San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and players spoke with reporters after Sunday's 35-13 win over the Miami Dolphins.
Here's everything they said.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan
Opening comments:
"Injuries from the game. [WR] Demarcus Robinson had an ankle, didn't return. [CB] Jack Jones had a foot, returned. [DL] Romello Height had a hand, he returned. [DL] James Thompson Jr. had an ankle, didn't return. WR Mike Evans had a hip, didn't return."
Just looking at Evans on the sideline, he didn't seem to be too affected by it. Does it seem like a serious injury?
"No, it didn't. It can always change tomorrow, but if the game was different, he would've been able to come back in."
Demarcus, it looked like he was definitely hobbling around.
"Yeah, that looked most likely like a high ankle sprain, so unfortunate there."
How sharp was QB Brock Purdy today? Obviously he had, I think, 18 consecutive passes.
"He was real sharp. He was on point, got the ball to all the right spots. I think his one incompletion was one drop. Then the other one on a third down and we had a bust on the play, but he was great today."
What was the play call on the ball that brought Evans down to the one? It seemed like an incredible play by Brock.
"That was a keeper. It was a keeper trying to hit [WR] Deebo [Samuel Sr.] underneath. They held for him. There was two guys waiting on Mike, too, and Brock just, he stayed with him, waited for him to clear him and it was a perfect ball. If it wouldn't have been a perfect ball, it would have been an interception because the guy was looking to undercut it. He just faded it over the top of him. It was a dime."
You said you guys got over the jet lag midweek or so, but you're coming off a long trip and it's been a long time since your last game. Was there any concern going into this one that you might not be sharp initially or it might take a little time to get into a rhythm?
"Not really. I mean, that's what was good about the week of practice. I didn't feel that way over the weekend when we had a few days off and definitely didn't feel that way Monday or Tuesday, but by the time we started on Wednesday, it felt normal. We had a good week of practice and felt good coming into the game."
These games have always been treated kind of as a package deal. The first two games of the long trip and then how do you recover after. How do you feel now that it's over? Do you feel relief? Do you feel pride about how your guys handled everything?
"I don't look at it as a two-week package. Everything's so week-to-week, so I was real proud of us after the first game and now I'm real proud of us after this game. We'll enjoy our weekend at night and then you get back in and you get ready for Week Three tomorrow. We knew that it would be a challenge, but getting the days off, by the time everyone came to work, we were over the travel and stuff by then."
I saw you come out of the tunnel before the game and you had to go back in. Did you forget a clipped play sheet or something?
"No, I had too many shirts on underneath. I thought it was a little colder out. It looked cloudy. I came out and it felt muggy. I got a little OCD in me, so I don't want to fidget and think about all game, so I ran back in and took a layer off. Can't believe you noticed."
TE George Kittle made it into the end zone for the first time since returning from his injury, but also made some big plays down the stretch of that game. What did you see from Kittle out there today? And, if you could also speak to RB Christian McCaffrey, who hit a record today.
"Oh yeah, both of them were great. They usually are. You know, the first half it was good, but it was frustrating. There hasn't been many times I feel like you only have two possessions in the first half. So, we were excited to get the ball on the first play of the third quarter. We were calling that for something else. They brought a double corner blitz, which opened the middle up, and George saw it and took it, which was a hell of a job seeing. You can see how explosive he was after the catch and how hard he is to bring down. Then on Christian, same stuff. Christian had a hell of a day and big accomplishment. I think they just told me getting his 100th touchdown."
Were you not aware that he was at 99 before that last handoff?
"No. Yeah, I'm not aware of that stuff."
This is three of your top five receivers going into the season that are out, at least for a significant amount of time. Are you going to have to go find a receiver, or where are you on that process?
"We'll see. It has been unfortunate. You know, it was big losing [WR De'Zhaun] Stribling last week. You guys know how big it was losing [WR] Ricky [Pearsall] over the summer. Then losing D-Rob today was huge. [WR] Christian Kirk's got a couple weeks before he can come back, but we've still got a group of guys out there that we have played with that have done things. So, I'm sure we'll have to add somebody, whether it's the practice squad or to the roster, but those are things we'll start discussing tonight and hopefully have an answer by Wednesday."
Is former San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk at all an option?
"No."
Are you noticing anything different from Brock? I know you're talking about him just always constantly improving in everything, but are there things that you're noticing about him at this point in his career that he's elevating himself to a different level than you've seen before?
"I thought he had his best training camp, just in terms of being aggressive with things, but not stupid. Still making the right efficient decision, but when there's a chance of things being aggressive, and I've seen that here these last two weeks. I think the more he plays, just with experience, the easier defenses come to recognize and things like that. But, you know, he played so good right away that it's not like, 'Oh, he's so much better in this area.' I just think you gradually become a vet and used to everything that you've seen. You're used to every situation you've been in. You've been up, you've been down, you've seen everything people have thrown at you. You just get more used to it."
Was the FB Kyle Juszczyk touchdown the same call as in the game against the Dolphins in 2022, or did it just kind of look the same?
