Christian McCaffrey praises 49ers rookie Kaelon Black after first week of OTAs
49ers running back Christian McCaffrey speaks to reporters following San Francisco's first week of OTAs on Thursday in Santa Clara.
Christian McCaffrey praises 49ers rookie Kaelon Black after first week of OTAs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Video Transcript
Christian, what do you think so far of, of Kaylon Black?
He's been great, man.
Yeah, he's been everything you would want i- in a rookie.
super attentive in meetings, does everything right, has a bunch of talent and complements our room really well.
How's the off-season been up to this point for you?
It's been great.
Off-season's been great.
you know, same old, you know, to be honest.
Yeah, a lotta, a lot of the same stuff, but it's been an awesome off- off-season.
I- in the, at the owners meetings, Kyle talked about, like, some of the areas where the offense, the running game in particular, can improve on that, that average per game.
He, he talked a little bit about scheme too, that there were some issues.
But when you look back on last season, h- how do you feel, you guys can take that next step to get that average per rush up to where it had been?
Yeah, I think for me it's just focusing on what I can do and what I can do better, and I think, you know, breaking tackles, hitting th- hitting those long ones, that's something I can get better at that I'm, you know, we'll foc- th- I've been focusing on all off-season, is, just getting the big play back.
That's, that's the things I can focus on.
You know, you can't always control what happens in a play, but, if the hole's there, you gotta hit it, and you gotta make the, the 8 to 10 yard runs, the big ones.
And if it's not there, you gotta do everything you can to get 4 or 5 or get 3 or 4, whatever it is.
And so I try to keep my mindset simple and just focus on what I can do to, to be the best back I can be.
Were there instances last year when you look back at film and go, "Man, there was one there.
There was one there"?
Man, every year.
Every year there's, there's You know, after every game you're always, you know, rarely are you like, "Yeah, that was awesome."
You know?
There's, you watch a tape and you, you know, I, I W- we're, a lot of us are our hardest critics, and, I think that's a good way to be, and it's 'cause there's always something you can get better at.
There's been lots of conversation obviously about the workload getting lighter or whatever.
I know you kind of talked about that, but are there pros and cons for you when you think about if it gets lighter or if it stays the same?
It's fine.
I've been dealing with, you know, those questions for nine years it feels like.
you know, I think the workload i- in our sport is really monitored in practice, not in games.
You know, we play 17 regular season games a year, and, everybody's livelihoods are on the line.
And so I always say, on Sunday you gotta do whatever it takes to win.
and that's not a coach's job.
You know, you don't tell a three-point shooter, "You only get six threes today."
You know?
It's, so it's, so much of it is rhythmic, and, it's my job to put my body in the best position I can to go out there and play.
And, I think everything else can be monitored during the week or with a practice schedule, with certain ways you train, whatever it may be.
But when it comes to game days, you know, we're, I like to think prepare yourself to play in every snap.
Are you, are you participating in any of the team stuff now, or is that on hold until camp?
Yeah.
Y- you guys came on the day I was not going.
You're still missing on the side.
Yeah.
Staying in shape.
Yeah, I'm practicing, just not today.
Yeah.
Are there things that you can do at this point in the off-season knowing that that 16-hour flight is ahead of you?
And what, is your mind already racing as far as how you can treat your body on those, that flight to Australia and that flight back?
my mind is not racing right now on that.
I think, you know, just again, just putting your body in the best position you can for camp, you know?
And so have a good camp.
finished the OTAs out really strong and, go, you know, that, all that stuff will get addressed that week.
What's it been like having Mike Evans here?
Been awesome, man.
he's such a presence.
You know, you see him in the huddle, he's got every attribute you would want in a receiver, and it's definitely n- not a shock when you see it live in person why he's a, you know, first-ballot Hall of Famer.
It's, it's cool to have him a part of our team.
I know that George had some recruiting pitches to, to him.
Were you involved in any of those?
I wasn't involved.
I didn't get the invite.
