QB Tua Tagovailoa
(You shouldered some of the blame for the sacks last game. What are some of the things you wish you would have done differently once you had an injury to T Terron Armstead?) – “Well, I think picking plays that were more sustainable to our offense’s success in that game than just thinking, ‘Alright, we need to make a play, and we need a play to happen now.’ Whereas we weren’t necessarily running the ball so our (play) action game wasn’t necessarily perfect when we did do it. It made it tougher on guys to sustain blocks. It made it tougher on guys to seal blocks and get on blocks and stay on guys. So I would say just going with open mindedness of things like that.”
(I asked Head Coach Mike McDaniel earlier in the day, like, one of the themes of his previous offenses was like yards after the catch. I mean, he even said, like, we want to get the YAC. You guys have been really successful on offense, but the YAC hasn’t been there maybe compared to previous offenses. What sticks out to you in terms of like I said, maybe the way defenses are playing you guys or just trying to take what they present? What are you seeing?) – “I would say what we see a lot on tape, defenses are getting a lot deeper than usual with linebacker depth and you also see the shell of the safeties. They’re getting really, really deep. So they do play, I would say, our team a little different in that regard, I would say, just because of the speed that we have. But the opportunity for YAC, I would say, it’s hard when guys are playing so far back. It’s hard.”
(How much has the offense grown from the beginning of the season until now?) – “Yeah, I think we’ve grown a lot with our relationship with each other and how close we’ve all gotten as a group. I would say the communication is still something that we’re continuing to work on as a whole unit, with me getting the play into our guys, with our guys communicating up front what the blocking scheme is, to the tight ends making certain calls, the receivers understanding their assignments. And then it translates also to the passing game. I think we’ve done a lot of good things, but there’s still a lot of things that have been left out on the field and we continue to grow and we continue to get better at those things every week.”
(Can you express to us how important T Terron Armstead has been in the development of this offense and your progression this year and how much you guys are rooting for him to get back from his injury?) – “Yeah, it’s been really good having a veteran as himself help out with the guys up front. When Liam (Eichenberg) went down, how he kind of took Rob Jones under his wing and kind of helped mentor him throughout the process of what it means to be a starting left guard and how you go about your business. And so just seeing their relationship grow and how they communicate on that side, and then also with having Austin Jackson back really helps. I think when you have someone like that who’s a veteran, those guys come in on a Monday, just the o-line, and he runs their meetings. I was in their meeting this past Monday before we had our offensive meeting, and it was really cool to see him take charge of that room and kind of show guys and tell guys just what it was. ‘Hey, I take ownership of this. That’s my fault.’ And like, nothing slips. No one gets a free pass, not even himself so that was something really cool to see.”
(How much of 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo have you been able to watch just in terms of obviously starting for the 49ers offense, and what are some things you noticed that are pretty good?) – “When we were starting with the playbook, we watched a lot of their tape with Jimmy (Garoppolo). There were a couple of CJ (Beathard) on there, CJ clips. Trey (Lance) was on those clips as well. And you got to see the timing of the footwork with how they did things on certain pass protections, play-pass protections, necessarily where the spot was in certain protections. And then the timing and how that married up with the route. I learned a lot from his tape and the tape they produced over however many years.”
(What do you see in that 49ers defense? They’re No. 1 in the NFL.) – “Yeah, I mean, we’re preparing for these guys like every other defense. We understand that this is probably going to be our toughest competition because it’s our next, but for us, I don’t think we look at it as something that we shy away from. We embrace adversity. We embrace competition and it’s a great opportunity for us to showcase what we can do against the best and what more can you ask.”
(Your passer rating on third down is about as high as you can go. What is working so well on third down that enables you and the offense to click the way it is?) – “Yeah, I would say, first off our coaches. The third down game plan that ‘Bev’ (Darrell Bevell) and a couple of the other coaches put together, I think they put us in great spots and also being able to simplify some of the coverages for our guys when we go for our third downs, whether it’s (Cover) 1, 2, 3, as far as coverages we’ll see. Or if it’s (Cover) 1, then we’re reacting to a zone. Whatever it may be, it makes it a lot easier when they can simplify it in those terms, with the plays that we have, just so our guys can visualize and understand what I’m going to do versus man, what I’m going to do versus zone and that’s it, or vice versa.”
