Kyle Shanahan, Jordan Watkins preview 49ers’ Week 7 primetime matchup vs Falcons | NBC Sports BA

All right, guys. Um, for the game so much shorter when I don’t have to say limited. Uh, Yetour is out, Ricky out, Brock out, Kevin Given, Renardo Green, and Upton Stout are three questionable. Go ahead. What progress have you seen from Brock this week in practice? Um, he was able to get out there, throw more. Um, thought it was definitely a step further ahead than it was last week. So, going the right direction. What’s the plan for George and Kevin Gibbons on Sunday? Um George is playing and Kevin most likely is. We got to talk about that staff later today. How limited might George be in the in this scheme of things? So, he’s available for all plays. Do you have a pitch count for him? Um no pinch count. I mean, you know, George has rehabbed really well. Um came back 100% has a good week of practice. So, um, you know, we’ll space it out throughout the game, but, um, yeah, no pinch count. How big is it to get George’s leadership back right now after you lose Fred? Um, I think that’s big, but um, you know, I think the bigger part is getting them on the field. I mean, it’s always good to have good leaders around and stuff, but um, it starts with being on the field. What does Watkins look like this week? And is there a chance that teams will defend you differently if you put that kind of speed on the field? Um, I mean, it depends what they do. you know, he hasn’t been out there yet NFL game, so I don’t think people really care until you make a play like that. Uh, I thought he’s come back from his injury. Well, had a real good week of practice. Um, looks like he’s healed, gotten in shape, and um, had a good week. So, we’ll see if he’s up. Do you have to meter George in at all or is he just full slow George kind of like how you did with Malika? Did you have to No, Malak that, you know, Malak had no training camp. Hadn’t had a practice in in a year with his ACL. So that that’s different than someone had a full training camp full off season. Um had a hamstring. So he’s been out the last five or six weeks, but he’s been preparing the last two weeks to play football. So a little different story. You expect to see Nick Martin up this week? Um yeah, I do. What do the Falcons do to and beyond have, you know, some good players, but what do they do to, you know, create pressure defensively? Um they they they they call pressures. Uh they do it a lot. You know, I think they have probably as much of a fiveman rush as anyone we’ve seen this year. Um, just a percentage of it. So, they’re doing it a lot. Um, changing their coverage up behind it. And sometimes they bring more than that, but usually it’s five. Uh, they’re doing it first, second down, third down, it even gets more aggressive. And whether it’s four guys, five guys coming or six, they’re all good rushers. They’re very active. They’re very aggressive. Um, play very hard and um have some speed. Could you envision at all Brock being active but not starting as he comes off the injury or once he’s good to go? He’s starting. I mean, if Brock’s good to go, I picture him starting, but you know, there’s ways that he could be. We talked even, I think, week two or three about a possible emergency quarterback and things like that. So, we’ll always do what’s best for him and best for the team. Um, depending on what that situation is that week. Does Bobby Turner still determine the running back rotation during games? Is that up to him? Uh, I mean, yeah, I mean, I mean, ultimately I’m the head coach, so like I don’t put anything anyone else like that, but you know, there’s a lot going on in game. So, position coaches are usually rotating their guys and things like that. There’s certain times I’ll ask for specific people. Um, but their their main job is to keep their guys going, keep them fresh, and um, and also to let me know when they are in and out, so I have an idea. So, I’m not surprised with what I’m calling. When you look at the Falcons offense, you know, I I assume most teams pinpoint Bian Robinson as as a guy you got to contain and yet he still seems to go off every week. What makes him so tough to stop? What makes him so good? Um, real talented running back. I mean, he’s one of the faster guys in the league. He’s got real good balance. Um, I just pure talent as a runner. How good he is in the pass game. I mean, when you can do both like that, it’s um you’re going to get touches. I mean, it always starts with touches with running back, but when you can do in the pass game, too, it goes up and um and he’s got a lot of good guys around him, which makes it even easier for him. With with a couple quarterbacks questionable, what have you seen out of Lutter this week? And then, uh, is Demo going into the slot an option? Um, Demo going to the slot’s always an option. We know he’s done that at a high level. And, um, I think Loot had a he had a really good week of practice. Um, I think I think Luke Loot had a real good game, I believe, versus Jacksonville. And, um, just continues to keep getting better. options down. Uh he hurt his ankle on the last play of practice yesterday. General question about uh linebackers. There there’s a sentiment out there that with a couple of prominent exceptions, linebacking play isn’t as good as it was say, you know, in in last decade and earlier phases. Do you agree with that? And and if so, what do you think is is behind that? Um, I I think the league’s a little bit different now, like what’s required out of linebackers. Like I I I always think the best linebackers just my whole career going against are the guys who are just their instincts are so good for lack of better way to say it. Their Madden awareness rating is really high. Not actually on Madden, but in real life. Um, you know, the guys like that’s why we wanted to hire KJ Wright. I just he was so hard to go against cuz um just his feel and his his anticipation of what you were trying to do to him. Bobby Wagner was the same way. That’s what to me makes Fred Elite. Guys like um Luke Keequley, Shaun Lee, like some of the toughest guys to go against. And then back in the day, you also had guys that weren’t necessarily that way, but they could run and hit so much that they also had such a huge impact. I think now with all the things that offenses do to people and stuff, it’s um it’s really hard to be successful if you’re not both. Almost like a quarterback position there. There’s a lot of real talented quarterbacks who um don’t necessarily always play at a high level of quarterback in the NFL and it’s because of all that goes into it just with truly just having to play the position and kind of I kind of look at linebacker very similar. Next