OC Klay Kubiak, 49ers players share their impressions from training camp session
Klay Kubiak, Christian McCaffrey and more speak to reporters following the San Francisco 49ers' training camp session on Wednesday in Santa Clara.
OC Klay Kubiak, 49ers players share their impressions from training camp session originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Video Transcript
How's it going?
Like how these, I guess these first couple practices gone, they look, it seems pretty much usual, smooth as usual.
Yeah.
Just a little bit more walkie-talkie and stuff?
Yeah.
Calling the plays to the quarterbacks, but that's, you know, I'm stepping up where I need to and, but everything's been smooth.
You know, our guys have come out and had the right mindset, and our tempo's been awesome, and practices have been really good.
Just gotta keep going one day at a time.
How has Brock seemed to respond from, I mean, he's obviously heard play calls from you before.
How has he been through the first couple days?
Great.
Yeah, haven't had any issues.
You know, I've, I've have experience in camp of calling plays and, and move the ball periods and obviously in, preseason it just, it's a long time between then and the season, but, you know, they get used to it pretty quick and then Kyle will be back out there at some point and they'll get used to him.
So it's all going good.
Well, you added a lot of speed at receiver and at running back.
Is the hope to try to create more space and, and put more pressure on the defense?
What was the kind of the mindset of the off season?
Yeah.
Always trying to add more speed and more explosiveness to our offense, every year.
And, you know, we were lacking in that last year.
You know, there's, there's a lot of reasons why, but I think we definitely fell off in terms of our explosiveness as an offense, our yards after contact.
So we're trying to add players that add, add value in that area.
But, those things are, those things are products of playing the right way, of running the football better, of getting, you know, more opportunities in the pass game.
When you run the ball better, there's more opportunities for play action explosives.
It's, it's all sorts of things.
It's just, it's a collective effort and so we got the right guys out there that are working and, you know, just gotta keep getting better.
It's early- I think I wanna ask you- but it seems like Mike Evans presence alone in the wide receivers room is kind of up to the competition.
I mean, there's- There's, I mean he's- new guys in there.
Absolutely.
I mean, Mike being in there is one thing, you know, he's, he's a vet, he's a pro.
He knows how to work, he knows how to compete every day and get better.
But you know, in my opinion, that, that whole room is just, it's just taken a big step from last year to this year.
There's continuity.
The, there's, there's guys who maybe missed time last year between Jordan and Jake in camp, but they're out there every day.
They're getting better.
And I just seen a lot of growth across the board and those guys come out every day with the right mindset.
They're on their assignments, they're working, they're competing, and it's gonna be fun to watch that room kind of become what it does over this next, you know, however many weeks of training camp.
And, it's one of the positions where we have a lot of competition and I'm excited to see where it goes.
You guys had a lot of, injuries at that position last summer.
Mm-hmm.
I think only a couple guys kind of e- escaped the, the summer unscathed.
Is, is the, the kind of new practice schedule, you know, the jog through yesterday, part of a, you know, an effort to keep everyone, the wide receivers a little bit more fresh, healthy throughout the summer?
Yeah, I mean it's not, it's definitely not just about the receivers.
You know, we're never gonna make a, an adjustment b- to, to benefit one position group.
It was a team thing and, and just studying, talking to different people around the league and looking at different ways people do camp, you know, just, we just thought it was a smart adjustment for us to, to not be going three days in a row of practice.
And the other thing, other benefit of that was that everybody gets to practice every day.
And you know, we have days when we were doing our traditional three-day block where a lot of vets would be missing that third day, to just kind of take the workload off of them.
But the way we're doing it now is everyone's out there every day and we don't have to compensate for a lower number in a, in a practice, which is where sometimes you might get an injury.
When you're low on receivers one day or you're low on, linemen or something, guys have to take more reps.
So we're trying to avoid that as best we can by adding that jog through day.
And, yesterday was good.
It was our first one and, and hopefully we, we get the results we want moving forward.
I mean, Stribling went- Well, you have Steven Kean, Stribling, and, Gaylon Black, and what you've seen from them in the past few days?
Yeah, good work by both of those guys these first two days.
Long way to go.
I mean, I mean they're, they're rookies and they got a long way to go to grow.
The volume of the playbook's gonna keep going up and they gotta stay with it, but you can't ask for anything more in terms of what they've done so far.
They are very sharp young men in terms of being on the details of their playbook.
They practice extremely hard.
They're very coachable and, that's all you can ask from those guys, and they gotta keep stacking days and getting better.