(What are some things that, some ways that you’ve noticed San Francisco use 49ers S Talanoa Hufanga, the safety that makes him so special and so impactful?) – “Yeah. Just kind of looking at his tape, I mean, I watched a lot of Troy Polamalu when I was growing up just because of him being a Poly brother as well. And then kind of seeing Talanoa’s (Hufanga) film, it’s very similar. Very instinctive, very intuitive, understands what has to be done in their defense. Doesn’t necessarily do much as far as not trying to disguise. Like really good at disguising if it’s Cover 4, if it’s 3-weak, if it’s 3-strong. And then when he has the pressure, you can see it over and over again. He does a really good job listening to the cadence and trying to time things up in that sense. So we’re going to have to mix it up, just so we give him a hard time to try to figure that out. But it’s not just him that we have to worry about. They’ve got Dre Greenlaw. They also got No. 54 (Fred Warner) who, in my eyes is like, a really, really, really good ballplayer. They got (Nick) Bosa. I mean, they’ve got dudes everywhere at every position. So it’s going to be a great opportunity for us offensively to dial in on the details of our offense and execute them.”
(I know it’s tough being away from family for so long on these road trips, these long road trips, but is there anything that you look forward to with these trips whether it’s just all about ball or something else?) – “Yeah, this is a great opportunity for our team to bond. We’ll be out there and it’ll just be us and I would say, as captains and with our leadership council group, we don’t think that it’s necessary that when we do get downtime away from football, guys stay in their room, or ‘hey, I’m tired.’ Like no dude, you can sleep when it’s time for you to sleep. Let’s get guys to go out and let’s do things with our guys, whether that’s finding a basketball game to go to, trying to find a box, trying to go rent out a movie theater, trying to go watch a baseball game, whatever that may be, Top Golf. I don’t know. We’ll try to find some things that we can do that’ll help us get closer with our guys on this team.”
(I know it’s not this week, but finding out the Chargers game is going to be flexed to Sunday Night Football – what was your reaction to finding out you have another primetime game and then also what does that say about this team what it’s been able to accomplish thus far?) – “Yeah, I would say speaks volumes that our game got flexed to the hard work that our team has put in and it’s starting to pay off. But we’re focused on the game that we have to go out and play this week, which is the Niners. So we’ll focus on that and worry about next week.”
(We know a couple of your teammates, especially the running back room, are former 49ers. Obviously Head Coach Mike McDaniel has a lot of familiarity. What differences have you noticed this week in them, if any?) – “I would say I haven’t seen much of a difference with any of them. They’ve really been the same guys coming into work, wanting to work and I haven’t seen any changes really.”
(Does that kind of surprise you that those guys can stay so level-headed when you know obviously this will probably be emotional for them just to go back and see so many familiar faces?) – “I would say it is kind of surprising, but I think, too, for those guys, it makes sense as well for our running backs just because I wouldn’t say they’re emotional guys necessarily. So it is kind of neutral to see how they are in every day, like that’s who they are. I’m sure that when it gets closer to the game and when we go and do play, that you’ll see a lot of energy from the both of them. But for now, they’re just the guys that come into work and the same guys that I see every day.”
WR Jaylen Waddle
(We were just talking to Head Coach Mike McDaniel, and he says that you and WR Tyreek Hill are special and that pretty much, this team is going to go as far as you take them. What’s different about your relationship that makes you both so good?) – “I think just our trust in the offense, our trust within our teammates and our trust in our quarterback and coaches. Just make sure everyone owns their job and is doing their job. That’s how we’re going to keep moving forward.”
(San Francisco is the No. 1 ranked defense in the NFL. What are the challenges going against them?) – “Like you said, they’re the No. 1 defense for a reason. They play good together. They’re very sound on defense. They don’t make any mental errors, so it’s going to be a great challenge. They’re a good group and (have) kind of been in that system for a while, so everybody knows their keys and reads. It’s going to be a good challenge for us.”
