George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey energize 49ers in return to practice
On "49ers Talk," Matt Maiocco and Jennifer Lee Chan discuss George Kittle's activation from PUP list; and CMC's return to practice.
George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey energize 49ers in return to practice originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Video Transcript
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And, the 49ers certainly got a, a breath of fresh air and a little m- more energy and, and a spring in their steps with a couple of additions, some familiar faces, to the practice field on Sunday, Jennifer.
Yes.
George Kittle was activated off the PUP, the physically unable to perform list, right before practice.
And then we got a surprise as well with Christian McCaffrey back on the field.
Yeah, so, you know, Christian McCaffrey had missed, I think, 15 days of practices.
He practiced fully for the, you know, first section, first few sections of training camp.
Mm-hmm.
And then his absence, you know, over time, caused a, a lot of consternation, I think, with the 49ers fan base and with the national media, I guess you could say.
Pro Football Talk, reported that there was speculation within league circles that his absence was due to contract demands or trying to get, a little sweetener put into his contract.
And McCaffrey didn't He, he wasn't asked specifically about the contract, but he did say that, "Hey, any time I miss a practice, it's a firestorm."
Which is appropriate.
And he said that this was the plan all along, to ramp up nine or 10 practices at the beginning of training camp, then take a break, kind of wind down a little bit, and then ramp up again as they head into week one.
So I mean, I'm not a physical trainer, and I don't think you are either, so- I- I am not there, there are smarter people out there planning Christian McCaffrey's prep- preparation for week one.
Yeah, and, you know, it remains to be seen.
You know, I, I don't know if there, there's anything to the contract stuff.
Mm-hmm.
But clearly he wasn't staging a hold-in, because- Right if he was staging a hold-in, he would not have practiced for the first, you know, that, those first segments of practice- Mm-hmm and practice as mu- as much as he did, when everybody knew that Bijan Robinson and Jamer Gibbs were gonna be signing new contracts.
And now that he's back on the practice field, you know, we don't know what's happening behind the scenes with that, but- Right yeah, I guess, you know, we'll take it at face value.
What Kyle Shanahan said was that they were, you know, they were wrong to say that it's anything a contract, you know, related.
And then as you noted with McCaffrey saying, "No, this was part of the plan."
Now, I'm not a physical therapist.
However, I have spoken to someone in particular who is, and, let's just say that this particular person I was talking to was quite amazed to see George Kittle making the kind of progress that he has made, to the point where on Sunday, I believe it was seven months and nine days after his Achilles, surgery, that he was back on the practice field.
224 days.
224.
Let me do a math on that.
224, that's basically, let's see, 30 days, 30 and a half days in a month.
Mm-hmm.
So 30, yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
224 days.
It's, it's amazing that he came back from an Achilles tear, and, and we've talked about it a lot, where the tear was up near his calf where there's more oxygenation for healing, and he didn't have to have the screw put in to keep it all together.
So I think that makes the recovery so much easier, and I think- So are you saying that if the tear had been lower, he would've been screwed?
Literally.
Yeah, literally.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Ah.
Yeah, there would've been, there would've been metal device- Mm-hmm in his heel.
Right.
Right, and that's what, Richard Sherman had to have a second procedure to have that screw removed 'cause it was bothering him.
Mm-hmm.
And eventually they all do need to have it taken out.
But, to have a literal metal piece holding the Achilles down to the original parts to keep it together sounds awful, to be honest.
So for George Kittle just to have stitches and to make his way back, doing, he said, thousands upon thousands of calf raises just to make sure his calf was strong enough to be able to handle the mobility of him running.
And he's not just a runner, he's a blocker too, so to be able to for it to handle the force of, of pushing and his heel being down, I think that, that There had to be a lot of work done.
Now, he didn't do team drills.
He just did individual drills.
So we saw him running a few routes, catching some passes, and he looked like George Kittle, wouldn't you say?
Yeah, he did.
In fact, the, the physical therapist I was talking about, observed that there is really good calf girth symmetry.
In other words, you can't tell the difference between the calf that was injured in the, the surgery that took place and the one that's healthy.
Now- That's pretty remarkable- It- because, that takes a lot, a lot of hard work.
Yeah, and it's, i- i- it's been, as you noted, how many days?
224.
224.
This is not typical- Correct nor should it be seen as typical for athletes, like, oh, now everybody should come back in 224 days.
George Kittle did all of the monotony that you have to do in order to put yourself in that position.
So even when he was back running, he still stayed on top of all the other little stuff, the monotonous stuff, like you mentioned, the, the marble- Calf raises well- And the marble transfers.
Yeah, so- Yeah, so that's picking up a marble with your toes, picking it up, putting it into another position, then back again.
And then he said thousands of seated calf lifts, where he would be seated and just raise his heel up and drop it down, raise his heel, drop it, and then standing calf lifts once he was strong enough.
