Robert Saleh, Klay Kubiak on Young Playmakers and Falcons Prep | 49ers

Robert Saleh, Klay Kubiak on Young Playmakers and Falcons Prep | 49ers

All right. What’s up, guys? What did you see from both Tatum Bthoon and D Winters and Sunday’s game after? I thought they did a good job. You know, they were uh running around hitting. Obviously, there was a couple plays I think we all want to we we wish we had had back, but uh overall uh for Tatum, um I think I think he did a nice job and I think he’ll be even better this week after having an entire week of practice. Now, you’re good. Tatum was saying it’s important for him to be himself and not try to be Fred. What What’s Tatum’s leadership style? Like he he does not um you know, I think uh comparing people is always dangerous, right? are trying to find parallels. Fred’s his own man. Uh just like when Fred took over, go was it in 2018? He was uh after having a string of Nar Bowman and Patrick Willis, it’s it’s Tatum’s opportunity to go run the defense and run the show. And uh Tatum just needs to be Tatum. He doesn’t have to make any plays that are spectacular. He just needs to make his play. And as he gets reps and and he gets comfortable, a lot of people got to remember he’s just he’s only in his second year. You can really call him a rookie because he didn’t get much playing time last year. Um, he’s just got to bank these reps, see see the game, and and and again, the more he gets reps, the more he sees, the faster he’ll get. With how close you are to to Fred, how close you are to Fred and the fact that he’s never hurt. This has never been that guy. How how has this one hit you? Um it it it it does for for Fred, you know, like um uh he’s he’s a Hall of Famer first ballot, period. And he’s and he still has so many more years left in the tank. And uh for it to kind of uh for this season to end the way it did, um just shameful, but uh but at the same time, you know, I know we all know Fred, he’s he’s probably gunning to see if he can make it back for a playoff run. So, it’s uh um you know, he’s in great spirit. Surgery went great. He’s he’s going to be around the building, I’m sure, that the entire time, but I I hurt more for Fred than than anything else. Couple questions. One about Fred, how how challenging is it to kind of make sure that the defense doesn’t drop off with someone like Fred not out there? And then the other question um after you answer that one, Tatum Mun, what is it that you saw in him that you know solidified him in your mind as the right next man up to fill this this position in uh Fred’s absence? For sure. Um first off with Tatum, you know, he uh Fred didn’t practice throughout OTAAS, so he had a lot of bank reps with the ones throughout OTAAS, which is, you know, which is actually a benefit at this point. Uh but Tatum, uh Tatum’s made of the right stuff. He works the right way. He communicates the right way. He does things the right way. He’s very confident in his ability. And and I’ve said this to a million people as it pertains to drop off. You I I dare any of you to go to Tatum and say, “Well, you’re a backup, so I expected Tatum doesn’t see that. His teammates don’t see that.” Every player in that locker room believes that they can start and they can play at a high level. They just need an opportunity to do so. And uh this is now Tatum’s opportunity. And uh the growth that he’ll experience between now and week uh however many weeks are in NFL season now uh game 17 is going to be significant. I can promise that and uh and I’m excited to see him grow throughout this process. What makes someone a good fit to play middle linebacker in your uh their ability to communicate? You know, we’ve we’ve kind of narrowed it down. Back back when I first got in the league, the Sam backer was like 240 long set the edge. Will linebacker was kind of smaller and fast and the Mike linebacker was kind of in between. Um, I I believe it was 2019 when we shifted the profile to just they’re all the same guy. Whoever speaks and communicates the best is the mic linebacker. And so, in this case, Tatum is next up. You guys have had you guys have made some such plays on defense to finish off some wins, but are you racking your brain trying to figure out how to get more production out of the pass rush and the secondary? We’re always um you know, it’s been um it’s been obviously frustrating because I feel like we’ve had our opportunities to get some hands on on some footballs and and get some interceptions. It’s just been a uh um feels like one of those years, but uh they come in bunches. But as far as the pass rush is concerned and and coverage is concerned, we’re always trying to find ways to do it. Thought we thought we did a good job for the most part against u uh Tampa. you know, we we had the third and 14 and and Baker’s been doing it to everybody getting out of the pocket. We we picked up a sack. Um, you know, so it was a it was But to answer your question, we’re always trying to find ways for sure. Go back to Tampa and just explain what happened on the play where you didn’t have the right defensive end to end. Yeah. Um um from a communication standpoint, the between special teams and getting guys out on the field, uh like I said, shameful that it that it happened that way from the from a communication standpoint. And uh so I’m I’m always going to beat myself up off that because that starts with me. Young defenders played really well. I thought in the second half there were some busts. How do you get them to kind of play loose and fast at all gas, no breaks, but then still the attention to the details? So, you know, have those processes the the speed at which you want them to play is go I I don’t care how go fast. You’re