time more to retain return duties. Uh yeah, I think he’s done a hell of a job. So we’ll see. What can you tell us about Adrien Martinez now that you’ve watched him a few weeks in practice, how would you describe him? Um, I’m excited that we got him here. You know, I didn’t know a lot about him before he got here. Um, he impressed us right away and I think he’s gotten better each week. You know, him having these opportunities, you know, being the two for a few weeks now. Um, he’s got himself a chance to show more. Last week, taking so many of the one reps with Mack not able to get through a lot of practice last week. Um, so I think he’s gotten more used to what we’re doing and we noticed right away he was talented, but he’s been able to handle the offense so far and we’ve enjoyed him as a person, too. Clay was saying yesterday he feels like explosive plays are a lot harder to come by just across the league in general. I’m assuming you you agree with that. What What are you seeing that’s that’s making that more difficult for um I I I just I think the style of defense that people play, I mean, every team’s different, but just on a on a whole it’s a lot more um top down. I mean, back in the day, you used to get a six-yard run and a defensive staff would be like the the the world’s ending. But if you completed a six- yard checkdown on a pass, you’d see them all chest bumping each other and celebrating how good their coverage is. And um that used to be back in the day, which made a lot of people a lot more aggressive to me to stop the run, which does, but it allows explosives in the run and pass game both. I feel like now people don’t worry as much about that. like take your six-yd run, take your six-yard pass, just do it, whatever you want to do. But we’re going to find a way to get off on third down or we don’t think you can do it 14 plays in a row to get seven. So, um I’d say it’s more of that. Defenses are more conservative um as a whole um which makes it hard to get explosives. You guys obviously had a lot high expectations for Muel when you guys drafted him. Once Nick went down, did that ramp up the pressure on him at all? And if so, how do you feel he’s handled it? I don’t think it ramps the pressure up on them at all. I think it does from a perception standpoint um from outside of here. I mean, that’s just how how the world works and how it should, I guess. You know, your your number one pass rusher goes down, everyone expects your top 10 pick to replace him or 11, whatever we were. Um when Fred Warner goes down, everyone wants to know, well, how’s Tatum going to step it up? And it’s not really like that. Guys need to try to be the best that they can. I thought I think Michaelel’s had a great a very good rookie year so far, six games in or whatever it is. And um my biggest thing with Mikel, whether Nick’s here, whether anyone’s here, um is that he gets better each week um and focuses on that stuff. And uh I feel that he has he’s doing it in a lot of different ways, whether it’s pass rush, whether it’s run game, whether it’s outside, whether it’s inside. Um just how to work each day and how to be a good teammate, be a good leader for a rookie. And um I’m really pumped he’s here and I know we’d do the exact same thing over if we had that opportunity again. chemistry, rebuild chemistry with Kendrick. How has he and George been working in practice so far? Um, good. I mean, I always get thrown off with the chemistry question because George is good at getting open and Mac is good at throwing to the guy um in progression who’s open. So, like it doesn’t matter really that they’re new or anything like that. Um, you know, Mac’s going to focus on getting the ball to the right spot based off of the defense and George is going to try to get open and beat the guy in front of him every time. um you know whether guys connect or a lot. I don’t always think that’s necessarily about chemistry. It has to do with just how the the game went out and whether both of those guys were prepared and doing their job right. So when it did go to them, what’s the percentage of them making the play? And George done this for a long time and um I think Mack will be excited that he’s out there. How feeling? Jacob, I think he’s getting close. I’m not sure if it’s exactly next week or not, but I know it’s getting soon. how Mac is doing physically. I know he had some dents and dings the past previous games. Yeah, Mac, you said. Mac. Yeah. I mean, I know like like everybody, I mean, no one feels 100% great. Um but and I know he was a lot farther ahead this week than he was last week. You know, he didn’t have to miss as much. You know, Adrian didn’t have to take as many reps for him and um he’s he’s improved. Jordan, I know it’s been a challenge for you to get back on the field, but this week you have no injury designation. And how good does that feel? Uh, it feels good. Um, you know, I’ve been out since the first preseason game. Um, since after the first preseason game and, you know, then I come back to practice and then I get hurt again. So, it’s good to be able to be out there and, you know, really just, uh, put my best foot forward and and and keep, you know, stacking these days and stacking the weeks and, you know, hopefully get my opportunity. How has it been working with M. Jones? Uh, it’s been it’s been good. Um, you know, Mac’s been around the league for, you know, a few years now. So, it’s been able to, you know, kind of get around a veteran quarterback, you know, not just Brock, but, you know, having two kind of veteran guys who have been starters in this league, um, you know, to to kind of understand what it’s like to play in the NFL and and kind of what, you know, to expect from, um, you know, just just elite players. Who have you been leaning on during this time when you’ve haven’t been able to get on the field? Um, you know, it’s kind of like everybody almost. You know, JJ’s been really helpful, BA’s been really helpful, and so has Ricky. Um, you know, even though Ricky’s, uh, just in his second year, you know, he’s still he’s still been around um and and been able to, you know, kind of kind of guide me um so that way I kind of don’t make the same mistakes that he made last year. um you know and kind of just giving me his experience and it’s been able to uh you know really influence me in the right

49ers’ Kyle Shanahan and Jordan Watkins speak to reporters following San Francisco’s practice on Friday in Santa Clara.

(00:00) Kyle Shanahan
(10:08) Jordan Watkins

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Kyle Shanahan, Jordan Watkins preview 49ers’ Week 7 primetime matchup vs Falcons | NBC Sports BA

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