Stribling and, Jordan Watkins went to Nashville to work with Brock and, and Mac.
Did you s- can you see a little, difference in their level of coming into training camp?
Which guys did you say?
Jordan Watkins and Dejon Stribling.
Well, Jordan, yeah, I mean Jordan's taken a step.
I mean he's, he went through a rookie year with ups and downs of injuries and he's been a lot more consistent and, you'd like to see that.
He was like that in the off season.
He looks that way now.
I think the work with Brock over the summer for all those guys was huge.
Not just from, you know, the football, but just the, the, the camaraderie and just being together and working together, that, that's always an added benefit for those guys.
And so, and Strib as well.
You know, Strib and I think Strib was there and Strib was here a lot in the summer working and training.
So, again, that's, that's all good.
It's all just a starting point though and it gets us off to a good start.
Coach, you come into training camp and I know it's only been two days, but I'm sure you come in with a mindset of marks you want to hit each day.
What have you kind of seen executed that you liked through the first two days to course your build on throughout training camp?
Yeah, you just, you wanna see guys come out with the right mindset every day and what I mean by that is, you know, they, they're preparing in their meetings, right?
They're, they're on the details of the practice script, which allows them to play fast.
Which allows them to play decisively 'cause they're thinking with clarity.
They're playing with a clear mind.
You wanna see that every day, okay?
And it gets harder as we go through camp because the volume goes up.
That's, that's one thing.
You wanna see guys play, play hard.
You wanna see guys play fast.
You wanna see guys play, on their assignments.
'Cause we're not in pads right now, so there's, you don't really see the physicality, but you wanna see guys playing with detail and, and assignment sound football.
And, and you want to have great tempo in practice always.
You got, you want guys in and out of the huddle.
You want guys lining up fast, motioning fast.
You want good operation and, those are the standards of every practice and they're no different in camp.
And so we just, it's our job as coaches to hold them to that every day and just keep coaching them on it, so.
With the, with the play, learning the playbook for a rookie, obviously, like you were saying, it's challenging and it's gonna be more and more.
I mean, how much extra time does that require of them, I guess, just to study and, and it's not specialized routes.
You want them to know every s- every spot for the most part still, right?
Definitely.
You're training guys to know, espe- thinking about receiver, you know.
Yeah, some guys have a position, but every position moves.
Every position, you know, every position runs every route.
And so you want guys to be versatile.
Up front on the O-line, you want guys to have versatility.
W- with regards to the playbook, you know, it's, it's not so much that the playbook is just, is huge and there's so much, it's that things add up every day.
You know, you, you master the first day, and then you go out there and se- the second day and there's all this new stuff, and there's these new stimuli, and the defense is doing new things.
And, you know, and that's the challenge, you know, of, okay, I went out there today and I made, made, made a few mistakes.
Can I put that to bed and come out the next day and try to have a clear mind?
Eventually we're gonna go to the move the ball periods where nothing is scripted, so they don't have the ability to, you know, study the script and kinda know what plays they're gonna get in practice.
I, I'm calling it or Kyle's calling it, so they don't know what play's coming.
Can you hear the play in the huddle for the first time?
Can you line up and know what to do?
Those are the challenges that we're gonna add to their plate as camp goes on.
That's, that's part of football, it's part of learning, and, you know, the guys that are up for the challenge, they embrace it and they, they grow from it and get better every day, so.
Is Z the most demanding of the three?
I'm sorry?
Is the Z receiver, the flanker, the, the most demanding to learn?
I, I wouldn't say that.
You know, you, you can, you could say the Z probably moves more in our, in our offense 'cause he's off the ball and, you know, there's maybe, that's maybe more, common, but as far as demanding, the demands are the same to me for e- for all those guys and we want them going through all the same stresses and all the same mental and physical stresses, so yeah.
Clay, I know you wanna look forward, but just looking back at the way last year ended, you get two games against Seattle, 19 offensive possessions, no touchdowns, couple three field goals, I think.
Mm-hmm.
Obviously you did an autopsy on the whole thing.
What did you see?
What did you learn?
Where do you guys go from there?
Thanks for the reminders, man.
We, we were not playing good ball in those games.
You know, first of all, you give credit to Seattle.
That was an, that was an elite defense.
Obviously they're a championship team, you know, and, they got the better of us in those two games.
You know, it, it's, it's not like we study it and go, "Oh, we gotta do, this is the thing that's gonna make us now have 10 touchdowns in those two games."
Like, we have to run the ball better.
We have to be better on third down.