"I think it may have been. I don't know if it was the exact same, but it was very similar. Same type of play."
Brock led the team in rushing yards today. How do you look to try to get that unit a little bit more involved in the run game?
"Getting more carries and stuff. I didn't really think too much about it when you only have two drives in the first half. A lot of those numbers are going to get mixed up. You know, we called a lot of what we call keepers or bootlegs today. We thought that was real advantageous. We made a number of throws on it, but he got a ton of scrambling yards on it too. But, I love Brock running. I don't care who runs it. I just love getting the rushing yards."
On the defensive side, another strong performance, especially those four sacks. What can you say about that side of the ball?
"Especially in the first half, Miami did a hell of a job controlling the ball. They really ate up the clock. That's why I think they got three possessions, we got two. But, I thought we did a hell of a job keeping them out of the end zone. I mean, even when we did bend a little bit, we gave up too many big plays in the run game, had a penalty on third down which kept their drives going. We struggled to get off the field, but we kept them out of the end zone until a bust there in garbage time."
You've built big leads in both games, so you've kind of been able to mitigate the run defense, but where do you think the run defense is right now? What are you seeing in that?
"I'll see more when I watch the tape, but I think we've definitely got to get better, obviously, at it. We've got to get better at everything, but it seemed like they had too many big ones. When I just look at the stats at the end of the day, they were held under four yards a carry, but I think some of that felt maybe big were some second and longs. Stuff that got them back into it when we thought we had the advantage with the sticks."
More five-man line, especially early in this game. Was it giving you the looks that you were hoping for? Is there still a little adjusting to go with this?
"Oh, yeah. We'll always have to adjust, and having some different guys in there with what's happened to our D-Line here over these couple of weeks. They had some good runs and made some good plays, but I've got to see where the breakdown is once I watch the tape. I'm not really sure of it right now."
Was it touch and go with K Eddy Piñeiro yesterday?
"No, he was good. Got rested for like six days."
An Illness was going to sideline him or not?
"Better not have. No, I just mess with him like that, but no, he was great. He was great yesterday and he was definitely not letting us, we asked him if we should just sign one of these guys to be safe and he answered it the way he should, so we were real confident that he felt better."
There are some veteran defensive linemen out there. DL Leonard Floyd, for example. Is that anything that you guys have started to look at, who might be available to come in?
"Yeah, we always look at that. As soon as we lost [DL] Sam O [Okuayinonu] and stuff, we talked to Leonard. We've talked to a couple of people, but we'll see how this goes. There's no one that's for sure, but we'll see with losing James possibly today, we'll see what his ankle injury is. It's a little different position with inside players, but we've lost about three guys here in the last two games, so we've got to do something eventually."
Any update on when DL Mykell Williams can start practicing?
"I believe he can start practicing next week, but I didn't ask last week, so I'm not exactly sure. I'll know that tomorrow."
Is James Thompson's ankle injury a high ankle sprain?
"That's what it looks like, but we can't confirm it yet, but him and D-Rob both look that way."
You said you liked the focus last week and president of football operations and general manager John Lynch even mentioned it. What'd you think overall of the team's focus coming into this one?
"That's what I was real proud of the guys on. That was the biggest challenge of this, just the human nature of what all went into Week One and the travel and everything. Coming back after five days off, just getting that mind going and stuff and the distractions of being at home as compared to just being in a hotel for a whole week. That's what I was worried about, especially over the weekend to think about it Monday, Tuesday. But, we've got a really cool team in terms of how much guys care about football, how into it they are, and once we got in front of them on Wednesday, it wasn't hard to keep their focus."
49ers QB Brock Purdy
What did you feel about the energy even to just start off this game?
"From the get-go, we knew the reason why we went out to Australia early was to get ready for that game and stuff and on the way back still be on top of our recovery based off what our strength and performance people had to say with [vice president, player health & performance Dustin Perry] D.P. I think everyone felt great towards the middle of the week. So yeah, it all worked out great. Coming into this game, we knew the Dolphins, their whole story and stuff, it is what it is. It's the NFL. You never know, anything can happen on Sundays. So for us, it's like, 'How can we just be our best, play our way of football and keep our heads down and let the game play out itself?' And so, that's what we were saying all week and I thought we went out there and did that today."
What did the Dolphins give you last week? I know the Rams came with a lot of nickel. What did the Dolphins show you today?
"Dolphins had a lot of different looks actually. A lot of five-down, even six-down looks with Bigs. Still threw in some nickel looks with four-down. They did everything. A lot of different kind of blitz looks and stuff too. So, their scheme is tough. We had to be on top of our stuff. And you just never knew what they were going to do. But with that being said, I think [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] called a great game knowing the right times to call more explosive plays and opportunities and stuff. The run game I thought was good too. So, that's a big kudos to Kyle on when to call certain plays and when not too."
When you're rattling off 18, 19 completions in a row, can you feel it? Do you have an idea of like, 'Hey, I'm kind of locked in here?' How does that feel when that's happening?
