San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak, and quarterback Brock Purdy spoke with reporters after Thursday's practice as the team prepares for its Week 7 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.
Here's everything they said.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris
What did you like about Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. when he was coming out and kind of where is he in his development from what you've seen on tape?
"Loved the kid, loved everything about him. The personality, who he was, the thrower. We were in the business of looking for that guy that can take over for the franchise quarterback, had been through some quarterback purgatory and didn't want to go back in that realm. Obviously, we went and got [Las Vegas Raiders QB] Kirk [Cousins] in free agency and would hope he can take us for a couple years while Michael sat behind him and learned and developed and grew. And Michael's right at that point where he's ready to go. Unfortunately he had some injury history and he got hurt out here. And then, was able to go back, get Kirk back in and now he's ready to go. He's back healthy and he's probably everything that you thought and hoped for as far as being a play-action passer, a guy that can push the ball down the field, can make all the throws, go through the whole process. Just one of those guys that I have a lot of appreciation for and love for."
Is there something specific you've seen in him this year or is it literally just a matter of being healthy and getting the reps?
"You know, just him being healthy is the main thing that has been for him. When he has been healthy, he's had some explosive games, even as a rookie. I can still see him going into the D.C. game and find a way to get us into that game, make us some big-time plays in order for us to go to overtime. And as he started the season last year, had some ups and downs, had some probably more ups than downs, and now you've seen him have a couple really big ups since he's been back and been back in that lineup and changed that team completely. So, it's been pretty cool to watch."
What are the challenges as you prepare to kind of try and defend Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan Robinson in the run game? And then the second if you can answer, if it does make any difference, how does your familiarity with the personnel on that team kind of help to prepare?
"It's always helpful to know who people are, being around them and being what they are. But, I talked about Bijan last year. I talked about him being the best player in the NFL and he certainly is arguably the best player in the National Football League. He's special. He's one of those guys. He's a special talent that we see in this league and can do a bunch of different everything. I compared him to the guy that we happen to be with now and he's doing nothing but showing us the right way. Those guys train together, they know each other well. He's one of those guys that can take this league by storm and do really special things. He's going to present a big-time challenge for us this week and we've got to go out there and accept it."
Since you know him so well, what do you tell your defense about him that can maybe help them?
"How do we say this without helping them? You've got to keep him behind line of scrimmage. You've got to swarm tackle this guy. You've got to get him on the ground. He's as tough as it gets, he runs as fast as he wants. He's going to be patient and find his spots. He's a great human. You can tell him a bunch of different things, a lot about his accolades and what he's been able to do, but they see it on tape. And we've got a bunch of competitive guys that look forward to the challenge of playing against great players every single week. So, Bijan presents another challenge for us."
The defense has closed out the last two wins in Seattle and then here against Washington. What does that tell you about how they kind of come through when it's finally, finally, finally on the line?
"You never really want to go through adversity. Everybody says they want to go through it. But, when you do go through and you get a chance to watch your guys go out there and respond, that is something that forms teams and that's something that you need at any time during the season. You never want to get ahead of yourself, but those things are always helpful when you're talking about playing like what you want to do around here and what that prepares you for and how that makes you ready. So, watching these guys go out there and different people step up in different roles and do different things, whether it be because of injury or just because of the situation of the game, I think those things are always key and critical to develop during the season."
A lot of your guys are playing good ball. A couple guys who stand out to me, LB Jaden Dugger played 62 snaps. It's a lot of snaps for a young guy, and DL Romello Height just keeps getting better every single week.
"How many snaps did he play?"
Oh, I don't know how many snaps he played, but he played.