Okay.
So what this means, of course, that George Kittle was activated off the PUP list on Sunday August 23rd Mm-hmm the 49ers get on a plane to Australia on Wednesday, September 2nd.
Correct, yeah.
And so in this practice that we watched, he didn't take part in any 11 on 11.
It was just individual stuff.
Mm-hmm.
We saw him, you know, k- running, catching passes.
Any thoughts?
I know we talked about this a little bit the last time, but does it make you feel I have a theory, but do you have any thoughts on the possibility that Kittle will play in that regular season week one game against the Rams?
I think it would depend on how much he does in team reps over the next couple days.
I don't think he would play in Las Vegas.
Um- Yeah, I can't imagine.
No.
Um- Not a chance but just how much team reps get under his belt in the next few days in w- leading up to that flight on September 2nd.
If he's participating a lot in team reps, then maybe, you know, he leans towards flying.
But we'll know on that Wednesday whether he's actually getting on the plane or not.
Yeah, and you would think if he gets on that plane, he's playing.
He's gonna play.
Now, I- Unless, barring something happening on the airplane where all of a sudden pressurization and a long flight lead to him not feeling well.
But if anything that he said means, you know, if you take that to heart, he could be sitting in his chair on the airplane doing calf raises to make sure that he's mobile.
I can just see it now, like marbles- going up and down the plane- th- down the aisle.
Yeah.
And then that would, they'd have to tell people, "Don't be walking down the aisle when George has his marbles out because you don't wanna twist an ankle or anything."
Yes, that's correct.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's the little things- Mm-hmm that we think about here on- Yeah 49ers Talk, Jennifer.
So I, I just think that, you know, there is precedent for people, football players returning from Achilles injuries.
But I do think, and they're dealing with a lot of knowns, you know, how guys respond, what they have to go through to get back out there and play.
But I think the variable that is entered into the equation because of the schedule that the NFL put the 49ers and Rams under, there are just so many unknowns.
And I, I think the more I think about it, the more it does make sense for them, regardless of, of, you know, them activating him here when they did and giving him a little bit of runway before- Mm-hmm they leave.
I still think it makes much more sense to, and this is all, this is a, an untrained opinion, quite obviously, but I think it makes a lot more sense to take just kind of the unknown factor out of it, how that situation's going to be impacted by the flights- Mm-hmm and, and everything else, the time changes, whatever the case may be, and just say, "George, remain in Santa Clara.
You have 10 more days of conditioning and PT and strength and cardio, and you don't have to endure the 16-hour flight there and the 17-hour flight back, and just be ready to go week two.
Mm-hmm.
And for you, it's a 16-game schedule."
I think that that gives him and the 49ers the best opportunity to have a full run for the entire season.
Yeah, I mean, that makes sense, too, but I also think him being at practice for the week that they're in Australia, even if he doesn't play, I know if he doesn't play, that he's said he's not going to go, but the team reps I think are good for him to get back into the swing of things.
But like you said, if he's not playing, there's no reason for him to go.
My, my counterpoint to that- Mm-hmm would be he's been here a long time.
Yeah.
And he, you know, he's 20 minutes away in the off-season from Brock Purdy, so those guys, it's not gonna take them long at all to get back in the swing of things.
Yeah.
True.
I mean, you can see it both, we can both see- I can see it, yeah.
I can see it both ways- Yeah where, you know, Kyle should- If he's ready to go, he's ready to go.
Right.
If he's ready to go, yes.
But we've also, Kyle Shanahan has said on multiple occasions, not in relation to George Kittle coming back, but you can't just go and play a pickup game of football.
Basketball players can pick up a game wherever they want.
They can go to the Y.
They can go to the park.
They can pick up a basketball game.
Football players cannot, and, it takes them to be back on the field playing football to get in the swing of it again.
So there will be an acclimation period for George, whether it happens before week one or whether it happens before week two, it remains to be seen, but there is going to be some rust that's going to be knocked off for him to be ready for the season.
Yeah, it's, it's gonna be interesting to see how- Mm-hmm how the, they handle this, and of course, it's gonna be really interesting to see, the teams, you know, the 49ers- Mm-hmm and the Rams taking completely different approaches to this, to this trip to Australia, where the 49ers are, like, gonna, they're gonna pay rent there.
I mean, they're- they're basically gonna be citizens, I think.
Mm-hmm.
They might get, uh- By the end of it?
Yeah.
Yeah.
And then the Rams are just, like, they're, they're not even unpacking their bags.
They're just flying in, playing a football game, and, and flying right out.
Getting the heck out.
Yeah.
Yeah, so it, it'll be fascinating.
And, and Kittle, I mean, that's gonna be the talk here- Mm-hmm for a while.
I just, again, the way George talked when we last spoke to him, it just felt to me like by introducing week two as a possibility and m- answering me immediately when I said it, when I asked him if it makes sense to go even if he's not playing, the way he answered those questions to me felt like, oh, they've had these conversations in great, great detail.
