done a really nice job of handling those things throughout the course of training camp. That's all you really can say. Then getting a chance to let him get physical and do some of those things has been fun. We've got to keep growing, keep developing, keep getting better every single day and get ready to play our games."
Obviously, you've had to plan against QB Brock Purdy for games in the past. Having been here 10 days or whatever it is, seeing him practice daily, especially the last couple days, it seemed like he's really been locked in. What have been your impressions of what's so challenging?
"'The layer king' has some really intensive intensity, and I like that about him. It's really fun for me when you get a chance to get some of those call-it periods and you get a chance to go in the back with the offense and you call your play and you get a chance to just hear him operate. You're listening to him and you're able to hear him operate and you're able to hear him operate in a very pro manner. How he communicates with the coaches, how he's very up front. Today he got fired up, which was cool, which was fun, which was competitive, and I love that. When he does those things, it just makes the team go. I watch that team go out there and basically have a fight for an hour and a half, and then hug at the end of practice and cheer for each other. It's the weirdest thing ever. It's awesome. It was a lot of fun with that guy. He's awesome."
Two returning starters at corner, but you also have CB Jack Jones. A veteran guy. You know what you're getting from him. It seems like he makes a play a day out there. Where does he fit in that room?
"We have a highly competitive room. We've got to be out there and find out who's going to be our guys going out on an every-down basis. You've never got enough good players, and Jack-Jack's certainly one of them. He has a chance to go out there and make a play. He has a chance to go out there every single day. We're going to be competing at a very high level right up until the end. Let those guys make those decisions on the field. You love that. I've always been a part of highly competitive rooms. You want highly competitive rooms. You don't want to be able to come up here and put the depth chart up right now. That probably means you're not that good. We've got a lot of spaces like that, and that's fun for me."
How difficult or easy is it for a cornerback to transition to safety? Say you want to have CB Upton Stout on the field more because he likes to get in there and stick his nose in there and has ball awareness. How hard would it be to move him to safety or CB Ephesians Prysock who's a taller, rangy guy?
"It depends on the demeanor. Stout can play whatever he wants. Stout can play linebacker, Stout can play safety, Stout can play corner. Right now, he is our starting star.He's our starting nickel. Him going out there playing at a very high level with his hand usage, his ability to get up to the pass rush, his ability to pass rush, his ability to use his short-space quickness, defend anything, whether it be zone, whether it be man. Highly competitive young man.Stays angry every single day. I love him. He's got the mindset of a football player, and he's got the mentality of a football player and he certainly has the movement and the skill set of a football player. Then to just talk about being versatile with guys, I think we kind of did that a little bit. Switched the corners with DMo and Renardo, made those guys go opposite, make Jack-Jack play opposite. Making those guys, whether it be [DB] Siran [Neal] playing a little bit of safety, being able to play corner.You're creating versatility across the board because you just never know what will happen in the game. DMo playing inside a little bit for us the other day, being able to do some different things for us. When things happen in the game, something goes out the course of the game, you want to be able to have an answer.It'sour job as coaches to have an answer for our head coach when something goes wrong what are we going to do and what our plan is. It may not be the right plan, it may not be the right decision, but you better have one."
It seems like you're cross-training LB Jaden Dugger a little bit. What's the plan for him?
"I think that's kind of the theme throughout the course of training camp. You get into camp, you put people in positions, you let them grow, you let them learn, you let them get comfortable. Then you find a way as a coach to make them uncomfortable.Then that really breeds understanding and that really lets you know how these guys are really understanding the whole entirety of the defense, what their brothers are doing, what their people are doing around them. This game is played from the neck up.Plays are made when opportunity and technique meet. If you can just take the opportunity and technique and put it together at that position when you're there and be where you are, be where your feet are, I think that's the best course of action for our guys."
How important could preseason or going up against another team be for somebody like Prysock?
"That is huge. So funny, you must have been walking in the hallway with me the other day. I was just talking about that, like these rookies, right? You get into training camp and it's like this moment that they play and they kind of feel like they belong. You start to feel it in practice, right? The other day we see them in a couple of plays, knocked down pass, get excited, team get excited for them. Then you kind of get that sad face off and I belong. Then it's like I can't wait to get to the next practice and be able to go out there and compete. Then you really see it and you get in those competitive moments with people they don't know. When you get into that practice of, whether it be a joint practice next week versus Tennessee or whatever the case may be, we get another one versus L.A. or whether it be one of the preseason games, you get a chance to see that step. You see those guys make those steps. I just remember some of the young safeties that I coached, they've got into position to make the play and never could make it in practice. Then they get in the game and they just miss it. Then they get in the game and they finally start making them. Then they become guys. Those are the steps you want to see made by your young rookies. It's just a matter of how fast they can do those things before you've got to make those decisions on who's on the football team."
Is there any time between offseason and preseason you think about what Sean McVay is thinking about what Raheem Morris is thinking about what Sean McVay is thinking about?