"Oh, yeah. He had a significant role. I was just curious because it's one those weeks you had a short week and move on pretty quickly. But, I'm really excited about our young guys and this is a bunch of young talent throughout the roster, but to see Romello come in and be what we kind of thought, that pass rusher, that edge rusher, that guy that can do some different things for us, that brings some versatility as far as being edge, dropper, do a bunch of different things in that category. And to watch him grow every single week and get better, you've seen it from the beginning. He didn't get the finished product, so you never get the credit, but now he got a couple of times when he got a chance to finish. His ability to get out to the quarterback is special. His ability to swarm and his ability to run around and hustle is different. It's a different edge. It's perfect for us. And Dugger, what can you say about him having to fill some very big shoes this week with the absence of [LB] Dre Greenlaw and watching him go out there and be able to, not everything was perfect, but I didn't expect it to be, but it was done the right way. It was easily correctable. It was a nice calm presence out there next to [LB] Fred [Warner] and to be able to go out there and execute the things you need to get executed to win that football game. And that's going to be great growth for him moving forward. I thought that was awesome."
Romello said that the cast on his hand makes it harder for him to do a bull rush. Have you seen him sharpen other aspects of his game to sort of compensate for that?
"I don't know about the sharpener, but you definitely can tell the cast hurts him when he gets a chance to try to get locked up with people when he got dumped versus Denver. It can make you look bad if they catch you in the right spot. But, he's been able to find ways to use it as a chopping mechanism, the up and under, because he can't grab and use his hands to be as violent as he wants to be. But, I am really excited with how he's grown, how he's developed, how he's going every single week. And I know he can't wait to get it off. So, he's moving in the right direction. I don't know how big it's going to be, how small it's going to be this week, but he's doing such a great job with it. I can't wait until he gets it off and he's completely healthy."
The young guys seem to have a lot of joy in playing the game and I don't know if that is reflective of their confidence in playing the game, but it seems like a unique group in that way.
"I think it starts with just the team in general. I think how we approach practice, really how they approach everything. They have an enthusiastic approach to it, whether it's meetings, whether it's practice, all hands on deck type mentality for these guys and they bring it to the games. They bring it to the sidelines. Our sidelines are as good as it gets when you come off and they communicate with Fred and those guys communicate with each other. How they're able to bond in different ways on and off the field, I think is special. And I think those are things that help make special units. And it just spreads right down to those young guys and they just join right on in. The other thing too is they're a little, they are a little bit more mature. Having a little more age than some of the guys that we've seen, some of these guys are a little bit older, able to fit in a little bit better. I think that's very helpful as well."
What's the anticipation, head coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned that DL Nick Bosa could possibly practice today, but I don't think he was out there during the viewing portion. What's the anticipation to get him back out there from a coach's perspective?
"I've only got a little bit of Nick Bosa and the little bit I got was very exciting. So, I can't wait to get all of it, but you never want to rush the process. You always want to do like [reporter] Grant [Cohn] says and get guys back healthy and do the things you need to do to get them back. I love watching your stuff, Grant, you crack me up. But, get those guys back and do those things, so it's always good. Nick Bosa will come back and we'll get him back healthy and able to go on this run."
Former NFL head coach Bill Parcells once was credited with saying, 'hey man, if I'm going to cook the meal, I want to shop for the groceries.' You're the defensive coordinator, but how involved do you want to be in with president of football operations and general manager John Lynch and these guys as far as maybe targeting players that you guys could acquire at the deadline? Do you want to be a part of that?
"I think it's always like our draft process, right? It was a collective agreement or a collective group together trying to figure out what we wanted for the draft, what we wanted for free agency. I don't think there'll be much of a big difference. If there's something real that's in the works and people are talking about, I'm sure he'll come talk to all of us. I mean, it won't be something that we find out from you guys. It'd be something that'd be talked about and well documented amongst all of us and how we want to utilize those things and those pieces and put people in place to have success. And I think that's where success comes with the young guys, right? Being able to identify what they can do, being able to put those guys in a position to go out there and succeed. And when they got their opportunities, they've gotten better and better every single week. And I don't see it any different from whether it be acquiring a trade or whatever it is that you potentially do. And I watch your show too. It's awesome. I like when you guys talk about those things. It's always exciting for me. You guys have somehow managed to take over my algorithm and it's cool."
You guys obviously lay a lot of big hits and I know stylistically I'm sure that that's what you want. Obviously, there's some fines and penalties and things like that. Is there a line of, 'hey, there's certain coaching point there,' or is that just you want them to play fast and physically? How do you kind of reconcile those?