(With all the 49ers connections on this team, Head Coach Mike McDaniel, RB Raheem Mostert, RB Jeff Wilson Jr., WR Trent Sherfield, is there an element, even if those guys aren’t talking about it, but you guys want to go out there and help those guys get this win?) – “It’s really not. We’re just looking at it as another game on our schedule. It’s going to be a big game because the 49ers have been a good team in this league for quite some time now. But it’s just another game.”
(It’s a long plane ride. How do you keep busy? What do you do?) – “We’ve got a lot of entertaining guys on the team, so I’m pretty sure we can, you know, find some ways to stay entertained. (laughter)”
(Who’s on the top of the list?) – “Probably Raekwon (Davis), for sure.”
(Are you looking at this California trip as just two games like they would always be? Or is there something more significant special about it because you going to be out there for a week?) – “No, we’re just looking at it as two more games on the schedule against two really good opponents. It’s going to be kind of different, us staying out there for a week, but I think we have a team that’s good at adjusting. So it’s going to be a good challenge for us.”
(You’ve got a championship pedigree – you’ve won want a lot of games throughout your young lifetime. What, in your opinion, makes the transition from a team from being “Oh, they’re good. They’re pretty good,” to being like, “This is a championship caliber team?” What’s necessary? What’s required of those types of teams?) – “I think just progression every week, us not making the same mistakes twice is definitely key. Just us trying to get better throughout the year is definitely where I feel like championship teams are made and built.”
(How much time have you spent in California in your life?) – “I spent some time out there. It’s a great place to visit and stuff, so I’ve been out there a couple times.”
(What’s the feeling knowing you guys are going to be out there for like 10 days?) – “It’s going to be cool. L.A. (Los Angeles) is a cool spot, so it’s going to be cool.”
(What are your must-packs that you have to bring that you can’t live without when you’re gone that long?) – “I don’t really have a must – I would say my video games, but I’m pretty sure somebody is going to bring theirs. So I don’t need any extra luggage.”
LB Bradley Chubb
(I asked Head Coach Mike McDaniel last week about what it does in offense with you, LB Melvin Ingram and LB Jaelan Phillips on the field at the same time. He said the whole goal is to create a little bit of hesitation. How critical of a thing is that little bit of hesitation?) – “When you’re playing with elite athletes, these people are the best to do it on any level. So just a slight second of thinking or overthinking could cause a big play on your end. You can’t hesitate. You can’t do any of that. You’ve got to play fast and that’s one thing we’re looking to do this week.”
(You mentioned that you played this team earlier in the season. What can you take from that and what can you share with your teammates about that?) – “I joked earlier that I’m in a division on my own this year. I played a couple of teams twice all over the NFL. So it’s cool to be in that perspective, but from earlier games, the only thing I can say is just playing physically. I feel like we put that on tape the last time I played. I feel like it’s the formula. We’ve just got to play physical. You asked me earlier what they do well and they just try to get you to think, overthink, hesitate and get that edge on you. So I feel like as a defense, we just got to be 100 percent locked in on what we’re doing and just be physical at the point of attack and make sure we play hard.”
(When you don’t have film study and you aren’t practicing, what do you do with so much free time when you’re on the road?) – “I mean, you just got to be disciplined man. At the end of the day, this is what you get paid to do. Our job is to go out there on Sundays and perform at a high level. So whatever it takes to prepare to do that, whether you’re a film guy or whether you’re not it shouldn’t matter where you’re at. At the end of the day, your job is your job, so you got to make sure you do it.”
(Will you go sightseeing in LA?) – “Oh, yeah. For sure, you’re going to get out (of the hotel). I mean, you got off days here too. So, Monday, Tuesday, you get a chance to get out and about. But when it comes down to the work week, we know where our head is at.”
LB Jaelan Phillips
(The 49ers have a very high-level defense. Do you see that as a challenge in terms of keeping their offense at a minimum and holding them accountable on defense as well?) – “Yeah, I think it’s always about playing complementary football, so we’ve got to do our part on defense, just like the offense has to do their part, special teams – just all phases of the game. Definitely.”