Mm-hmm.
And that to me felt like that's the way they were leaning at that point.
Yeah.
I mean, it's all valid points.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
And it's, no, no right or wrong answer.
All right, we're back on 49ers Talk, brought to you by your locally owned Toyota dealers, Toyota, Let's Go Places.
Hey, the 49ers were a little bit, feisty out there on that practice field.
Just a little.
I, I missed a lot of the Fred Warner-Brock Purdy interaction, but Fred Warner was everywhere, and he was just causing all kinds of disturbances, including darn near taking Kaylon Black's head off.
Yes.
But did you get a good glimpse of the back and forth with, with Brock and Fred?
I did not.
I just heard the loud yelling of Brock towards Fred, and it was not safe for work, to Fred, and he named Fred in particular.
And then someone else echoed the same thing.
I It might have been someone on the offensive line, but someone else also said that.
But Fred was- What was the gist of it?
Just like, "Cool, cool it.
Don't get your, protect the team," kind of stuff?
I think it was Fred always tries to get under the skin- Mm-hmm of everybody.
For a while, it was Brandon Aiyuk, right?
They had a lot of d- banter back and forth.
So now we know why Brandon Aiyuk is upset.
He is the long play, but- Mm-hmm.
Yes.
But it's been kind of back and forth with Brock during camp.
And I think Fred Warner, I don't know if it's conscious, but there is always a focus of camp where he is kind of picking on a person, and it has been receivers in the past, and I think this time, this camp, it's been Brock Purdy.
And there has been a lot of back and forth, and it's, it's competition.
Yeah.
Colton McKivitz had a lot of fun comments when he was at the podium, 'cause I asked him, you know, "Has this, you know, d- just boiled over?"
He said, "No, it's not that this boiled over.
There's been a lot of kind of chatter back and forth throughout camp."
And he's like, "You might all think that Brock's quiet, but he's fiery and feisty"- Mm-hmm "and he's gonna stand up for him.
He's going to stand up for the offense."
And I think not only does it fire up, you know, the group all together, but I think it, it bonds the offense together that Brock is standing up for them when Fred Warner is yelling the entire practice and, like you said, nearly taking Kaylon Black's head off.
I mean, that was the biggest hit or sound of pads hitting today at practice.
And I mean, the one thing about Fred Warner is when he steps on the field, he doesn't have an off switch.
No.
Or he doesn't even, You know, i- it's just, it's 100- Or it's- Nothing or it's, he's- Yeah carrying his helmet off the field- Mm-hmm and like, going- Yeah to take a shower, and then he's- Right the nicest guy in the world.
Mm-hmm.
But on the field, ah, you know- And he's got, you know, he's Batman.
He's got Robin back with him.
So Dre Greenlaw is, you know, probably adding a little fuel to his fire as well.
Now, I did see what I interpreted as a really nice interaction between Fred, 'cause Fred was making plays.
Like, Fred was diving, breaking up passes.
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
He was getting his hands on, on passes over the middle, as did Dre Greenlaw, made a nice- Right deflection.
Mm-hmm.
But there were also a couple plays where Brock got him.
Mm-hmm.
And I think Mike Evans had a catch over the middle, and it was after one of those catches- Oh over the middle on Fred Warner that I saw Fred leave, and, and the second team offense was out there.
I saw Fred leave all of his teammates, the defensive teammates on the sideline, and ran over behind the 49ers offense and was talking to Brock.
And I interpreted it as, you know, whatever, that play, what did you see?
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
And let's, you know, they And it s- looked like they were having a very cordial- Mm-hmm conversation about what was taking place on the field.
So, but there was plenty of non-cordial interaction- Mm-hmm as well.
And I have to say, after that yelling that was audible to all the media that were there- Can you whisper what, what you heard?
No.
Okay.
Fred did go over to Brock to kind of settle things down, so they left practice on good terms.
Yeah.
I think it's just the heat of the battle when they're there.
I am sure, like Raheem Morris said, "I'm glad that I don't have to face Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw anymore, that they're on my team."
That's what Raheem Morris said.
So I'm sure Brock Purdy essentially is thankful that Fred is like that because it's all focused on opposing quarterbacks- Mm-hmm later once it's week one.
A- and also, th- these last few practices are the last time that Fred Warner will be going up against Brock Purdy.
Right, right.
I mean, here, probably really soon- Mm-hmm the 49ers are gonna start game planning.
Right.
And when you start game planning, the offense is not going up against- The number ones the fir- the number one defense.
Mm-hmm.
They're going up against a, a collection of scout team players, practice squad players, backups, that are basically mimicking the defense or the offense of the- Mm-hmm of the opposition.
Right.
So, so maybe Fred is just like, "I have to hurry up and get all this stuff, that I want to get off my chest and do everything because"- It's a lot.