"Yeah, first and foremost, we're always talking player safety, right? So like, this league, for these players, for everything that we're incorporated with is always going to be player safety. But, there is this part of the game where you want to be able to play fast and physical and also have an intimidation factor. Our drills that we teach, our target zone, hitting in the strike zone, doing the things you have to have, keeping your head out the game, keeping your head not a part of it. It's something that you do. Now, there are times that that gets crossed and there are times that that happens, but it's definitely not any intentional harm to do those things at all. And like, these guys want to play physical, they want to play hard, they want to win, and that's the most important thing to those guys. But, definitely player safety is definitely something you always worry about."
Offensive Coordinator Klay Kubiak
Potentially a big piece of your offense with WR Mike Evans out. How do you compensate when you've got a guy who does so much for your process?
"Guys got to step up. The guys who've been rolling in there these past few weeks and who've been working. The young guys who've been working since camp that we've been seeing their growth and development. It's a big moment for those guys. If Mike's not able to go, then guys got to step up and we have full confidence in them. Mike's a heck of a player and he's been huge for us this year, but we're very confident in the people that we have going right now and they've all been working. They've all been straining to prepare, to get better every week and I'm excited to see who can step up."
How is WR Christian Kirk catching up since he missed so much time?
"Good. He looks good. We got him back into practice last week and you can see him getting better this week for sure. He's a guy who's been preparing mentally, so it's been impressive to see him step in and just be really sharp on the details, just from the mental side of playing the position. He looks good this week and hopefully he keeps going this next practice and we can see how he looks on the weekend."
The few times the ball has gone to WR Jordan Watkins this year, he's made plays. What does he need to do to earn more targets and opportunities at this point?
"It's nothing to do with him. He's doing a heck of a job and Jordan's playing the right way down in and down out. We've been really happy with him. Sometimes it's just circumstances and where the ball goes. There were things in the game we were trying to get to him and the ball ended up going the other way, so it's not really amount of targets. He's doing everything right and the ball is going to find him because he's playing the right way. Jordan's just got to keep going and the ball's going to go where it goes, just like every down. The way Jordan's approaching every play and playing the right way and doing his assignment the right way, fortunate things are going to keep happening for him, so just keep him going."
What do you think of his route running, his separation? What does the film show? Is he doing all the things that you guys want him to do?
"100%. He's doing a great job. He's practicing really well too. He's gotten better as a player. That's what we've asked him to do is keep working, keep pushing himself. He's grown a lot as he stepped up more and been more involved in our offense and I expect that to continue to happen. Jordan's doing everything right and, like I said, when guys approach things that way, good things tend to happen so we're just going to keep going with him."
When you look at a guy like Christian Kirk and WR Brandin Cooks, what are the challenges for them trying to step into their roles and how do you combat those challenges going into a week like this where they could be two of the top targets?
"That's just the challenge of missing time and guys getting reps with our offense and getting reps with our quarterback and getting coached on things throughout camp and throughout the whole season that they've kind of missed out on those reps. But that's the NFL. You're going to lose guys. Guys are going to step into your building and be expected to step up and play. The thing about those two guys is they're vets. They know that. They know what's expected of them. They know the challenge of, 'Hey, I haven't had a lot of practice here, but they need me and I'm going to be ready'. They know what it takes to be ready for game day and that's why they're here. That's why we love those guys is because they've been preparing the right way and they've been doing everything they can do, but it's a huge challenge for anyone just to step into a role and be ready to go. That's why those guys have been playing in this league for a while, they're ready to do that and they know how to prepare."
With RB Kaelon Black, I know you guys like how decisive he is. Is there an element of it needing to slow down a little bit for him too?
"I like him playing decisively. I like him playing fast and I like him making fast decisions with the ball. I think some of it's too, just sometimes you don't get into a rhythm when you're kind of the number two ball carrier, you're not seeing a lot of carries, but you want a guy to go in there and hit it and you want a guy to see what he sees and be decisive. I think Kaelon, the more experience he has, maybe the more reps he has of seeing things develop differently, knowing when he can kind of be more picky or when he needs to be more decisive. But at the end of the day, that's what we want him to be. We want him to play fast, play decisively and if he plays that way, I think he's going to have success."