I go back to that, that week 18 game and we had something like 38 plays in the game.
Well, we weren't good on third down.
We didn't stay on the field.
We had too many second and long.
We're just, we're putting ourselves in bad situations.
So how do you fix that?
You, you go back to the start.
You get better at your scheme.
You, you try to add players in free agency that are gonna make you stronger in these areas.
You know, and you go to the playoff game and you go, "Okay, we actually did move the ball better," but, but we come out and we don't execute a short yardage, and we get stopped on fourth and one.
We have a turnover on our second drive.
We have a huge third down in that, in the second quarter of that game where we throw the ball low to Ricky, and he doesn't come up with it, and we end up getting a field goal.
I mean, it's gonna be a one possession game if we make those plays and, you know, there's so many things that go into it.
We have to get better as a football team.
We have to worry about us, you know.
And, you know, it's not just about beating Seattle, it's about putting our guys in position to be the best they can be so we can have a 17 game season and, and let the chips fall where they may.
So, we gotta learn from those games, certainly we've gotta learn, but we just gotta get better as a team and keep going.
Curtis Rourke, Curtis Rourke had a nice long ball to Junior Bergen on, on Monday.
Where, where, how's he doing, and where is the, the competition between him and Adrian Martinez at this point?
Curtis is doing great, and, and first of all, the competition is, for, between those guys is gonna be all camp.
And those guys are, they've embraced it, and those guys do a great job of coming out every day and, and getting their minimal reps they get and ta- and getting the most out of them.
They've done a good job so far.
To me that, that's gonna emerge through the train, through the, preseason games.
That's when those guys are gonna get the most of their reps is in preseason.
They're gonna play a lot, and that battle, that competition will kind of play itself out and, and the best, whoever plays the best is probably gonna end up winning that battle.
But as far as Curtis and Adrian go, Curtis is what we thought he was, and as far as the size, the mental strengths he has, and his ability to throw the football.
It's been jumping out to us in these first two days, and he's gotta keep stacking days and getting better.
Adrian's a pro.
Adrian does things the right way.
The ball goes where it needs to go when Adrian's in the game, and the same thing.
Consistency, learning from mistakes, getting better each day, and, and then the preseason games will dictate a lot of those, those decisions.
And how hard is also to know that you have to put that lot of work, but you also gotta think of all the traveling that you're gonna do.
I mean, that first game, it's also thousands of miles away.
Yeah.
Was it challenging to prepare 'cause obviously the bulk of work that you wanna put, you also wanna account for those long- Yeah, I mean, we can't get too far ahead, you know, of, of the travel.
It's gonna be different.
It's gonna be a, a challenge, certainly 'cause it's so unique as far as how far we're going and, and maybe how, how long we'll be gone.
But, I think we gotta put the cart before the horse, which is we can't put the cart before the horse.
We gotta focus on our, our team right now, getting better.
And then as we get closer to week one and that, that travel, we'll probably have some adjustments to our schedule and, and how we train, but, for now we're just, we're focused on getting better.
I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on Kyle's, composure these last couple days.
I think it's safe to say it took a lot of guts for him to kinda own up to some of what he talked about yesterday in front of a group of reporters.
I just wanna hear what your opinions might be on just how he's been handling himself.
I mean, my opinion's Kyle's, Kyle's an outstanding leader, an outstanding mentor.
He's a great friend to me.
And obviously we're, you know, all just glad he's, he's doing well and recovering and, and that everything ended up kind of okay from that situation.
You know, I just, the thing I, I feel really strongly kinda going through this, with our team is Kyle, it's just a reflection of Of Kyle's leadership that, you know, he can kind of be absent in certain ways or not as involved in certain ways, but this building and this team can continue to press on and continue to, function at a high level.
That's because he's enabled people to, to lead.
He's enabled me, he's enabled our whole staff to just take on our jobs and, and, and, and lead in our own way.
And just 'cause he might not be here in the same way, for now and as he continues to heal, you know, we're, we're pressing on and we're still handling our business and our players are, are handling it the right way.
And again, it's all a credit to his leadership.
It's the standard he set.
It's the culture that him and John Lynch have set here.
I'm honored to be a part of it, and then as his friend, I'm, I'm glad he's getting better and just kind of taking it day by day.
Is he coaching at all?
Is he calling you up and getting updates from you or telling you to do anything?
I mean, Kyle's here every day.
Kyle's, you know, he's definitely paying attention to what's going on out there, you know, watching film and, and, and definitely involved, you know?
So it's, it's not like he's, he's absent in that way.