Yeah, yeah.
It's, well, he has a lot on his- I, I would not want to face Fred Warner in practice.
Yeah.
Okay, so Fred was all over the place.
Mm-hmm.
He had a, he had a really good, a very, notable practice for Fred Warner.
Spirited.
Very spirited.
I'm just looking at my little camp report here.
No, it's not little.
It's a big camp report.
Yeah.
What am I talking about?
I just put, like, the offensive play of the day was just seeing Christian McCaffrey out there running.
Mm-hmm.
You know, there was- Yeah that play where, I mean, he, I don't think he caught any passes during the 11 on 11 part, but, you know, blasting through the hole.
Um- Mm-hmm the, do you see the one play Kaylon Black gives after Fred Warner I think it was after Fred Warner leveled Kaylon Black.
That Kaylon Black leveled 49ers offensive lineman Jake Brendel Jake Brendel.
Yeah, he just been blasting through the hole, and Brendel was, like, seven yards behind, uh- in front of the line of scrimmage- Uh-huh seven yards downfield, blocking, and Kaylon Black just, just- Came barreling through plowed into him.
Uh-huh.
Jake, poor Jake Brendel's like, "What the heck just hit me?"
And it was- I watched Kaylon Black do that the other day past Trent Williams, and he just kind of softly put his hand on Trent Williams' back, and then ran past him.
Mm-hmm, yeah.
He didn't do that with Jake Brendel.
No.
No.
You gotta do it to Trent Williams, though.
You can't run over Trent.
Yeah, a few, few injury updates.
Mm-hmm.
Yamin Orlenor and Dejon Stribling, they missed the Saturday practice with shoulder injuries.
They were back wearing the non-contact jerseys.
I did see, Kion White was back at practice.
Mm-hmm.
The 49ers have cleared, what, Dominic Pooney and C.J.
West to come back.
Mm-hmm.
So they're getting some people back.
But, you know, there were some injuries coming out of that game that, that impacts some decisions.
You know, Austin Pleasants, the offensive lineman- Mm-hmm who became the fourth person into the mix as far as competing for that left guard spot, he's banged up.
He has a knee injury.
Clay Kubiak seemed to talked about like it's not a long-term deal, so maybe he can get back out there.
Mm-hmm.
Renardo Green dealing with a hamstring injury.
That doesn't look to be too severe, but does it crack open that door at cornerback enough for Jack Jones to become the week one starter?
And then the other one is Nick Martin, with a hamstring injury, has had a really good camp at linebacker, and now his situation's a little bit hazy as well.
Mm-hmm.
Also missing from Sunday's session was Ramello Hite, and we don't have- any, specifics on his injury, but he was out.
Also, Grayson Halton was seen working on the side field.
Christian Kirk has still been on the side field as well, working out.
So a lot of guys, you know, those soft tissue injuries, trying to work their way back into play for week one.
Yeah, and, and speaking of week one, I just wonder, Christian Kirk, I, I wonder if the 49ers are going to slow play that one a little bit- Mm-hmm and have him start the season on PUP.
PUP.
Mm-hmm.
So, because right now, man, they have, they have some good receivers- Mm-hmm on the team, you know?
It, it's obviously Mike Evans, and Dejon Stribling, and Deebo Samuel.
Those are their top three guys.
Mm-hmm.
I, I really like what I've seen from Jordan Watkins.
I think he's got a lot of juice.
DeMarcus Robinson's a veteran that I'm sure they, they plan on keeping around.
Mm-hmm.
And then Jacob Cowling, I mean, he's probably gonna be the return guy, so there's six right there.
Yeah.
And so there's really not a spot for Christian Kirk.
So I would think that they, with the history of guys coming back from soft tissue injuries, and in his case, it's a calf- Calf.
Mm-hmm I just wonder if they're just gonna really make sure that he's ready to go, and that that could mean him starting the season on PUP.
And then at some point, I mean, it's, unfortunately, it's inen- it's inevitable.
There are gonna be injuries- Right here and there, and that would enable Kirk, Christian Kirk- To be bumped up yeah.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, I think that, that makes sense, that when I was th- thinking about that the other day, I'm like, he's a candidate out of all the guys that have been injured that are out.
He's one of the guys who I would think would be a candidate for PUP.
Yeah, and what, what did, Kyle Shanahan said this about Christian Kirk, that he loves the guy, loves, you know- Mm-hmm the work eth- ethic and everything else.
But, there's obviously a level of frustration for Christian Kirk and for the 49ers- Right that he just hasn't been able to get out there on the field.
Mm-hmm.
He sustained that injury on the very first day of training camp.
I mean, it's, firstly reminds me of last year when it was Jacob Cowling.
Mm-hmm.
It was basically, like, in warmups- Right on the very first day- Mm-hmm and we never saw Jacob Cowling at all in the 2025 season.