(When you face an offense that likes to get the ball out quick, is the internal clock in your head sort of going a little bit faster?) – “It just kind of raises the sense of urgency a little bit. When you have the opportunities, you have to take advantage of them. So we’re definitely going to get after it. Obviously, they have really talented tackles, a really talented o-line. Jimmy (Garoppolo) is a great guy. It’s going to be a fun one.”
(Do you have time to spend with family or friends that you still have out there?) – “Yeah, I’ll have a little bit of time. An off day on Tuesday and things like that, and then my mom’s going to come out, drive out and hang out. So yeah, I’ll be able to see a couple of guys.”
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Your two tackles, how are they doing?) – “They’re not tackling anyone. (laughter) Terron Armstead continues to impress me as just an individual and professional and a teammate. I can tell you one thing that I’m certain of; if there’s a way that he can be on the field and play in December against a playoff team, he lives for that moment. And as long as there’s nothing keeping him from hurting his team or himself, he’ll be out there. You can rest assured that he will do everything possible and if he’s unable to go, it will be because it would put himself and his teammates in harm’s way. Austin Jackson, I would be surprised if he was able to play. I’m not expecting him to be able to play, but like you guys have heard me talk before, my crystal ball is not the clearest so I won’t guarantee anything, but me personally, I’d be very surprised if he played.”
(A quick follow up to T Terron Armstead – you said that on Monday, he was getting more, I guess more feedback on possible treatments. Did you get any clarity on maybe the timetable in terms of day to day, week to week? Whether he would be able to practice this week? Surgery?) – “So surgery, no. I guess you’d say it’s game to game. We’re pretty relatively by percentage of, I guess it’d be like two or three sevenths of a week. It’s been pretty recent and in the process he has – I can tell by his spirit that he thinks there’s a legitimate chance not to count him out for sure. And I’m not sure. I think he was kind of like everyone reading and writing about that question. He really, really wants to help lead this team, which we rely on him to. So he was a little nervous, I think, in the 24 hours after, but in double the time, he’s come back with a little pep in his step so we’re all excited to see that.”
(For first time ever, NBC juggled their schedule, to put more eyes on the Miami Dolphins and I know it’s not this week, but just in general, the concept that y’all are on the national radar and been talking about – how do you want everyone to handle what is obviously now raised expectations?) – “First of all, I think of avoiding reality and entering into delusion is dangerous, so I think it’s important to recognize that as that’s ultimately what you want. But at the same time, when things don’t affect what the goals, the mission of a team – if we would have said on April 4 that our goal was to get flexed – see you guys. (laughter) I think you acknowledge it and that’s something that the players should be proud of. That means the players have decided that they want to make the most out of all the talent that they have and they’re committed to doing so and it’s a credit to them for sure. But at the same time, it is next week so if you worry about next week against a team like we’re facing, you will be humbled fast. So I think it’s important to acknowledge but it’s also just something.”
(When you prepare your team, you say, “Look how good the Browns are, the Texans” and you show and film and so forth. You have a unique perspective this week knowing inside and out how the 49ers operate. Do you think your players, I don’t want to say, listen more to you this week, but understand the unique perspective you have this week?) – “Maybe? I don’t know. I think when I’m talking to the players, generally, if I have an opinion on the football team that we’re playing, I’m voicing the opinion while I’m showing the tape. So that’s the bottom line. This is a bottom-line business in terms of we are what that tape shows. So I think there’s probably human nature. They know that I have spent a good amount of time with a lot of those people on that team. But at the same time, that kind of is par for the course in this league case in point. Like right when the game ends, handshakes; every single game, you have two teams battling it out that had prepared to beat the opponent literally all week. And then right when the game’s over, you can tell that there’s invested blood, sweat and tears, relationships, from players across the board, whether it’s high school, college or in the NFL. So it is more often than not a very normal thing. That isn’t out of the ordinary at all for our league. It’s a small league and I feel like we’re talking about people that I’ve coached with every week. It’s kind of the deal and one of the reasons that you guys have noticed that or done that is because that’s what happens when you have success, and the 49ers have had success for a while and they expect success, and they don’t settle for anything less than as a result. People are afforded other opportunities and Coach Shanahan’s tree grows and grows. I think maybe on Monday, maybe they think something of it. But by this time, we’re focused on the business at hand and we’re really focused on the Dolphins as it applies to the 49ers in that order.”