"I honestly didn't know until towards the end of the fourth quarter maybe. But for me it was like, we had two drives in the first half. They were eating up clock and stuff. So for me, every play, every drive mattered. It wasn't like we went out there and just blew these guys out. It was a game. And so, that's what we're saying, that's the NFL. That's where my headspace was at is like, 'How can I protect the ball? How can I move the ball?' Be in the right looks and be aggressive and keep us ahead of the chains. So, that's where my mindset was at really."
Kyle said that he thought this was the best training camp that you've had. He pointed out the balance between being aggressive and also making the right decisions. Do you feel like that part of your game has evolved at this point in your career, your aggressiveness and your willingness to make those plays in the right moments?
"Yeah, I think I went back and just watched the film with [quarterbacks coach] Mick Lombardi and where I was at last year. And it's like, if I'm hanging on a guy in a progression, how can I find an outlet or a checkdown and stay ahead of the chains and ahead of the downs? It's okay to be in third-and-medium rather than forcing a ball and being third-and-long and stuff like that. So, obviously yeah we know our looks when we have opportunities to make big plays, but playing quarterback is dishing it out and staying ahead of the chains and taking completions when the defense is giving it to you. So, I feel like I've had to learn sort of the hard way throughout my career so far on some experiences and some scars, but I feel like you've got to learn and make improvements and make change. That's what I did this offseason, I feel like. So, hopefully I can keep that up."
Can you talk about the two completions, the one to TE George Kittle to open the second half where he got open over the middle, and then the one that you hit WR Mike Evans in stride, just how you saw those plays develop and those guys getting open?
"Yeah, Kittle did a good job on the first play out of the half. They blitzed and tried to stop the run and we had Kittle down the middle screaming. There's no better feeling getting him the ball in open space and letting him do what he does. So that was great on him to be smart and just keep it down the middle. And then the Mike Evans one, it was great for him to just keep running. There was a guy chasing him, obviously man-coverage behind him. And so, for Mike to use his length to reach out and get the ball and make a play like that was pretty special too. So yeah, just two guys, obviously extremely great playmakers. And for me, it's 'How can I get the ball to them?' Kyle does a good job with putting me in those positions too."
You lost WR Ricky Pearsall for the season, WR De'Zhaun Stribling for a while, maybe now it looks like WR Demarcus Robinson for a while. I know it's always next man up and you always believe what you got, but do you start to feel that a little bit losing that amount of receivers this early in the season?
"Yeah, it sucks. These are all extremely great playmakers that looking at our roster in OTAs and camp, it's like, 'Oh shoot, we can do some damage.' And then Ricky goes down, Stribling, and now D-Rob. So, for me in the game, it's like D-Rob's out, [WR] Jake Cowing's up. [WR KhaDarel] Hodge is up. So, I have a lot of trust in those guys. I thought they came in and did a great job today. So, obviously we'll watch the film and try to figure out where are we at as an offense with our skill players and stuff too. I know coach will put us in a great position with that. But yeah, it sucks because those are my guys and those are our playmakers and for them to go down early in the season like that is tough."
What can you say about the guys up front? Two games in a row now, for the most part, they're keeping you upright and keeping bodies off you.
"They're doing an amazing job. I just feel like coming into this offseason, our offensive line's had a chip on their shoulders for one, to get back to our standard of running the ball and creating gaps for our running backs and stuff and plays like that. Then obviously, in the pass game, they've taken on the challenge of keeping me upright and clean and doing a great job. I know that they do that every game. That's their mindset in the past years and stuff, but man, they've done a great job. They're all playing together as a unit. You could feel them out there. They were finishing blocks and not having any gasser kind of plays. So for me, that's really encouraging. Obviously, I love those boys. I'm going to go to war with them every Sunday, but I know they're going to keep it up and they need my best as well."
The 100th career touchdown for RB Christian McCaffrey. Can you just speak a little bit about what it's been like to be his teammate and how he's made your job a little easier?
"Yeah, he's the man. Obviously a Hall of Famer and what he's done in his career, a playmaker that can do everything. Run the ball, split him out, catch the ball, catch the ball out of the backfield. He's the man. I was just telling the guys on the sideline, it's crazy. I grew up watching him in high school and stuff when he was at Stanford and then the Panthers. Then to be a teammate with him and be there when he scored his 100th touchdown was insane. It's really cool to think about that. So, to be on his team and be a teammate with him and sort of go and help him do what he wants to do with his career and just be there and feed him the ball and stuff, it's an honor for me. So, extremely happy for him."
49ers DL Nick Bosa
There was a lot of talk about this potentially being a trap game. Were you guys aware of that talk and how do you feel you responded?
"Whenever a situation like this happens, you get that chatter. Obviously, it's the NFL and early in that game, I mean at halftime it was a one-possession game, so you know every week you see the good teams lose and the bad teams win. You have to come in every week, not think about the opponent in that sense, and just play your game."
Could you detail what you see from guys like DL Keion White, yourself, DL Romello Height and so many others that are kind of helping you guys to get after the quarterback a lot better?