Because he tore his hamstring four, not one, not two, not three, four times.
That, that to me creates some questions, too.
Yes.
Like, how, how does that happen?
It definitely does.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
All right.
Well, anything else from this day with the San Francisco 49ers, Jennifer, that, that, that gets you all fired up?
Well, I mean, it was nice to see Christian McCaffrey out there for all the fans to kind of put that question to rest.
But I thought watching Kaylon Black and Jordan James makes me think that if for some reason Christian McCaffrey cannot play, they have solid backups- in Jordan James and Kaylon Black.
Yeah, it's, to me, it would be kind of similar to, you know, quite clearly last year, you know, Brock Purdy's better than, than Mac Jones.
Mm-hmm.
But when Brock Purdy was out of the lineup for eight games, the 49ers were able to- Win games win more games than they lost.
Mm-hmm.
Right.
And, I just wonder if it could be the same way that, yes, clearly the 49ers would be better with Christian McCaffrey out there.
Mm-hmm.
But I don't know that that offense, and the running game, and the ability for backs to catch passes out of the backfield, I don't know that that would just be an absolute disaster without him- Mm-hmm because of those two backup guys you mentioned.
Right, right, and they have really taken to the challenges that Bobby Turner, 77 years old, who h- is, Kaylon Black said, "He's been really hard on me, but, you know, I like it.
I like being coached hard."
And Christian McCaffrey said, you know, it's, the room is very competitive, but they're very close and very tight.
He's very excited about the competition level amongst the running backs.
All right.
Well, when we come back on 49ers Talk, we will hear from the latest in our Meet the Rookie series.
It's Jaden Dugger, the very versatile linebacker for the 49ers, who will be on the team and might even make a significant contribution this season.
All right, Jaden, take me back to day three of the NFL draft.
How nerve-wracking was that, waiting for your name to be called?
It was stressful.
I know.
I mean, anxiety, all of it, all the, like everything you hear about, that's how I felt.
I mean, coming to the day, I was trying to expect, my agent was expecting me to get picked early, like fourth round.
So like, when we got past the fourth round and got into the fifth round, I was like kind of nervous.
Like I was like sweating, but I was trying not to show it.
And then like my phone just rang, and then I kind of blacked out after that.
But it was just a blessing, you know?
Were, were you there, you had whole family around?
No, not a lot of family.
It was like my mom, like my close, close family.
And, and so like what was the reaction?
Like w- was it joy?
Was it relief?
What were you feeling?
It was joy, for sure.
My mom, I'd probably say my mom was like super excited.
My dad was super excited.
So I mean, just, I mean, their parents don't really know much about the process, 'cause I'm like the first one in my family to go through it.
So they're just happy to, to get, for me to get picked, so.
What, what was your football upbringing?
Like w- at what point did football become part of your life?
Since I was young, young.
'Cause my older brothers played ever- like when I was so young, I was always at their games, like three years old, running around playing football on the side when I was too young to play.
So when I was old enough to play, I just got right into it.
So I've been around it my whole life.
What, what is it about football that is part of your family and, and why do you love it?
I mean, this, I was around it since I was young.
I can't even imagine my life without it.
Like I can't imagine what it would be like just going home right after school.
Like I don't, I don't know what that is like for most people, but like it is a part of me now.
I feel like it's a part of my DNA, so I, I just love it.
And, and you grew up in a big football city, right?
Yes, sir.
Pittsburgh.
What, what is, what do the Steelers mean to that area?
I mean, they mean a lot.
I mean, all the Super Bowls they won for me growing up, and then I feel like they allow people in the community to be involved with the team.
Like every since I was a kid, a kid, I was training in a Steelers facility.
So just seeing that every day was like a blessing, and it gave me something more to strive for, too.
So yeah.
Well, tell me about Friday nights in, in Pittsburgh.
Football nights during the high school season.
What, what's that like?
Crazy.
I mean, I feel like Pittsburgh is very, I feel like in my opinion is very underrated, like a football team.
Pennsylvania in general.
So it's, it's a big football town, so Friday nights get really serious.
So I feel like my high school is like one of the premier high schools in Pennsylvania, so like being in that atmosphere with that like bright light on me, I feel like it prepared me.
And how did you end up at Georgetown?
Coming out of high school, I kind of tried to wait and play the long game for like bigger offers, but then like when it came time there for me to commit, that was my only offer.
So that was my only opportunity.
And, and what was that like?
I mean, Georgetown is known as a basketball school.
Yeah.
What, what, what was it like playing football there?
What, what did it teach you?
I mean, it taught me a lot.
It was a great place.
I mean, I feel like they, I feel like it's very, a lot of players there get overlooked.
I feel like there's great talent there, but it taught me a lot about myself.
I mean, I learned so much.
I feel like a lot of people get a lot of stuff handed to them, especially these days in Division I football.