Other, but if I did, I would've definitely he's been somebody I, you know, just being in Carolina, had to go against a lot and was just a nightmare.
So, not just in the pass game, in the run game too, so having him on our side's great.
Christian, la- last off-season you guys had, had the big roster exodus and, you know, Kyle kind of brought you guys together as veterans to be re- There was just uncertainty about what you were gonna be.
What, what did it mean for you this off-season then to see the team kind of back in, adding veterans, adding guys that, that can potentially help you win right now?
awesome.
Yeah, I think when you, when you see the guys on our roster, you see them around the building, it feels, it feels competitive, in the best ways.
You know, getting a guy like Dre Greenlaw back, just the energy that that brings to the, to the locker room, to our team.
Adding a guy like Mike Evans.
Seeing s- some new faces, some old faces, it's, feels like home.
What were your impressions of, Jordan James last season and also this, this off-season?
Jordan's been great.
Always been great.
you know, he's another guy that just does everything right, can run any scheme.
he's gotten s- a lot better in the pass game and, is explosive and, and can really do it all.
So, another guy that complements the room really well.
K- Kyle told us about Isaac's injury.
Have, have you been able to talk with him and maybe give him some advice, lift him up a little bit?
S- I'm sure a tough time, you know?
Yeah, definitely, man.
It's just, you know, sometimes this game is super unfortunate, you know what I mean?
It's, he was working his butt off all off-season and, you know, it's sometimes it's that freak stuff that happens where, you know, you strain something training in the weight room and something like, you know, it's, it's, it's unfortunate, but he's got the best attitude.
He's coming in every single day with a smile, still working just as hard.
And, you know, it's not a season-ending injury.
He'll be back, so it's also perspective.
As much as he's down, he knows that there's, he'll, he will be back for the season, so I think there's, there's also some, enthusiasm there.A couple more for Christian I would imagine that Caleb like comes in and he wants to kind of pick your brain of things that he can kind of maybe get better at or pay attention to as he gets consistent with the system here.
Has that happened at this point?
Definitely.
Yeah, I mean, he's eager to learn.
I think the best tool he has right now is, is Bobby T. you know, our meetings, the same coaching points I'm getting, he's getting.
But he's somebody that's so eager to learn, and so we've had a couple conversations outside of practice on different things that I'm seeing.
But, what, what I see in him already, and it's been just, you know, a few weeks, is he can pick things up so quickly.
It doesn't take him long.
Like, once he does something or once you tell him something, he, he knows how to correct it, knows how to fix it, and he- he's a true football player.
And so, as he just continues to be at practice and get these reps, he'll, you know, he'll learn all this stuff, on his own as well.
But yeah, we have such a great room.
Our, our running back room, I gotta say, is just, it's- it's so much fun to be a part of because we all feed off each other's energy, we all have healthy competition, and, support each other in a lot of ways.
Maybe not.
Just wondering if coming off a championship like you just got, do they usually Well, in your experience, guys that come in, rookies that come in off of a situation like that versus just coming in out of college, is there a difference in their mindset?
I don't think, I don't think there's just those two kinds of players.
I think it's, more individual than that.
You hear the news that Mike Evans is coming to your offense, do you immediately think about how he can be used, how Kyle Shanahan can use him?
I, I get excited.
yeah, I mean, definitely.
I think it's, you know, especially in our system and a player like that, yeah, absolutely.
That's exactly what you would think.
You get excited, for sure.
One more.
Nathan.
How long did it take you to kind of overcome the way the season ended and just that bitter taste in your mouth or, yeah?
Yeah, I mean, each year there's I've never won a Super Bowl, so I've always been pretty bitter after the year, and that's football, that's the NFL.
I think you, you move on.
You don't ever really get over it, you know?
And, and I think that's what, that's what keeps you going is that, that itch and that hunger to keep going and, you look back on the things and, that you, you did or didn't do, and you correct the mistakes, capitalize on your strengths, see where you can get better, and that just fuels you all off-season.
So, I think our team has that same mindset too of we know where we wanna go and, that's, that's the mindset.