Is there an element of tweaking how fast he does need to hit it with an outside zone versus running power?
"There's no difference to me. No matter what run scheme we call, no matter what track we put him on, everything's decisive. Everything's played fast and with speed. There's different landmarks that you're trying to hit. There's different guys you're reading, but play the game the same way no matter what play is called. I love where his mind's at. I love how he's hitting it. I think Kaelon probably said, 'Yeah, I missed a few things here or there,' but every player does and we've just got to keep going with him, keep coaching him."
Is that one of those things where you'd rather him be that way than the opposite?
"100%. Hit it, be decisive, play aggressive. We'll coach you when we want to. We'll correct you when we think we need to, but we want him playing decisively."
I think a lot of people feel like Atlanta Falcons S Xavier Watts and Atlanta Falcons S Jessie Bates III might be one of the better safety tandems going, but they're 29th in pass defense. What are you seeing in their secondary?
"I don't ever look at stats. I try to look at the scheme and the players they have and between those two guys, you see guys who know how to play really tight man coverage with good leverage. With Bates, he's a veteran. He's been playing a long time. He's a really smart player. Those are two good players. They're ball hawks. They make a ton of plays on the ball. You look back to last year and you see guys that are tracking the ball down the field. They're a special group, so I don't look at the numbers. I just see the players and I see what you see. I see really talented guys, a back end that's been playing together for a few years in terms of knowing a similar type of scheme. [Defensive coordinator] Raheem [Morris] was there and they've kept some similar principles. They play together. It's like any other team. You get hit on a few things and your numbers are inflated one way or the other, but these guys are talented. They play the right way and it's a big challenge for us. It was last year, so we've got to be ready for it."
QB Brock Purdy over the years has built up a lot of natural trust with RB Christian McCaffrey and TE George Kittle in the passing game. Is there something that you guys can do to help him accelerate the process of getting to that level with some of the new guys like Kirk and Cooks, or is that just something that comes with time?
"It's time on task. There's no secret formula to getting whatever a rhythm is or getting guys more comfortable with each other. They've got to go out there and practice. They've got to go out there and get the reps live. They've got to get the trust together and that just takes time on task. It takes reps and that's what they're out there working for."
This team runs the ball and they stop the run. They make teams one-dimensional. How are they doing that? What does their run defense look like?
"They play extremely hard up front to me. You've got guys that, they come off the ball, they play violent, they fly around, they swarm to the football. That's what makes a good run defense. It's tough. They've got secondary guys who tackle, they've got safeties who fit up in the run game. It's a huge challenge, and you couple that with an offense that wants to control the ball and it makes it hard to stay on the field. It makes it hard to get runs in the game. So, that's the big challenge for us this week is we've got to have a mindset to run the football. We're going to try to keep that offense off the field because they're explosive and they can control a game, so that's what we've got ahead of us and that's the challenge."
QB Brock Purdy
Quarterbacks coach Mick Lombardi and offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said that you came in working on your footwork during the offseason. How has that kind of helped you take your game to the next level this season?
"Yeah, honestly just going back to fundamentals and playing fast and with a sense of urgency. I think it starts with your feet. You can anticipate a lot of stuff to go on mentally with plays and things like that, but if your feet aren't the ones that help you go through progressions and get through your reads, then I feel like you can just be behind, you can second-guess and all that. So sort of just went back to square one with playing with a sense of urgency, starting with my feet for sure."
How does your job change with a different receiving core? You're supposed to be throwing to spots, but is it a matter of trusting that those guys are going to be in the right spots and watching how they adapt to the offense?