"We have a lot of guys who haven't had this big of roles before. Obviously the rookies and then Keion and [DL] Osa [Odighizuwa]. We're going to get better as we go. As long as we're taking steps in the right direction and winning games, it's really all that matters."
What was it like to be playing back here for the first time, especially since your injury?
"It felt amazing. The atmosphere is great. I felt a lot better this week physically. My knee kind of adapted this week after the first game, and I felt like myself."
49ers DL Gracen Halton
The Miami Dolphins did a pretty good job early in the game of those long drives, keeping the ball away from your offense. What changed in the second half for you guys?
"Really nothing. It is football, so things are going to happen. We just had the same mindset to go attack and that was our mindset in the first half. That was our mindset in the second half. It's football, so you're going to make mistakes and you bounce back."
You had 4.0 sacks today and the team was last in sacks last season. Pretty good stat to put that up there today for the defense.
"Yeah, no doubt. We just have to keep getting better, cross the I's, dot the T's and get right back ready for next week."
What does a win like this do for the squad? As you guys continue to shoot toward your goals, what does this do for this program?
"It doesn't matter who we play, it doesn't matter who it is, we're going to have the same mindset no matter what. It can be the Dolphins, it can be someone else, the worst team in the league, it doesn't matter. We're going to attack the same way we attack if it's the number one team in the world."
49ers FB Kyle Juszczyk & TE George Kittle
It seemed like you were having a lot of fun on the offensive side of the ball. You got your first touchdown since returning from your injury and had some big plays. What is it like to be on the offensive side of the ball this year with this squad?
TE George Kittle: "I want to start by saying that I'm pretty sure the Niners are undefeated every time me and Juice [FB Kyle Juszczyk] both score touchdowns, so let's keep doing that. It's a great record. Also, [WR] Mike Evans is good at football. He's helped our offense out tremendously. Our offensive line has basically stayed the same, so they've been able to gel together. [QB Brock] Purdy's confidence has continued to skyrocket. The receiver room is a little weird. We just keep getting guys who are getting banged up, but Mike Evans is doing a great job. D-Rob [WR Demarcus Robinson] was doing great when he was out there, and [WR] Deebo [Samuel Sr.] is finding his stride too. You also have [RB] Christian McCaffrey, so our offense is just really fun right now."
FB Kyle Juszczyk: "George summarized it pretty well. I think what he's saying is that we have a lot of weapons on this team, but that's not particularly new. I feel like that's been the case for many years here. There are a lot of weapons that have now had the time to gel together and continue to grow. Brock gets more experience. The offensive line plays together longer. And I just feel like we still get to excel and continue to get better and better."
With the way head coach Kyle Shanahan managed the team this summer, it seemed like he gave veterans like you some flexibility to do what you needed to do, while still pushing the younger guys the way he normally would. With the way the season has started, it seems like that approach worked. What did you think of the way he handled the team this summer?
KJ: "George was coming off a torn Achilles, and I did break a finger. I know it may have looked like we were just getting rest days, but we were out there."
GK: "Yeah, it may have looked like that. I think when we're not all out there, Kyle's anxiety is at an all-time high, which it always is. But he knew that these guys were going to be there, so he just needed to get the young guys to a place where they could service us and hit the ground running. Then, when the vets come back on the field, his expectations of us are to play football at a really high level."
KJ: "That's something that I've always loved and appreciated about Kyle since we got here. When he has guys that he can trust and has leaned on before, he doesn't need to continue to see that over and over in practice. I think that's something that younger coaches get so fixated on, whereas Kyle just does such a good job of knowing that when it comes to Sunday, George is going to be there. He's going to make the plays that he's been making for years. Same with Christian and all the other guys of that caliber. So I love and respect that about Kyle."
You said Brock's confidence is growing and it's apparent to you. How are you seeing that manifest in specific ways?
GK: "Watching how he handles the ball, that pass he threw to Mike Evans. He manages to roll out, pump fakes a guy, keeps his eyes downfield and throws it. Quarterbacks who don't have confidence aren't going to make that pass, but he makes it. He sees that Mike Evans is down there, he has a step on the guy, 'I can make that throw.' He's doing it all day. We've saw it all throughout training camp and we've seen it against the Rams. He's stepping into throws, throwing deep balls to Deebo, Mike, everybody."
KJ: "I was going to point out, last week, that touchdown to D-Rob, Demarcus is not in the read on that play. He's what we call an alert. For Brock to be tapped into that, understanding the two percent chance that it's actually going to open up and have the confidence to step into it and rip it, I love to see him continue to get more and more confident."
GK: "It's pretty sick because me and Juice are alerts a lot and we don't get the ball. So the fact that he's starting to see alerts, that's good for me and Juice."
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey
You scored your 100th career touchdown. What does that mean to you, and how does it feel to have guys like LB Fred Warner and QB Brock Purdy rave about it?
"It means a lot. It's a blessing to be able to play this game, and stuff like that is always cool. It's always about the team, it's always about showing up and trying to do your job, and it was a great win for us today."