But there, like I was basically just like a regular student who just played football on the side.
They taught me a lot about how to navigate through college and be a grownup.
So it helped me a lot.
And, and then you go to, to Louisiana, and I mean, you're, you're just playing different positions e- every year.
So where did that start, like that versatility?
Did you play a lot of different positions in high school leading up into college?
Yeah, I did.
Like youth football, like, I mean, pretty much everyone plays running backs.
I don't really count that, but I was playing running back then.
When I got into high school, I was a receiver and a corner.
So I played that all throughout high school.
Then eventually I was getting recruited as like a athlete, kind of like receiver and DB, and then I was a safety when I got to college.
So for my first two years I played safety.
Then my junior season when I transferred back to Louisiana, I switched to edge.
And then my senior year I moved to inside backer.
So I was all over.
Through that process, did you ever in your mind think, you know, that one specific position was kind of your, your ticket to the NFL?
Or were you still kind of trying to figure out yourself and where your strengths and weaknesses were?
I mean like young me, like coming straight into college, I was like, "I'm a safety."
But I feel like me naturally like growing into my body, I was getting bigger, and then being able to keep my movement skills from my size, it kind of like linebacker's the perfect position for me that I can use all my attributes.
So I feel like this is like, this is my position for me, for sure.
Do, do you think playing all those different positions helps you when you get to the NFL?
Definitely.
In what ways?
I feel like just the safety background, I feel like I'm a lot more comfortable in space covering tight ends and running backs, and even like sometimes if I get matched up against a receiver, I feel like I'm comfortable.
Most situations where some linebackers wouldn't be.
And then I would say when I play edge, it helped me a lot.
It taught me how to play in the trenches, because I came from safety then straight to the edge, so that was a lot.
So it taught me how to do like use my hands more, just understand the fronts and stuff like that.
And then I feel like it all blended together well for linebacker, 'cause then I could understand fronts, I can understand a back end.
So I feel like linebacker's like the mold of all positions.
So I feel like it taught, it prepared me well for this, for sure.
In, in, in the draft process, w- what were teams telling you about where they envision you?
I mean, the 49ers envision you as a stack linebacker, correct?
Yes, sir.
Did, did other teams say the same thing?
Or were they talking to you about other positions?
I would say like 95% of the teams were like stack backer, but some teams like, like they said like big nickel or like edge a little bit.
So like it was like a few oddball teams, but most teams were just stack backer for, yeah.
So, K.J.
Wright, your position coach with the 49ers, very similar build.
Yes, sir.
Also an 11-year NFL career.
And this is his first year as linebackers coach.
So you know, h- how i- in the, the time you've been here, what, what do you think that you can learn and continue to learn from, from K.J.
Wright to, you know, to, to carve out a, a long career for yourself?
Well, I mean, in the couple weeks I've been here, I'm, feel like I learned a whole lot already.
So I feel like, I mean, 'cause I only played the position for like, up until my senior year I was playing for like five months.
I was just learning on the job.
So just being now in my first year in the linebacker room, in the off-season, in the linebacker room I'm learning a lot just how to use my hands better, just about ear- understanding the game.
And I feel like having an NFL vet and a great coach and also great leaders in the room like Fred and Dre, just those guys are helping me just learning a lot.
So I feel like I learned so much since I've been here.
I feel like my mentally had grown so much.
But yeah, what's, what's that like to be, you know, a young guy coming into a veteran locker room and, and seeing recognizable faces and names and now these guys like Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw and others, you know, they're your teammates.
What is that What, what was that like w- the first time you saw those guys in the locker room?
I mean, it's crazy.
I mean, I got starstruck.
The first time I seen Christian McCaffrey, I was like, "That's Christian McCaffrey."
Be like, "Oh my God," like trying to keep it in.
But it's actually crazy.
Like today in practice I was covering Mike Evans.
It's my first practice, I'm covering Mike Evans.
I'm like, "This is crazy."
But it just like a dream come true.
And then also, like I said, I gotta take this opportunity, like I gotta take I can't take it for granted.
I have to learn from these guys and just how they navigate, like on the field and off the field because, I mean, they been in the game for a while, so we have a great opportunity to do that.
I- is there a part of you that you have to kind of sit down and realize, "Hey, I'm, I'm part of this team.
I'm here for a reason, and you know, these guys are my equals.
I can compete and compete against these guys in practice"?
Yeah, for sure.
I mean, I feel like I wasn't like too, like over, like over it.
Like I was, I knew I had to come in and compete regardless.
I have to go against these guys.
But it's just like the res- I'm paying my respect to them.
Like just growing up as a kid in high school, middle school, seeing these guys playing in college and pl- and then eventually NFL, just like great to see.
But it just, it just let me know like I'm headed in the right direction.
Well, what do you think is the biggest hurdle for you?