So we're definitely communicating on certain things.
So just about, kind of to follow up on that, we keep asking, you know, everyone that talks, you know, is Kyle reassuring you guys?
But is there any conversation maybe between you and him or other coaches where you guys are reassuring him that everything's handled?
We try to.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
And, and, you know, I, I know Fred said when he got up here that we got this coach and, it's, that's our job is to, to reassure Kyle that, you know, we- we're very confident in the work we're doing.
We're very, I'm very confident coming in here every day and, and doing my job and helping lead the offense and, and helping, support our assistant coaches who are doing a phenomenal job doing the Everyone's stepping up and just doing what we normally do, which is do our jobs and do it to a really high standard and take care of our business, and I think Kyle knows that.
I think he's very confident that we're all capable of that and, and so we can, you know, just keep getting through this and keep pushing one day at a time.
So thanks, guys.
Have a good one.
What's up, guys?
Christian, you're kind of known for your off-season training, but there was one thing that you were doing this year where you looked like you were on the ground, you were, you were kind of moving to the left and to the right.
Is that, like, for your hips?
What was that, and how do you feel your off-season went?
Feel great, man.
Yeah.
I think it went well.
You know, always trying to get better, find different ways to, to get better and, whether it's bringing new people in, different ideas.
But, you know, sometimes I'll share little snippets of the off-season here or there.
But, a lot of those drills are just, you know, fun, different ways to do mobility and continuing to just train the whole system.
Do you analyze your previous season and say, "I think I can work on this, this, and this," and then tailor your, your off-season workouts to whatever you conclude?
Yeah, that's part of it.
I think it's, it's not that simple, but that's definitely part of it.
Can, can you kind of share what you focused on this, this past off-season?
Yeah.
I mean, look, I think every off-season, you, you gotta address what- what's going on, but at the same time, it's, y- you're training a whole system.
So everything matters.
Speed matters, strength matters, mobility, everything.
It's a, you know, the b- your one, one system.
Quick twitch, all that stuff.
So there's a way to build a base and kind of try to peak and, you know, it's never linear, but that's, that's kind of the way I look at it is, y- you're training a system, not just one thing.
And, you know, if you train the system, everything will start to get better.
You started training with Ido Portal.
I know he's not necessarily, he hasn't worked with a whole bunch of football guys, but what is it that has changed or what have you feel, felt differently after working with him?
Yeah.
He's a special person, man.
We had a, a amazing summer.
I was really grateful I got to spend a lot of time with him and the rest of, you know, the training staff.
A lot of long days, long hours.
Put so much into it and had a lot of fun.
Learning a lot, unlearning a lot, and just always good to have new perspectives, in training as, as you continue to prolong your career.
Is there anything what, one particular thing that he kind of emphasizes throughout his practice, or is it- No, I think that the, the whole point is it's not one thing.
Yeah, I think that, that would be the point is that, you know, it's, it's everything together.
And it, it's, again, it's, it's almost too, too much to even give you an answer with, with words, but it was a, a heck of an experience.
Obviously we still did a bunch of speed and strength stuff, but, yeah, he's, he's a brilliant mind when it comes to movement, the body, the mind, everything.
Is it more, like, to get more explosivity or explosiveness?
That's part of it.
Yeah.
I mean, it's ex- it's, it's everything.
Yeah.
I mean, there's, you know, in football you train everything.
Are you a guy that enjoys training camp?
Do you, like, look at it as a way to kind of ramp up?
How do you approach training camp in, in general?
I love it, man.
Yeah, I love training camp.
I think it's, it's always difficult, but I think that's where you, you build your callus.
That's where, you get to make mistakes full speed.
You get to try new things out.
And so it's, definitely a good time of the year where, you get to grow as a team, you get to get better every day, and you get to go out there and play football, man.
I don't take one day for granted and just feel super fortunate to be out there playing with everybody.
Christian- The difficulty of being out there in training camp, it's his first when it comes to the NFL.
Does he come to you for any advice of how to get through each day, or how to make sure that he's where he needs to be, doing what he needs to do to kind of have a successful training camp going into this season?
Yeah, definitely.
He's a pro, man.
He, he came in and you can tell he's mature.
You can tell he, he knows how to work, he knows how to learn, and, he's made of the right stuff.
So he complements our, our room, our team really well.
Christian, you recently became a 30-year-old running back, so you're supposed to fall off a cliff, you know- any day now.
Did this birthday have any significance to you as it relates to your career and things that you want to accomplish?
No.
Didn't.