(Is RB Raheem Mostert in a good spot to return in San Francisco?) – “Yeah, I think so. If we had to go above and beyond, I think he could have played and if we would have just completely been adhering to his hopes and desires, he might have played last week. But it was too risky for what he means to the team. So he should be ready to go this week.”
(I understand how you met 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan, but how did the friendship between you and he grow and this obviously is something that’s been for decades now, you’ve been tied together?) – “I don’t know. I’m hard to get rid of. (laughter) I think I recognized him as an ambitious coach that got into it to help players. I recognized in him early that he really could help players grow and live out their dreams. He knew more than anybody that I’d been around about football so you try to be a resource and you try not to miss opportunities, especially ones right in front your face. So maybe he felt bad for me or maybe he recognized that I was listening. Either way, it was a great working relationship that I’m very much grateful, indebted and really don’t know where I’d be without it.”
(Is it going to be tough for you on Sunday? Not hard, but is it weird?) – “No, absolutely not. The relationships with everyone are real. There are players that I’m not standing here today if they don’t do so many countless things. There’s working relationships, all that. But that’s neither here nor there. The players, the people in the building and the coaching staff; everyone is depending on me to do my job as they’re dependent – I directly affect a lot of people in that regard. So it’s very easy for me because it’s principally, I think the incorrect way to look at it. This isn’t a team to service me. Yeah, I have had life before this year, for sure. But wow, I think it’s incredibly insulting to so many different avenues, people in the building, the organization, the fans, if I’m worried about, ‘wow, this is where I used to stand or there’s games here.’ Yeah, I mean, of course. But people are depending on me to not lean or think that way because that’s an opportunity cost that I’m not worried about the things actually matter at hand and because of that, it won’t be hard at all. It is football. They have a very good team, coached very well, and they play really hard. And what a wonderful opportunity for us to go on the road and play a team that you have to earn everything you get. And that’s literally why we do it. We don’t do it for Sunday night flexes. You do it for opportunities like this because you don’t get this far, whether you’re athlete, coach or anybody in between. You don’t get this far without a competitive nature and burn that this is the only thing that kind of satisfies that. So this is just great football between two teams that haven’t lost in a minute and generally when you haven’t lost in a minute, you don’t want to feel that feeling, so there’s a lot of incentive on both sides to make sure that they end up on top. And isn’t that why we do football? That’s why we follow it. That’s why you guys report it. It’s not because I say cool things or look cool. I promise you that. It’s because you really appreciate in life when things have to be earned not given. And this will be a game that the winner will definitely earn for sure.”
(Talking about earning just off of that, what is the value of this game for your team understanding it’s late in the season, the opponent you’re facing on the road, and most of your roster hasn’t played a playoff game? What is the value of that?) – “1/17th. But no, it is, because what are you trying to do? Are you trying to be the best down the stretch? The best version of yourself? Or are you trying to hope? So each and every game you’re building from, does that mean you play as well collectively? No, of course it doesn’t. But are you continuing to learn and benefit from that and progressing as a team? Because ultimately, at some point in time you play – there’s one team that doesn’t have to go home – I wouldn’t say loser, but a loser. So at some point in time, you’re going to have to play teams that are really good. You’re not going to be given anything and it’s going to be in front of a live audience. And the stakes are going to be all in. You can’t get enough of these opportunities, which we’re very fortunate to have. You look at it as a tough road trip. I look at it as a necessary road trip. If you’re trying to do anything – these are only going to be good things. It will be hard for sure. But nothing that is satisfying is ever easy. Let’s be honest.”