going to make a mistake, go fast doing it. The detail comes with reps and um you know, so with these young guys, I the the last thing you want to do is them. You the the beauty of them is that they’re explosive, they’re fast, they’re hungry, they’re they’re it’s a race to be the first of the ball. So, you don’t want to pull back on that. It is so so to answer the first part, it is full goal 100%. and you just stay on the details and you just keep coaching it and coaching it and coaching it and eventually all the little things that are happening from a mistake standpoint that cost you, whether they cost you touchdowns or explosive plays, uh, like a couple did in the, uh, in the game, uh, you trust that if they just keep the mindset, keep that full speed mentality, uh, and stay attentive to the details, eventually those will cancel out. A follow up to that, the rookies, obviously a lot has been expected of them this whole time. Do you have to caution them in some ways to not press when when guys like Fred and Mos are going to to try not to do too much and kind of keep on their path, so to speak? I don’t think they know any better. They’re they’re just going out there and uh they’re playing the game as as best they can and a lot of times they’re just playing off of pure physical ability. There’s a lot of things happening mentally uh that they’re that they’re still unaware of. you know, I can get a hold into a whole dissertation as to why the second year slump happens because now they think they know and they lock themselves up and they they forget why they were so good as rookies and it’s just they’re just out there playing and um you know, so there’s like I said, there’s going to be mistakes, they’re going to gain some scars, but as long as they’re they’re they’re getting those scars at 100 miles an hour, you trust that eventually they’ll they’ll learn and maintain their speed while executing at a very high level. week coach Shanahan was asked about Pino and the difference in snaps in week six versus the weeks previous and he kind of mentioned that Gierre kind of earned that role. If you can just kind of speak to what you guys saw each week from Jire when he was taking more snaps in special teams that kind of helped him to kind of thrust himself back into that position. Yeah. Uh Jay’s been consistent and you know and to be clear like that spot’s not dead, you know, like uh the the one thing I’ll I’ll I’ll say is that Malik is starting, you know, and uh as we continue to build up his rep count to get him to where he needs to be from a conditioning standpoint, although he’s conditioned, it’s um anyway, uh long story on that one, but um but as Malik transitions into uh getting every single snap, that is the one common denominator and that he’ll be starting on the other side. You know, it’s Tig’s done a really nice job throughout uh training camp and throughout uh the first three weeks of the season, giving himself the ability to step in there and and earn the trust of his teammates and his coaches and and now he’s got an opportunity to shut the door at that free safety spot. But um and it’s nothing against Seagull or Pino. Uh they’ve both done a really nice job. It’s just giving him an opportunity and eventually as we develop that group, we’ll find the right combination of guys to to compete. Beyond the obvious talent of their running backs, what what’s kind of makes the has made the Atlanta ground game so successful? Yeah, their their O line is is u arguably one of the better ones in football. Uh very talented group. I think they’re very well coached. Um they’re they’re doing a really nice job um creating issues in the run game, creating lanes, creating space. The backs obviously both of them are outstanding. They’re they’re different style runners, but they’re both outstanding. And um they do a great job scheming it up. So all-encompassing. The receivers block, their O line is pretty damn good. Their backs are special. So, and then you got to respect the quarterback because he is able to offplay action pass make you pay and the receivers can make you pay in the pass game. So, they’ve they’ve done a really good job building it. They’ve done a great job coaching it and the players are doing an outstanding job executing it. What do you think? Charlie Warner does Charlie Warner stick out to you as a tight end? He he’s doing he’s doing a lot. He kind of feels like uh um I I don’t want to say exactly the same as Juice, you know, but he’s he does a lot for them. And uh whether it’s in the backfield as an extra running back uh to allow Bejan to be a receiver and third uh third down, whether it’s uh a lead fullback, whether it’s uh getting out in pass uh pass, whatever it is there, whatever there is that they’re asking him to do, he does it and he does it at a pretty high level. So he’s he’s been impressive. What about defend a guy like London in the quick game? It seems like they’re going to him in the quick game. Why is that so hard to defend? He’s such a big body. Uh, you know, he’s he’s a a massive man with great length, strong at the catch point, strong. He’s just strong overall and then at at the at the catch point his hands are strong. So, he’s he’s a difficult uh matchup. Fred Warner is really his leadership obviously is very strong. Is part of it was speaking after game to the team. Does that carry over and does it linger? Does it continue on even in his absence? Yeah, because I think he’ll be he’ll be around the locker room. He’s not um I texted him the other other day. I was like, “You ain’t dead.” You know, like you can come still hang out, grab a cup of coffee and and and uh shoot the But uh but no, he’s um he’s he’s Fred. Fred Fred’s special. And like I