You know, I s- I, I love football, man.
I never looked at the age thing.
I liked looking at the guys who played really well later in their careers, but no.
I mean, that's, that's, you know, hearsay.
You know, I, I- It's not nothing.
You know, I, that's why I approach it differently than I do seven years ago.
You know, I'm not, naive enough to think you can just keep doing the same thing.
But when it comes to Sundays and playing football, I, I love the plan we have, and to just go out there and continue to work and get better.
But, you know, one thing I love about playing this position in this sport is you never have it figured out.
Every day is a new day.
You get to compete, you get to play, you get to learn, you get to grow, and that's the way I'm approaching it again this year.
But I feel great, and I, I can't wait for this year.
What's your first impression of Kalen Ballage?
He's awesome, man.
Kalen's awesome.
He's explosive.
He sees the hole really well.
He's got a really good feel for things.
He's got the right mentality.
And, again, he just complements our room, our, our team really well.
A little bit older than a lot of rookies.
I think he's 24, almost 25.
Can you kind of see that in him?
He's supposed to be good at, at pass protection and kind of some little things that perhaps rookies don't always have sharpened, early on.
Yeah, you can see it.
You see him?
Yeah.
Yeah.
No, he's stacked, man.
You can definitely see it.
He's You can tell he's played at a high level of football.
He's played mature football.
He's, again, he's made it I can't say enough good.
He's exactly what you would want a rookie to come in and be like.
And again, I think our whole running back room is great, and he, he complements it so well, i- in the way he runs.
I think when you look at him, his rookie year, and then you go look at me and my rookie year, I, they look very different in age.
You said you like to look at guys who've had success later in their careers.
What, what are you looking for?
What, and are there certain threads you see, or do you even reach out to some of those guys that have done that?
Yeah, I mean, I Look, I think, I don't make a big deal out of the whole age thing.
It does nothing for me.
I think that's something that, you know, and then w- with rightfully so, media will, will bring up.
But for me, man, I just show up every day and work my butt off, continue to work on the things I work on, and I don't, I don't think about my age.
If I did, that would not be wise, you know?
It's, that does nothing for me.
So I just think about continuing to grow, continuing to go out there and ball.
I don't, you know, it's funny, like, you turn 30 and people bring it up when two days ago I was 29, and now, you know.
So it's, for me, man, I just, I just keep focusing on getting better.
That's all I've ever done.
That's all I'll ever do.
And, again, just I feel so fortunate to play this game.
I wanna play as long as I can, and, I have no intention of slowing down.
Roger Craig's gonna be enshrined in the Hall of, Hall of Fame next week.
I realize, you know, by the time he was done with his career, I'm not sure you were born, but was he any sort of influence, or did you look at the way he played?
Obviously, you know, a lot of similarities between you two.
Yeah, he's, he was a pioneer, man.
He, he was one of the first guys who really could do it all.
To, to rush for 1,000 yards and catch for 1,000 yards in that era is different than doing it now.
And, so I have the utmost respect for him.
I think, you know, when you look at how good those teams were and how many big names they had, a lot of times he gets left out.
And, you know, I'm so happy that he got a gold jacket, 'cause he absolutely deserves it.
And, yeah, definitely seen all of them.
His, those eyes when he was running through the hole, Bobby T brings that up all the time, his, his knee drive, all that.
He was a stud.
With, with DeShon, DeShon Stribling, a lot's been talked about his, his blocking in the running game.
Is, I know it's early in camp and pads aren't on, but have you felt any of his blocks at, at any point, or are, has there been enough to, for you to form an impression on his run blocking?
I mean, I, w- we, I see his college tape, and he does a hell of a job at it.
We haven't had pads on yet, so it's not, you know, he's, guys aren't out there just crack backing our, our secondary, even if they want to.
But, it's, no, he, he, he plays full speed, man.
It's another rookie who, I think when you look at our whole rookie class, it's just a lot of guys who put their head down and work, and, and that's w- exactly what you want, you know?
That's what our vets do.
That's what our young guys do.
And so collectively, hopefully, we continue to rise.
But he's a hell of a player, man.
He's a, he's got a great build.
He's physical.
He can run.
And the more and more he can learn the playbook and learn this offense to where he's playing fast, that's, it's, he's gonna be a hell of a player.
Clay was in here earlier talking about Mike Evans and just his impact on the wide receivers room.
Have you noticed the competition level between that group rising?
Y- yeah, I mean, we're, look, we're three days in, and, and, you know, we're, we're so focused on our own jobs all the time.