Like, what's gonna be the biggest challenge for you here as a rookie to, to have a role and, and contribute in a way that you want to contribute as a rookie?
Just keep learning.
I mean, I'm new to the position, just keep learning and do whatever the coaches need me to do.
But just learning and just set tomorrow for sure.
Yeah, and you talked about, you know, coming to this team.
I don't know how familiar you were with the 49ers before you got here, but what has kind of stuck out as far as what it means to be a member of the San Francisco 49ers?
I mean, in the process I didn't, I didn't really communicate with them at all.
But since my time I've been here, I could just tell like football is everything, but they care about you too, like as a person.
So I feel like just being here, I just know I have to take full advantage of my opportunity, just come in ready to work.
I mean, if you're working, you're doing the right thing, so.
A- and Jayden, what's your, what's your goal for this year?
What, what do you expect of yourself?
How, how do you want this season to play out for you?
I just want to contribute to the team however I can.
I mean, just help the team win, and I feel like we have the team to do it, so I just want to do my part to help the team win.
All right, Jayden.
Hey, thanks so much.
Really appreciate it.
For sure.
Thank you.
All right.
Well, I had a great opportunity over the weekend to meet up with the legend Joe Montana.
Wow, that is a great opportunity.
Anytime you can see Joe Montana and get a little conversation going with him, it's fascinating, isn't it?
Not only that, but it was an early morning- Mm-hmm in the Haight Ashbury district.
Uh-huh.
And there was a, an Irish pub where they were showing the Leeds United Premier League first game, first game of the Premier League season.
Ah.
Mm-hmm.
So you know, there's 49er ties with- Yeah the 49ers owning that, the 49ers Enterprises owning Leeds United.
Mm-hmm.
They got a big win over Nottingham Forest, by the way.
But in the early morning, I was able to share a Guinness, a, an ice cold Guinness with Joe Montana.
Wow.
Break- How many people on planet Earth can say that?
Breakfast of champions.
Yeah.
Oh, absolutely.
Yeah.
A very fun conversation with Joe Montana, and here that is right now.
All right.
I'm here with Joe Montana.
He's here representing Guinness to kick off the Premier League season.
But first, Joe, what are you up to these days?
Still living in the Bay Area?
Yeah.
Yeah, still here.
The majority of our time we spend here.
All four of our kids and grandkids are all here in the city, so, keeps us here.
And well, we love the city anyway, so we spend most of our time up here.
We go back and forth a little bit to southern California, but mostly here.
Yeah, we were just at a, at the, kickoff party for the Premier League, and you could feel that passion- in San Francisco for football and for soccer.
It's crazy over there.
I, I, those guys are up early to, to watch that game, and, and I think it's great to see the support of the fans.
Then they don't care what time it is, they just wanna watch their team play.
And, and, I think it's fun.
It was fun in there.
Phew, glad I'm out of there though.
Well, you are representing Guinness, and I gotta tell you, I, I was, spent a week in, in Ireland, and I got to be a pro.
I mean, not like, you know, not Joe Montana like, but a pro at splitting the G- Ah, yes drinking Guinness.
So tell me about your, your involvement with Guinness through the years.
So it's, it's funny 'cause w- it, it all started, I hadn't thought a lot about Guinness through, at, but a friend of mine, we were in Ireland, and we, the girl- our girls at the time were, believe it or not, it was cheaper to buy horses in Europe and bring 'em back over here for jumpers, and then you could sell 'em, and you could pay for your whole trip.
So we were over there, and the friend of mine said, "So when the girls are done jumping, let's go get a pint of Guinness."
And I go, "Okay."
So we sit down, go into the bar, sit down into the pub, excuse me, and sit down.
He goes, "I'll get, I'll get the beer."
Comes back and he doesn't have the Guinness.
I go, "What's wrong, Charlie?
Where's the beer?"
He said, "Oh, you gotta wait for it.
You gotta wait on it."
And so, after my first pint of Guinness in Ireland- Every day I, I kept going, "Charlie, isn't it time for another pint?
Let's go."
And from that point on, it's, it's just been something I love.
And then, the next thing you know, they're, involved in with Notre Dame, alumni, and, just became a great match.
I mean- You have to show patience when you drink against, right?
Absolutely.
And that's what you would do- Well- in two-minute drills, right?
Uh- Do the same thing?
Yeah, I mean, you have to w- you can be patient till you get it, and then after that you're on your own.
Eat as fast as you want.
We, we were watching the, the Leeds game.
Of course, Leeds, San Francisco 49ers Enterprises owns Leeds.
E- how do you see the, the momentum for soccer building in, in the Bay Area?
Well, I think- Especially after the World Cup.
Yeah, I think it's building all up Sorry.
I think it's building all over, the United States.
I think one of the things that, you see with the, the love for sports in this country, a- as you look around, when I was growing up as a kid, you would drive around the towns around and everybody was playing football.