You're in the company of Randy Moss and Marshall Faulk. How much does that mean to you?
"Yeah, it's kind of crazy to hear that. I watched all those guys growing up, Marshall Faulk being somebody that I've probably seen every single snap he's played. So I don't take it for granted, man. And Randy Moss, I probably threw it to him a million times in Madden growing up, so those are huge honors and definitely a big honor that I'm happy to have."
You've played in some really productive, fun offenses here over the years. What is it like from your perspective on how good this offense is already?
"Yeah, it's still so early, and I don't think this offense and this team in general looks at it like we've arrived at all. I think one of the coolest parts about this team is that when we watch that film, it's highly critical. Obviously, the scoreboard's been great the last two weeks, but there are so many things we can always get better at and our standard is going to continue to rise. That's really what we're focused on. Obviously, you love games like this but that's not how every game is. It is about continuing to prepare the right way so that each week we've put in the correct kind of work so we can show up and execute."
49ers LB Fred Warner
When you see a guy complete 20 of 22 against an NFL defense like QB Brock Purdy, what's your takeaway when you watch that?
"My takeaway is I'm not surprised. Brock is unbelievable and I've spoken on how great of a preseason he had and his camp. His command of the offense but it's different, right? We get judged on those three hours that we're out there. So for him to be operating the offense the way he is right now, it doesn't matter who the other pieces are, right? As long as Brock's the one that's being the point guard, I know we're good."
4.0 sacks from the defense today. What'd you like from that unit? And then also, where do you feel like you guys need to improve?
"I like the fight, right? Obviously never lacking in effort and tenacity. Things definitely could have been cleaner from an execution standpoint all across the board, especially getting off on 3rd-down in the first half. Second half was a lot better, but I'm happy with the fact that we were able to keep them out of the endzone, especially on those longer drives and holding them to three."
You had a big lead, so maybe they got away from the run a little bit in the second half. Where do you think the run defense is right now? What are you seeing?
"I have to watch how it was today. I wasn't super happy about it, but at the same time, I think it's continuing to get better, right? We're starting to continue to feel more confident about where everybody's fitting and getting on and off blocks, getting the push that we need and we want. So, I have to watch the film. It's so hard in this moment to figure out exactly how it all fit up. But you mentioned it, I like the fact that our offense is scoring. They are forcing teams to pass the football and that's in our favor."
49ers T Trent Williams
What can you say about LB Gracen Halton, your fellow Oklahoma – ?
"Boomer! I said it earlier, I think early in training camp, he's one of those guys. I see a really bright future. The charisma, and his love for the game – it shines bright every time you see him on the field. So, I'm super excited to see how his career continues to unfold."
What can you say about how all of the rookies on the defense have stepped up?
"Yeah, when you walk in, and [LB] Fred [Warner] is your leader and [DL] Nick Bosa is your leader, you kind of fall in line, right? Fred is the leader that's like your dad. He's going to look at you disappointed if there's an MA (missed assignment). He holds all those guys accountable, and he's holding himself accountable in front of them. I think having those guys makes it really easy for those rookies to continue to develop and be the players that we want in this culture."
What impressed you the most about QB Brock Purdy's performance today?
"It's hard for me to tell because I just see the ball coming over my head, but it was extremely accurate. He looked like he was just at practice out there, wheeling and dealing. Like I said, we're starting to witness Brock's prime and I think it's going to be a sight to behold. To me, I've always loved Brock, but I think he's starting to get his respect now. He doesn't even relish in it. It's all about next week, going 1-0, and that's why he's a great leader."
Dolphins Head Coach Jeff Hafley
Opening Comments:
"Alright guys thanks for coming. Thank you for being here all week. I appreciate that. I know it's not easy, but thank you for doing that. Alright."
Five consecutive touchdowns on five drives. How much of that is just tip your cap to the opponent? How much was it the defense's own fault?
"Yeah, I think it's both. Really good offense. [San Francisco 49ers head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] does a great job. We had a chance on the first third down to get off the field. We had an unblocked guy, had a chance to make a play there. Quarterback made a nice play, threw it up to [San Francisco 49ers WR Mike Evans]. There were opportunities for us to get off the field and we just didn't make the play for one reason or another. Clearly, I can help our guys out more and I will. I think the game was really a tale of two halves. If you want to look at the whole game, I thought our guys came out. I thought we showed improvement. I thought we played hard. I thought we were looser. I thought the offense was able to run the ball really well. We were 0-for-2 in the red zone. We had a chance to score two touchdowns. We missed a field goal and we held them to the 14 points there. And then in the second half, we just — I don't think it was a lack of effort or how hard we played. We busted on the first, we did something extremely uncharacteristic on the first play of the half that went for an explosive and we had another huge mistake on the second that went for a touchdown so quickly. It hit us in the face really hard in the second half, and we just didn't coach well enough in the second half. We didn't play well enough. So, really disappointing. I thought we had a great week of preparation, and I felt like we were ready to play better, and in the first half we did. In the second half, just not good enough in any phase."