said, it’s it’s unfortunate, but um it’s someone else’s time and it’s their time to it’s their opportunity and and uh really looking forward to seeing all these guys grow in their in their roles. We we can do one more. You’ve been trying. Um special teams will have a lot to do with it, but is there an opportunity for Nick Martin now that there’s a spot that’s Yeah. And Nick’s had a great week of practice so far. It’s only been two days. hopefully finishes it off strong uh tomorrow, but I thought he I thought today was outstanding without looking at the tape. Uh flashed in one-on- ones, flashed on special teams, and he flashed in uh on team defense. So, he again continued to grow, continue to find ways to get better and uh see if he can carve out a role for himself. All right, guys. Appreciate you. All right, ready to roll. Your impressions of Kendrick Warren and the strides he’s made since he’s been here this year. Yeah, kind of the same things we’ve been saying. He’s just he’s really impressive, you know, the way he’s um how much he’s playing given how short a time he’s been here and he’s been kind of forced into that role because of the injuries, but he’s just super competitive. He’s making plays. It’s not perfect. There’s stuff he’s got to clean up every week, but he’s totally like bought in and he’s just he’s just getting better. He’s learning and he’s competing and he’s it’s showing up on the field on Sunday. And so, he’s been a huge contributor for us and and just, you know, really cool to see that and happy to see him keep getting better. Works defense, you pretty much know what you’re going to get. He’s going to play a lot of man and he’s going to bring a lot of pressure and that’s what the numbers say. What does it what does it look like when you watch it? Yeah, they they play man. They they definitely bring a lot of pressure, but then they have their their shell coverages and they mix it up and it’s really really good defense. It’s very sound. Uh they’re really athletic and young and they play with a lot of passion. Uh and they make plays and it’s just it’s everything’s tied together. Um and the reason why I think they’re ranked number one or depending on which metric you use are up there and they’re they’re really good. It’s a huge challenge for us and um you know it’s we’re getting ready for it but it’s it’s going to be it’s going to be very challenging on Sunday for sure. I know you go into each week wanting to put points up on the board but just wondering if given the uh state of the defense losing two cornerstones in Mosa and Fred Warner. Is there any added emphasis any added pressure to kind of score more take more advantage of the red zone uh possessions? You know it’s it’s not added pressure. I mean yeah we we always want to score more. It doesn’t matter what’s going on in the defensive side of the ball. We got to do our job. I think if you start thinking about anything other than that, that’s when you kind of get distracted from that goal. So, I think our goal is to continue to get better. We want to score more points. We want to be more efficient and, you know, keep believing in what the defense is doing and just play our game. So, was kind of lamenting yesterday the lack of explosive plays that you guys the numbers would suggest that as well. How what have you seen in terms of not being able to get those as as often as you have in the past and how can you kind of get there? I think it’s harder in general to get explosives in the league now. The way defenses play, I think, um, you know, people are so, you know, such an emphasis on defensive football to just limit explosives. So, that’s a big part of it. Some of it is just luck. Some of it’s just missing, you know, missing something here, missing something there. Um, it’s not something you got to you try to overcorrect or anything. You you think those will come your way if you keep playing the right way. I truly feel that way. I think they’ll come in the run game. I think they’ll continue to come in the pass game if we keep playing the right way and getting better. So, how is KD looked so far this week and how can he be helpful in that regard? Oh, yeah. I mean, KD’s look he’s he’s looking good. He’s great to have him back out there. Um, you know, he’s he’s been working back into practice. He’s definitely one of our most explosive players. That definitely helps, you know, to answer your question. The untrained eye looks almost like like Mac. Jones just hit the ground running for you guys. But what do you do you see him making progress every week and getting better still? Yeah, I do. Uh, it’s really cool. And you know, this week he didn’t get to practice a lot last week and and this week you see more progress because he’s practicing and and even he owns that, you know, last week he needs to practice. He needs to keep getting those reps. He gets better every week in my opinion. He gets more comfortable with kind of our operation, our offense. Um he gets more confident. So, it’s it’s it’s cool to see a player ascend that way and just continue to grow. Watkins had a good camp for you guys and then had a couple big injuries and he’s working his way back. Yep. How how much would you like to introduce him into this, you know, into your offense from scrimmage? Definitely. We’d love to. You know, he just got back this week. You know, we got to kind of see where he’s at physically and work him back in. Um, you know, and then he just kind of it’s a slow progression and we we would love to get him out there on the field and contributing for us. And he’s a guy we we really liked in the offseason. We liked how how much he got better. The setbacks happen, but he’s got to continue to push himself. kind of where