"That would be every day, coach. That's constantly going through your mind, right? Being a familiar face in that building and kind of knowing what those guys do but knowing they're going to bring their very best every single time they go out there. They get better and better every single year. You've got to be able to go out there and plan for some of that type of stuff, along with finding out who's going to make your football team. That time will come when you sit down in a room and you go plan things and you've got to go out there and play that game, which is the most important part of what we do. That time will come, but it's definitely time to do those things. You always think about those things. You have those moments throughout the course of the summer. You have those moments throughout camp. You have those moments as you put in more situational football and you tie it together, create some similarities to what you can do when you play those people so you can have carryover for you guys to make it simple."
QB Mac Jones
Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris was talking about QB Brock Purdy at practice, he likes to call him the layer king. Do you call him that as well?
"The layer king? I like that. Kind of like a lizard king or something. Yeah, Brock does a good job of that. I think Raheem, he's had some issues with that in the past, people, quarterbacks in the NFL doing that, so maybe he has some scars."
How do you feel so far about training camp?
"Good. I like training camp. I think it's good just to get around all the guys and it's never going to be perfect. I like the season a lot better. It's what I'm really good at, is preparing for games and being ready to go in there at any time. And training camp is fun because it's a lot of challenges and different, unscouted looks and things that you don't normally see. So, I think it's a good challenge and I don't think training camp tells you how your season is going to go, but I think it's good to have mistakes, but also good plays too. So, you can never overreact or underreact to it. Not that it's not important, but I really enjoy the games."
How different is this defense that you're going against from a schematic standpoint?
"Yeah, it's pretty different. I played against Raheem last year, you know, as the quarterback against the Falcons, so kind of familiar with it and what he did in L.A. so there's a little bit of everything in that regard and a lot more match coverage, so the throws are a lot more contested. I'd say that some teams in the league play that way, but a lot of teams don't now. So, it's kind of an interesting balance. But yeah, it's been a good challenge. They bring a lot of pressure too on third down, so it's a little different than what we've been used to. But I think they're doing a great job over there. I like Raheem's personality. He has a good personality and, I don't know, it seems like he's a good coach you'd want to play for."
I know he's missed a couple days here, but with WR De'Zhaun Stribling, is there a combination of size and speed that he has where you're kind of getting both that you maybe didn't have in the receiver room even last year or this year?
"Definitely. Yeah, I call him the Flyin' Hawaiian because he's so fast. But he definitely is fast, but some guys, they can be really quick, but they're not as strong, so he has both. I don't have a comp for him yet, but I think he'll be a really good player. And obviously, got a chance to throw to him in the offseason a little bit, when we went to Nashville. And I don't know, just the way he got to the ball when it's in the air was impressive. He has like a second gear when the ball's in the air. Some guys are really fast, but when the ball goes up and your eyes go up, you slow down, but he doesn't do that, so it's pretty impressive. And we've got a few guys that are like that, [WR] Jordan Watkins, and obviously [WR] Mike Evans is one of the best at it. So, you want to have guys like that and speed is good, but you want ball speed where the ball's in the air that you don't slow down. So he has that."
You said you like Raheem's personality. What stands out to you about just that personality and just how he carries himself?
"He's awesome. I think he doesn't take the game too seriously. I think that's important. Obviously, it's a very serious game, but you want to also have fun with it and he's going to talk smack and when he gets beat, he kind of just rolls it off his shoulder because he knows there's a next play. So, I really like his personality in meetings. I walk by him every day and talk crap to him and stuff. He's definitely been a head coach and I think he's trying to find his feet back here. And I feel like he'll be back in the head coaching spot soon."
How are you adjusting to the other targets in the wide receiver room? Obviously new faces out there, you spoke on Stribling but with him being out and Evans also being out the last few days, how are you adjusting to the other guys?
"Yeah, it's been interesting, I think. It's good. I think everyone's kind of a melting pot of people. And we got young guys and old guys, and like you said, [WR] Christian [Kirk], Mike, and Stribling weren't out there, but it's good for these young guys to step up and make plays, and I need to do a better job getting them the ball and letting them show what they can do. But I feel like they've all flashed in different ways. Like even [WR] Junior Bergen, going out there, knowing what to do, playing fast, all that stuff. So there's a long list of guys, I could go through each one of them, but I've been impressed with their work ethic and our system is complex, so I'm not expecting them to get it in one day or one week or even one month. It takes a whole, all the way through the season because our game plans are very different each week and that's the challenge is being ready for that."
What growth have you seen from Jordan Watkins last year compared to this year?
"Yeah, I really like Jordan. He's one of my good buddies on the team and he's always got a good attitude. He just goes out there and runs fast. With us, we're very similar because we're hard on ourselves. So, like, if he has a bad play, I always try to, like, go up to him and be like, 'Hey, play the next play. It's all good.' Similar with me, if I have a bad play, I want him to do the same and we kind of have that relationship. So, for him, it's just playing that next play as best he can, and he's done a better job of that this training camp, and he's really fast and has a lot of talent and has played in a lot of big-time football in college so, you know that he has what it takes to be really good."
We know you guys have talked about not really missing a beat and a veteran locker room, dealing with not having your head coach, but has it been weird? What's it been like for you guys sort of adjusting to what head coach Kyle Shanahan's been going through and that whole process?