(A follow up on the road trip, is this a good time where you’re gone for so many days, and the players, their downtime when they’re not in meetings or practices, whatever that they’re around each other too?) – “Without a shadow of a doubt. A huge, huge deal to me. I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of some teams, that how tight they were going into it pales in comparison to where they’re at after it. It’s nice because you don’t have anywhere to go. So I think that time is very important. Again, you’ll always do more for your teammates than ultimately you’ll be able to muster up for just yourself. That kind of burns out. But when you have that extra incentive, maybe you learn about someone’s past, learn about a sibling they have, find an interest. All of those things are what’s special about a team. And the pillars of a team are always centered around relationships, and relationships grow when you invest in them. So it’s a mandatory investment that you don’t really have anywhere to go. But generally, and I’m very, very confident, and certain and excited, that this team with this character that cares as much about each other, it will be a wonderful opportunity. And I expect to see the best version of our team camaraderie and really we should see the best face of the team after that experience because it is something that’s tangible, for sure.”
(WR Jaylen Waddle, after his rookie season, was kind of primed to be a focal point, a centerpiece, of this offense and then you trade for WR Tyreek Hill. How have you seen him respond to adding such another such a high profile player? And how have you seen him bond with Tyreek over the course of the season?) – “You see it is very transparent that he is a team-oriented guy that wants to make plays for the right reasons, which is he really thrives in making plays for his teammates, much like, quite literally, every teammate of his. On offense, there’s a lot of contributors that go into his share of targets, which although he’s not afforded the most, it is the second most. And in the same way that all the sacrifices that other players happily do, for those extremely talented teammates, you do things to be a part of something, to do something that – you can as Jaylen, a lot of people dream of 100 catches. I mean, cool, but winning. That’s the deal. And you win with your teammates, and sometimes that requires some people to be stat selfless. Sometimes that requires people to bear the burden. Those two together help each other. I think our team, I don’t think they lose sight of their teammates and what their teammates do for them. We ultimately go as far as your best players take you and this just in, but I’m not ranking players. But they’re up there.”
(You know that offense pretty well. Since they’ve added Christian McCaffrey, has the 49ers offense changed much or is it too small of a sample size?) – “I think that’s a steadily evolving process. Are there things that they do different? For sure. Just because you have different players and your job is to put them in position to succeed. So what are they good at? I think that’s something that they do a great job of. They try to do their best, they have a lot of good players and they do their best to get them all involved in the game because they know that’s the best chance for them to win. So there are new things that they are doing, for sure, because there’s different players. I can promise you one thing that there’s not anybody in that building that’s not working for sure. So they’ll always evolve. But it’s just football.”
(One of the themes on your previous stops working with the West Coast, Shanahan, style of offense was yards after the catch. This year, with you taking over the reins, yards after the catch hasn’t been at thetop of the league, but the offense has still been successful. I was curious what have you seen from the way defenses have played you that has led to maybe not getting as many yards after the catch?) – “You try to assess the tape and find yards that we left out on the field. I think we’re still working at maximizing those, but at the same time, when players put on tape that they’ll make plays if you’re not backed up enough, or you’re not keeping the entire offense in front of you, there’s pros and cons with ensuring that there’s not big plays. And in that, you’re always adapting, and I don’t think anything in our game will ever be satisfied with just because you’re always trying to get better and not worse. And if you stay the same, you’re probably getting worse. But I think it’s something that during the season, it’s hard to forecast the way things will look, how people will defend you. And that changes game by game. So you have to adapt and there’s certain focuses and points of emphasis that we have to really focus on now, just because the different styles that people are playing us. So I think that’s a natural constant consequence. I think that’s less about oh, those players aren’t YAC players that we have in our offense. I think most people would argue that’s quite the opposite. And there’s plenty of examples to show. I know they are trying to max out all those yards always, but at the same time, there’s a component of handling adjustments and you can’t fight what defenses want you to do. You have to do your best to take advantage of it. So however that that manifests itself, there are multiple ways, numerous ways, to make cats hairless. Skin a cat. That’s it, right? (laughter)”
