San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak spoke with reporters after Sunday's training camp practice. Here's everything he had to say.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
What did QB Kurtis Rourke do from a mechanic standpoint as far as the huddle and getting the play call in?
"I thought he was excellent in all those areas, especially it being his first real competitive football game in almost two years. He did a great job of handling the huddle, the emotions of it, the operation was really clean. Then on top of that, I thought he executed really well. So, I'm really pleased with how he played."
How long do you expect to have him out of action?
"I'm not 100%. I don't think it'll be long, though. I think he just needs to heal up a little bit and get him back out there, but we don't think it's anything long-term."
There was a lot of 11 personnel, a lot of three wides. Was that just because of the injuries you have, or do you think we may see more 11 this year?
"Oh, no, that's just, we only suited up three tight ends, so we're trying to kind of keep a rotation going there. If you go too much 12 personnel, those guys are probably going to get gassed, so it's just kind of who we suited up and the numbers we had. I think in the second half, we're in some second and long situations where we're probably doing more 11 anyways because they're passing situations. So, it's just how the game went and the personnel we had out there."
WR De'Zhaun Stribling got a lot of opportunities in the first half. How do you feel he acquitted himself?
"I think he did a good job. There's a lot for him to learn from that game. There's things in the game that, I think everyone knows why we love him. The way he is with the ball in his hand, the way he catches the ball. He's a very, very strong player, but there's things that he needs to keep working on. The route running, the detail with alignment, all those things. It's going to get better with time, but he just needs to see it, see the reps, get better from the tape. But I was pleased with how he played. He made some good plays, and he's just got to keep growing, keep taking steps every week."
You mentioned the emotions that Rourke had to handle. Did you get a sense from him that it meant a little more just because it had been so long for him?
"Yeah, I think any young player who hasn't played yet – he's not a rookie, but he is effectively a rookie – you go into that first preseason game, and it does mean a lot to those guys. It's their first time playing in the NFL and suiting up and being in a stadium. I think any time that's the case, guys are going to feel a little nervous, and I think that's how it should be. It means they care. It means it matters to them. He admittedly felt that way, but it didn't affect how he played. That means he was prepared and he was ready for the moment, and I thought his play showed that."
Rourke is a seventh-round pick, and seventh-round quarterbacks sometimes don't last very long. Have you seen enough to determine if this guy is actually an NFL quarterback on some level, like he can stick around as a backup? Or is it premature to say what he could be?
"Yeah, I think it's premature. I mean, he's a really young player who's got a bright future with a lot of room to grow, but that is why we drafted him, is we thought he was an NFL quarterback. I think we saw a lot of talent. That he was probably better than a seventh-round pick, but he had an injury in college that we knew he wasn't going to be able to play much his first year, so his draft value maybe fell a little bit. But evaluating, we saw a guy who was an NFL thrower, who was very bright, who had the right size and who had the chance to be a player. So, yeah, we still think he is. And I think he's taken steps in that direction, but he's got to keep going."
What type of camp is WR Mike Evans having? I know he had the quad issue a little bit earlier, but what have you observed from him?
"Just missed some time but getting him back into it now. Getting him back into the swing of things, just with our practice tempo, our route tree, and I think he's doing a good job. I think just kind of adjusting to [QB] Brock [Purdy], adjusting to, like I said, our route tree, and kind of learning the timing of things. It's new for any player, but he's doing a heck of a job. Mike's a really, really smart guy. He is on it. He's out there competing and getting better. Today we got him in one-on-ones. He ran some good routes, and I just like his growth every day. And Mike has the right mindset that he's just out there to get better. He wants to make our team better, and that's what it takes. So, I'm really happy with where he's at."
Behind the scenes, is he taking a leadership role, or is he just kind of quiet because he's new? How would you describe it?
"I think Mike, he leads in his own way. He's naturally just kind of a quiet guy that goes about his work, and that's what we like about him a lot. He's all about what you do on the field. So, to me, that's kind of what he is every day. It's how he shows up, and I think players respect that because it shows up on the field of what the product is."
I'm sure you're not monitoring all the guys that are injured, but TE George Kittle, it seems like he's taken a lot of steps already for someone who was injured as recently as he was. What do you hear from him on a daily basis, or when you hear from him, and how his progress has come?
"Relentless positivity from George, like always. That's how he lives his life. That's how he goes by his every day, and you got to appreciate that about him. To me, that's what's going to make him get back from his injury and be himself again is because he has the right mindset. He attacks every day with positivity, that he's progressing and he's healing. Just seeing him out there just with the trainers working out, he looks great, and I'm excited to see kind of how he progresses over these next few weeks and where we're at."
Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh and defensive coordinator Raheem Morris both have described Brock as a layer king. Supposedly, Brock has said that quarterbacks coach Mick Lombardi doesn't like that. Do offensive guys look at layer as a pejorative when you're talking about quarterbacks? How do you look at that?
"There's a time and a place, but you want the mindset to drive the football, and Brock has both tools, and Brock is exceptional at whatever layering it is. Throwing it over, zoning defenders, finding holes in the defense, he's exceptional at that. But you want the mindset as a quarterback, 'I'm driving the football.' We remind him of that, and he has both tools. So, I think the nickname's funny, I appreciate it, but it's cool that Brock kind of takes it personally, too, and says, 'No, I'm going to drive the ball. I'm not going to layer things.' But you got to have both tools in your bag. So, it's kind of a funny deal between him and Raheem."
Off the field, Brock seems sometimes too good to be true. Even with all the fame and success and money that suddenly he has, it's the same guy, due to his faith. Do you ever see someone who is not perfect or doesn't conduct himself totally correctly?
"Nobody's perfect, and I don't think Brock would ever claim to be, but Brock, he's exceptional. And you got to be exceptional to get where he's got. To come from where he's come from. Being the last pick of the draft, being fourth or third on our depth chart when he got here, and to just have the work ethic he has, the character he has, the leadership he has. He's a great teammate, he's a great husband, a great father, a good friend, and he's a great guy. I mean, yeah, he's exceptional, but nobody's perfect. You know, everyone's got flaws and warts, but that's just being human. So, we appreciate Brock, we love him, and that's why he's a leader of our franchise."
When do you start thinking about the Rams and Week One?
"I think about them every day. It's training camp. You kind of dip your toe in watching your Week One opponent every now and then because you do want to start working on things that you think are going to be relevant in Week One. And you start studying the tape a little bit. So, this is kind of an ongoing thing throughout camp. And then I think once we get past that Raiders week, we really start to just zero in our focus to the Rams."
Probably not the ideal situation to have three guys competing for one spot on the offensive line. You'd like to have that set. What's kind of your philosophy on what you're trying to see there? At what point do you want those guys together to get ready for Week One?
"Yeah, you said three guys competing. There's a double-edged sword to that. One is you do have to divide up the reps and that takes some reps away from guys with the ones, but that's okay because those guys are competing. And to me, when they compete, they bring the best out of each other, or that's at least the goal. Those three guys or four guys, however many it is, they come out every day with the mindset that they got to earn it and they got to be at their best. I think that brings out the best in those guys. But we're looking for consistency. We're looking for guys who come off the ball and play with great technique, consistency. And then at the end of the day, like, no matter who ends up starting Week One, we're going to need multiple guys in that spot. We always have. Whether it's injuries or guys needing a rotation, that's just the nature of playing offensive line. So, this competition to me, whoever comes out of it in Week One, it's going to make that whole group better. And like I said, we're going to need all those guys down the road. So, to me, it's an important part of our team is just guys competing and people getting better."
In the latest Hard Knocks, Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald yanks one of his defensive linemen off the field for getting too close to the quarterback. Is that a constant problem? Today there were guys getting pretty close to your quarterback. Do you say anything?
"Yeah, it's something that you got to address all the time and in training camp especially, it ebbs and flows because there's tempers that flare. There's guys that maybe haven't been here who aren't used to how we practice who might be out of control, or an O-Lineman's technique is bad and he pulls a guy into the quarterback sometimes. So, it's both sides. You got to call it out when you see it. You got to address it to the team because it's so important. You don't want to lose a quarterback. You don't want to lose anybody. But, yeah, that's just something that you constantly have to have your thumb on and be monitoring as a coach."
Is the emphasis still the joint practice as opposed to trying to get your starters a little bit of work in the preseason game? What is your guys' philosophy moving forward up into this week?
"Yeah, we'll see. I think it's an ongoing discussion about who's going to play on Thursday, but the joint practices were really the big measuring stick. That's where we know we have a plan of how many reps guys are going to get. We know what we're going against. So that'll be set going into that practice. That's a big day for our team. And then we kind of go through that week and determine, 'Okay, who needs to play, who do we need to not put out there, who's not worth it,' etcetera. So, we'll make those decisions here in the next few days."
Comments