"Yeah, I think it's good. I think it's a good challenge in its own way. I think everything will be fine and great in the long run. But nothing's been too different. I feel like this organization is run very smoothly whether Kyle's at the top or somebody else. I think he's set it up that way, so really he's been out there, he's been talking to us, so I'm hopeful that he can recover all the way. And for us, it's just keep battling every day. It's camp. We're kind of getting to that middle part and we'll get to the exciting parts playing in the games and stuff. But as a team, I feel like the energy's there. And like you said, we got a lot of good old guys on this football team. Not old, but older. I guess I'm approaching that area. But I think it's good. I think you want those guys and this season, it's not going to be easy - maybe we don't start great or we do. It doesn't matter, but you want that head leadership to be there and that's Kyle and all the veteran coaches and then all the veteran players that have been through a lot of seasons."
How different is it having offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak in your ear during practice though? And just in terms of not even just the play calls, but like the feedback that you get versus what you get from Kyle?
"Yeah, it's good. I think Klay, like, sometimes he mumbles a little bit. So, I'm just trying to hear what he says. But no, he's amazing. He does a great job just getting us ready for practice. Right now, it's just hard because we don't have an exact call sheet. So it's like you have the whole library of plays and just trying to hear, like, 'did he say that?' Is that a play we're going to run? So, I need to do a better job there. But, Klay's called a lot of plays in the preseason and obviously during the season too, he's gotten a chance to call some games. So, he has really good experience and he's a very good coach. He's clear when he stands in front of the team about what he wants. Like today, he called us up at the beginning of practice was like, 'Hey,' he kind of felt like a little bit of an energy lull, and Klay was like, 'Let's get this going.' So as players, I need to respond better to that, but I think we did overall as a team. We made some big plays today. So that was just a good example of, like, he has good x's and o's, but he's also really good with how he talks to the team too, so you want to have both."
You're still hearing Kyle a lot more though, right? Like, he's standing closer to the team behind the offense. Are you just hearing his voice a lot more? The pointers after plays and things like that?
"Yeah, Kyle's always been involved. I'd say compared to other teams I've been on, as a head coach, it's obviously his offense, and he understands it all, and I think he wants us to take it to the next level of how can we get this even better? So, he's always voicing things and asking us and not necessarily telling us, asking us, 'Hey, do you think you can get this done?' And we either can or we can't, but that's the whole point of training camp, is to try. And during the season, it's completely different – he's in all the meetings and has a chance to sit down in our quarterback room, and we go through each play and the problems and all that. So, he does a great job. He's still doing a great job of that. Just training camp is, like I said, it's more of a widespread net versus one individual game plan."
Is he in the meetings with you guys yet?
"Yeah, he's been around. He's doing a good job, like I said, recovering. I don't know. You'd have to ask him how he feels overall, but I feel like he's doing normal Kyle stuff."
When you're getting a play call that's going to be a deep shot, a deep throw. Do you get excited to air it out?
"No. I don't really get excited. I think you have to play each play and during the games, if you have too high of a pulse, it's sometimes a bad thing. Deep balls in practice are fun, but sometimes it's not realistic, I guess. So, you have to just play it as a real play. There was one today I had a chance to throw it deep, I had to move, and then threw an interception, so it's like, that messes up the timing of the play. So, you just have to play each play how it is, but my goal is to just try and get it to the right read, and yeah, I'd say lower your pulse. Whether it's a screen pass or a Hail Mary, you can't get too excited or not excited because sometimes that puts too much zip on the ball or whatever, everyone's different."
How much of a difference do you sense with LB Dre Greenlaw being back there with LB Fred Warner?
"Oh, yeah. Definitely feel the defense and their energy. And you've got Raheem yelling random stuff in the background. So yeah, it's quite the challenge. I don't know if he'll be able to stand on the field on game day, but Fred is obviously our main guy, and Dre's been out there too, and [LB Garret] Wallow's done a great job and [LB Luke Gifford] Giff, so we got a lot of veteran guys that played a lot of football, but I think those are definitely the energy makers over there. [CB Upton] Stout too, like, Stout's one of my favorite guys. He's just, he is who he is. He's not going to change and in practice today, like he gets chippy and he wants to just make plays."
Have you seen a difference in CB Renardo Green's play this year?
"Yeah. I do. I think Nardo went through some things last year, whatever you want to call it. He's a pro though. He came back and he's played his technique really well. He's made a lot of contested plays, him and the Hyena [DB Deommodore Lenoir]. And then [CB] Jack Jones, too, who I've played with in the past. Like, those guys are all aggressive corners. I feel like there's a lot more plays being made on the ball compared to last year, which is a good thing. Just contested plays. So, they've done a great job over there, and I'm excited to see him in a real game and see what it looks like."
Is Raheem more vocal in practices than Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh was?
"Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Saleh's pretty chill. Like he would just stand back there and look all strong and stuff. And then Raheem, maybe not as strong looking, but definitely a louder voice. But yeah, they're very similar and schematics are obviously different, but they're both great coaches, so."
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