Now you drive around and you hardly see any young kids playing football.
It's mostly almost all soccer.
Mm-hmm.
So it's t- it's, it's growing fast and, and, and it's getting, big.
And the, and with FIFA coming here, the, I think it was just a matter of time before they realized that there's a great fan base here too, once they, s- start understanding it.
I, I was just with the 49ers in Southern California.
They practiced against- the Chargers and had dinner out in Manhattan Beach, and I looked over there and I saw The Kettle.
And it dawned on me- that that holds a very significant place in 49ers history and in your history.
Can you tell me about The Kettle, the, the diner in Manhattan Beach?
Well, I was, when draft, the day of the draft, I was sitting the We're sitting there with my agent and just waiting to get a phone call from the office to say, that I'd been drafted.
So we spent a little more time than we thought we'd be there because it's funny, like these teams tell you they're gonna take you in the f- first round.
I don't know how those guys do it who go there, because they'll tell you anything, and they And you know, we sat through the first round, and we sat through the second round and almost through the third round.
And, but I was, I was happy, that I got to come not only to a beautiful city, but it was a great opportunity with Bill Walsh coming in.
And, and from, from there it's all history, as they say.
Yeah.
Do, do you see parallels between, you know, Bill Walsh and his system and what Kyle Shanahan has brought to the 49ers?
I, I, I think, you know, there's a lot of things that have been passed down.
His father, Mike, was, you know, a part of that system and understood it, and everybody puts their own little twist on it as they, as they move on.
Like Mike, you can go back to Mike Holmgren, you can go back to all, all the coaches who left that staff, took something with them, but also added their own little flavors and, and that's what Kyle's done.
Mm-hmm.
And, Brock Purdy.
I- do you see any of yourself in Brock Purdy?
No, he's- Or I should say the other way around.
Is there, any of Joe Montana in Brock Purdy?
Oh, no.
I, I just want in his pocket.
I just want a payday.
But, no, I, I just think that you just have to look at all the guys.
I don't try to compare guys to each other.
It's just everybody has their own style.
Everybody, everybody says, "Well..." People, kids will come up and say, "I want to be like you."
I go, "Well, you don't want to be like me.
You want to be better than me.
You know, just do Don't try to be like anyone but yourself."
And, you know, Brock's done a, he- he's done a, great job with the 49ers.
And, I think it's only gonna continue to get better as, as they, you know, bring some new players on.
What, what impresses you about him?
What, what areas of his game do you think, you know, really kind of stand out- Yeah to your eye?
Well, I, I don't think he He, he doesn't buckle under pressure, you know?
He doesn't His demeanor never changes, whether it's Yeah, is he happy when he score?
Yeah, everybody is.
His- but his basic personality doesn't change, and so I think that's the, the thing that you look for in a leader, 'cause you have to Everybody's gonna make mistakes.
It's how you play after that.
And he, he does a good job of not letting those things, that when he does, he comes back from it quickly.
That's what people said about you.
Yeah.
You know, you, you were, you were Joe Cool.
How did you g- get to that point where even under the most pressure-packed situations, you were calm and played at an exceedingly high level?
I, I think I just grew up in, in an area in western Pennsylvania that sports was a big thing, and I played early on and I, for some reason I never really worried about having the ball in my hand, whether it's baseball, basketball, football.
When it came down to having to come from behind or a close game, it just, I try to always be, like I said, about Brock, be yourself.
Whether you're winning or losing, you're the, a leader on that team, and when your demeanor changes, so does the team's.
When you, they think you're worried, then all of a sudden they're worried.
But for the most part, you just have to try to keep things in line and, and, deal with it as it comes.
And, and I, I don't know.
I just was I wanted the ball.
And y- as I always say, the reason we were behind was probably my fault anyway, so let me try to fix it.
Any, with football season, regular season right around the corner, any traditions that you have during football season?
How do you, how do you look at this time of year?
How much do you enjoy it?
Oh, I, I, I mean, I think, like most people I talk to, they're all, "Look, can't wait for football season to start."
I think one of the things, u- more unique things about football is that the games, every game means something.
You know, when you look at baseball, what do they have, 160-some games?
Basketball, well, they're in the 80s.
And it's just, I, I think that's the thing with the NFL and, and, and college football the same.
There's a limited amount of games, and every game that you play you don't see guys taking games off.
That doesn't happen.
There's no resting for the weary, 'cause you want to play the next week.
Yeah.
And finally, what, what do you expect from the 49ers this season?
Well, I, I think if they stay healthy, I think you'll see pretty good things.
You know, I think that's The one day I was, I picked up the paper and all of a sudden I saw 20 guys didn't practice.
It's like, "God, what's going on?"
They just need to find a way to stay healthy, and I think they'll be fine.
Yeah.
Joe, thanks so much, and cheers.
Cheers.
Slinte, as they say.
Slinte.
Yeah.