Ricky was last year where you’re kind of you got to grow and you got to keep pushing yourself and practicing hard and um you know eventually your time will come. So kind of similar with Jordan James. What does he need to do to to kind of get himself into the mix too? He had injuries also. It’s it’s the same you know you got to keep working. Jordan’s been stacking some really good weeks here. He had the injuries in camp, but you know this past month he’s had he’s had really good practices and he’s a guy who’s going to be ready to go when his numbers called. you know, I mean, how things shake out on game day with the numbers and and how many backs we dress, you know, that that’s things he can’t control, but it’s going to his time will come. I feel that and he’s practicing really well and and when his time does come, I’m excited about him. So, KD, he’s obviously a great all-around player, but you know, do you maybe get a better appreciation when you don’t have him. What would you say is the the trait that you really do appreciate most about his game? Yeah, I mean, I think you mentioned the explosiveness. I think that’s one thing, you know, when the ball’s in his hands, his ability to separate from guys. He he’s George accounts for a lot of explosive plays in our offense just because of his his athletic ability, but just how good he is in the run and pass game. He’s not a guy that that fits into a box. He does both equally very well, which means you don’t have to take him off the field. You don’t have to adjust what you’re calling because he’s in the game. He can protect. He can block the run game and he’s an elite, you know, passing game guy. And uh so I think you just kind of you definitely miss that. you miss a tool like that when he’s not out there and when he’s out there we we really appreciate it. So yeah, kind of a random question but both Brock and M wear the wear the wristband with the play sheet on it and it’s what are kind of the pros and cons of of doing that and and why do you guys like to to go that way? Yeah, I mean um it’s definitely not some we don’t do it in the offseason. We don’t wear the wristband because we want guys getting used to hearing calls and then and then being able to paint a picture in their head of of what we’re calling and whether it’s the formation, protection, run game, whatever. We want guys to just get comfortable with the verbiage. When you get into the season, you start to talk about a lot more, you know, checks and c and our can system. You start to talk about more motions and different formations and getting guys lined up in a certain spot and the wristband kind of takes care of that. So, I guess what I’m saying is the verbiage picks up once you get in season and the wristband can be necessary for that, you know, especially for Kyle to call a play that’s very verbose and then the quarterback to have to call it again. It just takes time. So, for us to just tell them, look at the wristband, look at this number, it saves us time and it can get everyone kind of in the right spot. So, I think it’s just a necessary thing. I think a lot of people are using it now. So, that’s kind of to set a base in the in the in the offseason and then you can you can build off of that. Totally. Yeah. In the offseason, we want guys listening and learning and being able to recall, you know, you hear it and you recall it and you can communicate it in the huddle. We still do that. We not every play we have is wristbanded. You know, Kyle’s still calling a lot of plays to the quarterback, but in the offseason, we want to train him to to hear and then to be able to regurgitate it back to the offense. So, just has had a great couple weeks here. Um, did you see that potential in him this summer and and what has been the key for him outside of opportunity to kind of unlock what he’s been able to do? Um, I mean, yeah, we’ve always been excited about Jake and what he what he’s been able to do in the pass game as, you know, in the offseason. We we really like those skill sets. We needed him to grow in the run game. And, um, when his moment when he when George went out and he kind of stepped into that pass game role, we we loved how he was producing, but it was it’s been cool to see him grow as a complete player. You know what what to attribute that to? I just I think he’s a guy who’s taken advantage of every moment out there, and he gets better from it. You know, the moment’s not too big for him. you know, he steps up when we need him to and just a guy the more he’s out there, the better he gets and um you know, we’re real happy with where he’s at. So, he’s a big contributor for us. You feel the chemistry between Matt Jones and Borne right away at practice and you see it now when you watch film of the plays and Yeah, I mean, you could you could tell just their relationship. They’re real comfortable with each other, but um you know, it took KB a little bit to to kind of, you know, get caught up to speed just because he was so new to our offense coming being away for so long. But you can tell those guys are, you know, they’re locked in together and they have a great relationship. So, yeah. All right, guys. Appreciate it. Have a good one. [Music]

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San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak discussed Tatum Bethune stepping into Fred Warner’s role, the development of young defenders, and the offense’s focus on creating explosive plays ahead of the “SNF” matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

Chapters:
0:00 Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh
11:25 Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak

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