Does that kind of attribute it to the overall team when something like the first couple drives of the second half happened and it started to snowball?
"Yeah. I mean, it could be a lot of different things that I need to figure out, because I didn't see that coming and we hadn't made those mistakes like that, and you know clearly that starts with me. I got to make sure that we don't do those things and put us in positions where that happens. But we have to learn from it, and that's why I kept saying in the huddle throughout the game, regardless of what the score is and regardless of anything that's going on in the game, it's got to be the next play. It's got to be how hard you compete. It's got to be how much you're locked in to do your job every single play, and I'm going to watch the tape closely and look at that."
Early in the game, there was a throw to San Francisco WR Mike Evans and it looked like he was out. You were talking to the official. You had the red flag in the air. What happened there?
"They told me he was in. Looked at it, he was in. So, unless you saw something different, I was told he was in, and that was the conversation that I had."
So, how does that go if you wanted to see it again?
"Oh, I got guys upstairs who see it again, and then the refs usually do a great job of having the conversation. So, it was both. In my opinion, that play shouldn't have even gotten started. We had a free runner on a pressure and we had a guy in the quarterback's face and that drive could have started off with a sack and a punt or a really long field goal. Those are the things we have to finish, but Purdy did a good job, made a miss. Mike made a great catch."
It seemed to be a lot of pressure. Miami Dolphins T Austin Jackson specifically seemed to struggle on his side. Was there any thought given to sending extra help his way on San Francisco 49ers DL Nick Bosa?
"Yeah, and I'll watch it and take a closer look, but for sure, there are conversations and certain looks that we did help him or we need to help him more."
Do you have any update on how Miami Dolphins WR Caleb Douglas is doing?
"I did not. I will check though and get back to you tomorrow on that."
Miami Dolphins RB Jaylen Wright, same question or same answer probably?
"Yeah, same thing. I have not gone into the training room and gotten any updates."
Special Teams blunders today, the blocked kick, the big return, and the dropped punt. Let's talk about how they affect you.
"Yeah, we have to hit the field goals. That's two misses in two games that we're counting on him to make those kicks, and I'm not sure what to tell you about the punt that we dropped. Just got to catch the punt."
What do you tell a punter when he comes back to the sideline after a play like that?
"Keep your head up and catch the ball. No matter what I say to them, there's nothing that's going to change the outcome. You could be as angry as you want. You could say whatever you want to a player in any of these situations. When a player makes a mistake, when a player busts something, they're not trying to, right? So, you got to figure out why it happened and you need to coach them so it does not happen again. He's been punting for a really long time. He's got to catch the ball."
The tush push, we haven't seen that for a while covering Miami. Is that something you could see being a weapon anytime it's 3rd-and-short or 4th-and-short?
"Yeah. I mean, we got a strong quarterback and a couple of big guards and an athletic center. So, if we feel like we can do it successfully, then we'll use it."
Time of possession going in the first half — was that a concerted effort to try to shrink the game, to take longer drives?
"Yeah. When you look at the plan to win in this game, they got one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. There's a Pro Bowler at just about every position. So, in order to keep those guys from making plays, we wanted to keep them off the field. The game played out exactly how we were trying to play it in the first half, other than scoring in the red zone, which we had the opportunity to do, and limiting them to minimum plays. Just couldn't do it well enough in the second half."
There might not be an easy answer to this, but what makes coaching against Kyle Shanahan so difficult?
"He's got a great staff. He's a great play caller, and they've got great players who are experienced and have been running this system for a very long time. When I saw [San Francisco 49ers TE George] Kittle and [San Francisco 49ers FB Kyle Juszczyk] Juice after the game, they were here when I was here in 2017. So, great players, great play caller, consistency and continuity in one scheme over time usually equals success. That's a really good team."
Here's another game where a lack of pressure seemed to hurt this team. How do you manage to get it?
"Incredible observation. In drop-back pass mode, can we get them with four? Do we have to go at them? And then, how are we going to cover those guys? I got to have a better answer for you, because it hasn't worked in the first two games. I've coached a lot of defense and done a lot of different things. I'm going to have to continue to try to generate more pressure and find different ways to do it for sure, because we're not getting there right now."
You've been trying different combinations just to see if they can get pressure.
"We've tried a lot of different things. We rushed four, we rushed six, we rushed five, we zero pressured them. So as we go and take a look, we've got to figure out ways to do that and hopefully we'll get [DL] Chop [Robinson] back soon. Clearly taking him off the field didn't help us in those situations. So, hopefully we'll get him back and he's doing okay, and we'll come up with a good plan to get ready for another really good team next week."
Throughout the week, players and coaches called this a great challenge, a great test for your team. What lessons can you take away from a game like this?
"Yeah, when guys do their job on every single play, and you heard a lot of the players talk about their 1/11th, when guys do that every single play and they play as hard as they did in the first half, we can play with really good teams, really good experienced teams. So you take that, but when you don't, and you take one step off mentally or physically, or you're just not locked in, things can get away from you. The margin of error is not very big. So, we got to be able to sustain that for all four quarters."
