Opening Statement: “Let me start with this, just a staff update, we’ve hired Kevin Bastin as our head athletic trainer, who a lot of you know. He was here for a number of years with Coach (Jim) Caldwell and Coach (Matt) Patricia. We made that call a while back. We’re fortunate to be able to get him back. He’s an outstanding athletic trainer, he’s got high values, he cares about the players. He’ll give them everything that they need. We’re excited to get him back. (Coordinator of Rehabilitation/Assistant Athletic Trainer) Tom Colt’s done a hell of a job. Tom might be more excited than anybody just to get back to do what he really does, but he’s done a hell of a job holding down the fort until Kevin’s coming in.” On the importance of setting the tone for the season in Week 1: “I think it certainly helps because it kind of validates a lot of the things that you’re talking about and preaching. I think it does. I think it kind of springboards you into the rest of the season. I know this, every year when you look at teams throughout the League, Week 1 inevitably – there are so many more games that are lost that are actually won. The penalties, the turnovers, the MAs—how do we reduce those, or we get turnovers defensively? How do we reduce the MAs? Give them a plan they can play fast. Be smart about our fundamentals so we don’t get those penalties. I think that’s really the key because those are usually the teams that win early in the year.” On the offensive line position group: “I’m very excited. I love those guys. I think it’s a damn good group. I think it’s a steady group. I think it’s a group that we can hang our hat on. Look, we’re going to put a lot on them, we are. We are going to ask them to do a lot, the run game and our pass protection. They have got to hold up for us, but I trust those guys.” On his message to the fans before Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers: “I would say the message is, ‘Your energy feeds our energy.’ I really believe that. Like last year, there was so much of an emphasis on creating your own energy because you had to. To know that you’re going to be back in front of your home fans that are eager, they’re anxious, they’re ready to go, I think just gives you that much more of a little bit of a boost. I think that it can play a factor for our guys on third down, I do. I think that there is such a thing as a home-field advantage. When you can’t hear out there and you can’t communicate properly, I think mistakes get made for your opponent. I’m looking for a rowdy house. I expect them to be loud and I expect us to give them something that they can be loud about. That’s the plan.” On if they pay attention to which opposing quarterback speaks to the media on a game week and if they are preparing for 49ers QB Trey Lance: “Yeah, we do, but I also – I know the games, too. I’m well aware of all of the games people play. It’s very easy to sit a guy out and then when all of you leave, the media leaves, he’s out there. I’ve been around where a guy had a neck brace on and then everybody left and then he throws it off and he’s out there at practice. So, I’m well aware of those things. We have to prepare like he’s playing. We’ll have a plan for him, and we’ll be ready.” On if QB Jared Goff’s experience against the San Francisco 49ers will help the game plan: “Yeah, I think it helps. He’s faced those guys numerous times over the last – whatever it is, four years. It’s really been the same scheme. (49ers Defensive Coordinator) DeMeco (Ryans) will do some things that are a little bit different, but for the most part, I think they’re going to keep the essence of what that defense is, the front and some of the coverage-based things. I can see them wanting to play a little more man against us and we’ll have a plan for that as well. But it does help. It does help because he knows that personnel and he knows what they have done traditionally. I think it does help a little bit.” On preparing WRs Trinity Benson and KhaDarel Hodge and if they will have a role in Sunday’s game: “Like I say, we’ve just – Trinity (Benson) and (KhaDarel) Hodge, for that matter, we’ve just been – they haven’t slept. We’ll have to get them caught up on sleep at the end of the week before the game. But look, they’ve been grinding. Both of them are real smart guys and they’ve been working at it and we’re going to have a plan for those guys. We’re going to certainly. We want to try and use Trinity if we can. We’ll see where Hodge is at. But yeah, we take them as far as we can take them and by the end of the week, ‘Let’s see how comfortable he is with the offense. Where’s his knowledge at? Do we feel good about it?’ We would certainly like to take him.” On his excitement and nerves before his first regular season game as a full-time head coach: “I don’t know if I’m there yet just as far as that’s concerned. I feel like there’s so much work to be done before we even get there that I’m not to that game-day jitters, first game of the season. I’m just- I’m so much more, right now, about, ‘Are we giving them the right information? Are we giving them what we need to have success?’ I kind of made this comment the other day, that’s – at the end of the day, what really drives me, motivates me, but keeps me focused is, ‘Are we giving these guys the best opportunity to have success, by personnel and by scheme?’ So, that’s where my mind is at right now.” On WR Trinity Benson: “I think that he can be a very productive receiver for us, I do. I love his tape. I’m not going to lie to you, when (Executive Vice President/General Manager) Brad (Holmes) showed me kind of the cut ups that he put together of him, I was very intrigued. I was impressed. He’s got some twitch about him. He’s got plenty of speed and he’s pretty polished. He’s a pretty polished receiver and to really get – we came out here Monday and to watch him run around and do some of our 1-on-1 routes and routes on air and things of that nature, I was pleased. He’s got a little something to him, which is another reason why Brad made the move that he did. We like this guy. We think he can really help us, I do.” On if WR Trinity Benson will play both outside and inside at the wide receiver position: “I think both. You probably want to start him outside first and just see where we can take him. We’re just kind of – like I say, it goes back to the question you had—we’re just trying to get him up to speed and see where he can go because if we’re playing and we want him to have success, too, we don’t just want to throw him to the wolves.” |