"Yeah, I think that. Obviously, once you get man coverage too, like how they work a guy, how they create separation. Every guy does that in their own way. But yes, outside of that, it's a lot of our offense is timing. It's being in the right split. It's the right steps for me throwing off a first hitch, a second hitch. There's a lot of timing elements within our offense. So, it's nice that guys can come in and once they learn that, then we're on a good foot with being on the same page. But, I just think like the man-to-man matchups are stuff that like I've got to see and work with my guys at practice and understand how they, like I said, create separation, get in and out of cuts and then get them the ball."
WR Jordan Watkins played 49 snaps. He only got targeted once and he caught the ball. Are you guys just having a hard time connecting? Are you not? Is there something that he's not doing that you need him to do? Why are we not seeing more from Watkins?
"Honestly, it has nothing to do with not trying to get him the ball or anything. I think that's just sort of how the game's gone. He's definitely a playmaker. He's done that since he's got here. And it's just been tough with him getting opportunities when we have like [WR] Mike Evans, [WR] Demarcus Robinson, [TE] George [Kittle], [RB] Christian [McCaffrey], like other guys too and he's trying to get in that mix. But, he's been consistent. He's been a guy that has stayed faithful to this whole process. And now he's getting a shot and opportunity. So, I feel like we will over time. Hopefully this game too, I can get him the ball. Watching the film, that's definitely a guy that I'm like, 'Yeah, I'd love to get the ball to him.' He's shown flashes and glimpses of not even just catching the ball, but making plays after the catch too or getting YAC after the catch. So, I feel you on that and that's something that I watch and I want to have our connection get better and better, but has nothing to do with not trying to give him the ball or anything like that."
What have you seen from WR Christian Kirk in practice? How ready is he to contribute?
"Yeah, I think he's ready to go. Smart guy, vet guy, obviously, and everything like that. I think it was just more so having him come back last week into practice and get acclimated with breaking the huddle, hearing the play call, having him go out and be confident running against a guy and man-to-man coverage and stuff like that. He's good to go now in my eyes. I think he's going to come in and do his job well. And same thing, hopefully I can get him the ball and we get into some situations where he can create some space and separation and make some plays for us. So, he's a playmaker."
Obviously chemistry and connection matters, based off things that you just said. When you think about the WR Brandin Cooks and Kirk of it all, rather new to the system but working their way into it, how is that connection or chemistry or conversation between you and them as you guys get ready to go into this one?
"The cool thing is they're both vet guys. And so, they've been in this kind of thing before, an NFL season, the ups and downs, guys going down, guys stepping in. So, they understand what it takes for you to be ready throughout the season. And we're obviously talking about our routes in between reps at practice. And then after practice, watch the film and talk to each other in the locker room about some stuff. So, both of those guys, the cool thing is that there's no, 'alright I have to teach them and bring them along, sort of like a young guy.' It's almost like they know what to expect and how to do it. And, yes, they have to learn the playbook because they're new, but it's nice just their veteran presence of they're going to be ready come game time. We've seen that with Brandin Cooks, him jumping right in and being ready for his moment and stuff like that. Obviously, I'm excited to get Christian Kirk out there now. But, that's the nice thing for me is yeah, we have guys down, but we have some vets that are actually stepping up and have been in this moment before."
I do radio and when I do commercials I don't like to hear myself doing the commercials. You're doing these Toyota commercials and you're watching TV with your wife or friends and it comes on. How do you feel about seeing yourself on these commercials?
"I think they get more of a kick out of it than I do. I think my family and friends are like, 'Wait, be quiet.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, whatever.' I love Toyota, but yeah, I don't want to keep watching myself on TV. It is what it is though. It's cool for family and friends to see it, so I guess we get a laugh out of it more than anything. Obviously, I love Toyota too, so keep showing them, have those commercials roll. Jenna had fun filming them too this year and it's a great partnership that we love being a part of. But, I get what you're saying. When you see yourself on commercials or you hear your voice, it's like, 'Ah, I don't want to hear this.' But, it's fun."
More info on: Kaelon Black, Nick Bosa, Brandin Cooks, Jaden Dugger, Mike Evans, Dre Greenlaw, Romello Height, Christian Kirk, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Brock Purdy, Demarcus Robinson, Fred Warner, Jordan Watkins
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