Dolphins QB Malik Willis
Taking a quick look back at the game, what made it tough today against the Niners defense?
"I mean, it's hard to take a quick look, you know what I mean? I got to watch the film to see. Obviously, we got to put the ball in the end zone more than they do, and that's end of story. I mean, we had some good drives, but we just have to capitalize on them. That team is good. So, I mean, if you don't capitalize on their mistakes, they will capitalize on yours."
Obviously, you dealt with a lot of pressure today. How did you feel you did in those instances?
"I guess I'll see when I watch the tape. Obviously, I didn't do good enough. We didn't win the game. So, I just have to continue to get better and learn from these, and try to implement it as fast as possible, because this season is going to keep going and we've got to get better."
Did you feel more comfortable here in game two than you did last week?
"I mean, it's football. I try to do my best every time I get a chance to go out there. I don't try to compare and contrast, but I think it was definitely — I liked the plan coming in and we just got to execute it better. I mean, that's what it comes down to. They executed better than we did. That's how this league works. Everybody's good, but whoever executes the best will be successful on game day."
I want to ask you about the tush push. That's something we haven't seen from any Dolphins quarterback in a while. How much of that was repped going in and how much can it be a weapon, like anytime it's a 4th-and-1?
"I mean, we just try to look for ways to capitalize on the third down successes. I mean, last week we weren't great on third downs and we got a couple third-and-shorter this week. So, we wanted to have a plan to take advantage of that."
Did it feel good to get that last one, at least to Miami Dolphins WR Ryan Miller?
"I mean, yeah, I felt good for Ryan. It didn't feel good for the Miami Dolphins. You know what I mean? That didn't help us. I mean, obviously it helped on the stat sheet, but it didn't help us as a team. We obviously lost today."
Did it feel like there was a concerted effort from the Niners defense to get you out of the pocket?
"I wouldn't say that at all. No, I think it just played out like that. Just react to the game. I think they did a great job executing their plan. We'll see what it was on tape. I mean, obviously we have an idea, but I can't really tell you. I'm sorry."
Did you guys go in with a concerted effort to keep the ball away from the Niners? It was effective in the first half, limiting how many possessions there were. Was that something that you tried to do or did it just kind of play out that way?
"I think it just played out that way. We wanted to obviously run the ball better than we did last week. And I think we did that. Obviously, we had a couple of plays that could have been better and we just got to continue to improve. We improved from last week. We played better than last week. We executed better than last week. Obviously, the score didn't show it, but that's them taking advantage of our mistakes and we just got to continue to get better as an entire team."
Especially as the game approached its end, did you feel like the fight and the energy remained from this offensive unit all the way throughout?
"Yeah, I thought guys fought to the end. Obviously, it was tough. You have to continue to just keep going. And that's what I try to preach. Every time we get an opportunity to go out there, regardless what the score is, regardless what the situation is, you have to take advantage of it. It's a blessing and you don't know when the last one will be. So I try to, every time I get to step out there, have fun and go and play ball."
Dolphins RB De'Von Achane
From your perspective, what were some of the issues that plagued you guys today?
"I feel like we get down in the redzone, we have to score points. It's good to get three, but a team like that, we feel like we're good enough to go down there and get seven and that's what we have to do. That's something we have to work on. And like I said, when we're down in the redzone, we expect to score. So that's something we have to fix."
Do you feel like there was more of a physical tone set by you guys today in this game?
"Yeah, I feel like we came out. We showed a couple of drives. We just didn't finish and that's something we have to work on. Now, we have to look at those reasons why we're not finishing and fix them."
I think you might've had 17 touches today or something like that. [Offensive coordinator] Bobby Slowik said he wanted to get you more touches. Were you happy with the way you got involved early and throughout the game?
"I'm always excited with the ball in my hands because I feel like I can make plays. And I mean, whatever he calls and however the game is going, I'm also a team player too. The game went that way and I was okay with it."
What you talked about is punching it in early. How much more important is it with a team like what you have that's still learning how to do those things?
"It's very important. It's different when you go out there and score then kick a field goal. When you score, I feel like it's more of a momentum change than defense going out there and holding us to three. I feel like us scoring, it kind of makes their offense think a little more like, 'Okay, they scored, we have to score' instead of us getting a field goal, then they're still comfortable at where they're at. So like I said, we have to fix it."
Dolphins C Aaron Brewer
It seemed like your offensive line did a better job on the run game, especially early on. Did you feel that going in?
"Absolutely. I felt like we were running the ball at will today and felt like we dominated the running game."
You were able to get into the red zone a couple of times. What do you think fell through once you got down close?
"Basically exactly what happened. We got into the red zone. We finished with field goals, and not points. That's the biggest thing we have to do. We've got to finish in the red zone and leave with six instead of three. That was the name of the game. First half, we held the ball most of the time and could run the ball. I think they probably only had about two possessions. When we're doing that, we have to finish those drives and that'd be a difference maker in the game."
How frustrating is it when you get down for a drive and just have to settle for field goals or field goal attempts. How frustrating does that become?
"It's very frustrating because we're trying to win. Field goals aren't going to be enough when you're going against an elite team like that. That's a great team. They were doing their part on offense and we weren't doing ours. It's just very frustrating but we see the problem and it's something that we need to fix and we see how we can fix it."
What's the fix right now for the O-line?
"We just need to see what their scheme was. They ran a lot of twist games and they had a little success on it. It's watching the film and making the proper adjustment and technique adjustments to pick up those twist games and different pressures properly."
Dolphins LB Jordyn Brooks
You held it tight in the first half. What did you talk about in the locker room? When you came out, it just seemed like you weren't able to maintain that. What changed?
"I believe the score was 14-6 going into the half, so spirits were still up. We got some points on the board right before halftime, so the message was positive going into the locker room. We just didn't execute in the second half. It's really that simple. Whether it was a guy here, a guy there. There was just something on every play defensively where we just didn't come out in the second half on fire."
Giving up five touchdowns on five drives, that's never what you expect. How much of it was just tipping your cap to how the 49ers were executing versus some breakdowns defensively?
"I think it was a mixture of both. There were some plays that the 49ers made because they have some great players over there. Then it was a mixture of us just not doing our job, not being where we needed to be, and not communicating the right way. It was a mixture of both and when you say five drives, five touchdowns, those are the things that we're going to look at on the tape. Those are situations where we beat ourselves. We have to learn from that and build on that."
You guys had been calling this game a great test and a great challenge for the team all week. What do you learn from an experience like this, and what specifically can you take away from it?
"We know how everybody responds if we win. Everything's good, everybody's up. Then we get beat the way that we got beat today, and you start to see who's who. You can see the character of men. Are we still going to play hard even though there's no way we can win the game? Are we still going to play hard? I think that was the cool part to see, that even though we didn't execute, we didn't win, and we didn't play the way that we wanted to play, I didn't play the way I wanted to play, but we still fought. We can work with that. We can keep building as the season goes on. At least we have the want-to. If we have the want-to, we have a chance."
Dolphins T Austin Jackson
So is there any forgiveness necessary or is that just life in the league? Is this just what you have to face every week? Do you have to step up?
"No forgiveness at all, actually. I want to play better. They're good. I'm good too. So I want to play better. I have to perform better."
In terms of the rushing attack that you guys had today, is that something that you can be proud of that you sustained a running game?
"I definitely think it's been our identity in Miami but we have to clean up the penalties. Myself included.
How do you help this team continue to remain confident despite the struggles they had the last 2 weeks?
"I have to play better. It begins with me. I think that's the best way to give the people around you confidence. I have to just do my 1/11th. Everyone needs to do their 1/11th. That's the main thing. That's how you win games.
Dolphins P Bradley Pinion
On the fumbled snap from center, was it a fake call?
"No, it was straight up me - just [the ball] slipping out of my hand. I'll take full accountability that I got to hold onto the ball and get it off."
What went through your mind when the ball hit the ground?
"Pick it up and try to get it off, honestly. Try to make something good out of something terrible. It's just got to be better. I can't let the ball slip out of my hand."
What are you feeling after that play?
"You've got to take it as one-play sequence, especially as a specialist. It's just one streak of one, is what I always like to say. Got to have the memory of a goldfish, to quote Ted Lasso, honestly. Just forget about it and move on to the next one. Like I said, I can't let it slip out of my hand. It's all on me."
How do you feel like things have gone for you so far this season?
"I didn't have a good preseason, honestly. But since the regular season started, I'm punting the ball well when it actually hits my foot. I just need to keep building on that, keep building as a team. I need to just keep getting better and better, keep growing. It's always a long season. You just keep building and keep stacking and keep growing. That's all you can do."
Dolphins LB Jacob Rodriguez
After the game, I noticed you sought out San Francisco 49ers LB Fred Warner. Did you feel like you needed to go over and talk to him?
"Yes. I think he is one of the best in the game right now. He is a really great football player. We talked a lot about taking the ball away. He had a forced one today, so it was cool to get to meet him and say what's up."
Do you see his game as one that you would like to emulate one day?
"Yes. I wouldn't be mad at it. He is playing really good football right now and has been for years. Anything that I can do to help us win, I want to be that guy."
What are some steps that you guys need to take to get into the space where the San Francisco 49ers are - as one of the better teams in the league?
"I think right now we just have to go through the hard times together. That is how you become a better team, you have to come through adversity. You have to trust your group and depend on each other. No one wants to lose the way we have these past two weeks but it is a part of it right now. We have to move through those growing pains together and play good football."
More info on: Nick Bosa, Mike Evans, Gracen Halton, Romello Height, Jack Jones, Kyle Juszczyk, Christian Kirk, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Osa Odighizuwa, Ricky Pearsall, Brock Purdy, Demarcus Robinson, Deebo Samuel, De'Zhaun Stribling, James Thompson, Fred Warner, Keion White, Trent Williams
Comments