But when Mike Evans is in there, it's hard not to, you know, listen to what he's saying and watch what he's doing and, kind of hear how he sees the game.
And, to, for a young guy to come into a, a receiver room and have somebody like that as a, as a mentor is, I, you know, I hope those guys take it and, and, and run with it.
'Cause that's a special, special guy, special player, and glad he's on our team.
Go ahead, Chris.
Last one.
Christian, what was your non-football highlight of the off-season?
Oh, man, just spending time with my daughter.
Yeah, watching her grow every day was amazing.
You know, it's, it's crazy how fast it's going, but that would definitely be my highlight.
All right, DeAndre, how's the camp going so far for you three days in?
It's going good.
Making a lot of plays, learning the defense, and just getting along with the guys.
Like, we all growing together.
How much different, is what Raheem is implementing from what you guys did the last two seasons?
It's easier to play faster, and, I feel like he's finer, more detailed with just, like, realistic things.
And, it's, like, a lot less thinking, and it's geared towards, me and the guys, like, our, our strong suits of what we do well.
You guys seemed to have a really good practice on Monday, very kind of aggressive, a lot of, pass breakups.
I mean, is that sort of your strength, that sort of, um- What he described as sticky coverage, being kind of physical early on in, in downs.
Yeah, just being able to, to get attached to guys or being able to contest catches, make plays, challenge guys more.
So yeah, that's what he wants, and that fits us.
That's the type of ball players we are.
Bernardo, the other day, DeMo said he felt like you really opened up to him th- this off-season.
And, w- how would you just describe, like, your comfort level at this point in your career going into, into year three?
I don't play a lot of ball my first two years.
I realize that a lot of guys don't come in and play as much as I did.
So, just having the experience when you already got the talent, and the reps, you, you see things faster, you process things faster.
Things aren't new or you're not seeing them for the first time.
So, it's just really the experience.
And then, you know, just talking to DeMo, all the experience he got, and, we just, you know, talking about ball, talking about life, everything works as one.
So, the game's moving a lot slower, and, yeah, I'm just growing, trying to learn as much as I can, and, just trying to make as many plays as I can, really.
Have you learned from, Mike E- You mentioned slowing down going into this off-season.
Did you do something different this off-season that it, you had a better understanding as to what was expected of you coming into this season?
I didn't really do anything too much different.
I mean, I always put the work in.
It was really just, like, you, you just get experience.
You just see things that, that, that you didn't see before just because you done played so much ball.
So the game goes by slower.
Everything just goes by slower.
So it's really just in a, experience thing, a rep thing.
Like, my first two years, I mean, I've been playing football since I was five, so I've always felt like I could play ball, of just natural instincts of read and reacting.
But when I can come out there now and tell you what formation they in and see double chippers and know he's only gonna run three routes, it's, it make the game that much faster.
The, just going up against Mike Evans, what have you learned?
And obviously, kind of grown up watching him, how's it just being on the same field going against him?
I think it's, I think it's cool.
Mike a, a real competitor.
He's a real savvy guy.
So just seeing, the moves that he's able to do at his size that a lot of guys can't, and, seeing just how he tracks the ball and how he be a pro and just, you know, just seeing certain things that he do, is very, very, interesting and you can learn from it.
But I also like going against Mike and competing with Mike 'cause I feel like we two competitors and two dogs.
You know, a dog recognize a dog.
Two dogs gonna go at it with each other, and two dogs gonna, gonna sharpen each other's swords, so How does a cornerback kind of, I guess, defend a jump ball to him if, if you're in the end, end zone or red zone?
Mike's a physical guy, so you better get physical and fight pressure with pressure.
And then at that point, it's just about judging the ball and playing the ball.
Bern, when was it here- This, this off-season, Kyle Shanahan said that he challenges you because he has high expectations for you, and he wants you to meet those expectations.
How do you kind of view that as far as, you know, coming off of the season you had last year and knowing that your coach, you know, sets a, a pretty high standard for you?
As a, as just me personally, the type of man I am, the type of ballplayer I am, I know who I am.
I don't necessarily need anyone to tell me who I am.
But knowing that somebody like, like, Coach Kyle, Coach Shanahan, knowing somebody like him, is, is there to push me, is there not to let me slack, is there to be on my back.
Like, me and him, talk, and we have conversations, and he's, he's told me how he sees me, and it's kinda similar to how I see myself and what I'm capable to do and everything I want out of this game.
So, I appreciate him for just, just pushing me.
Like, you know, if it's a play where he feel like I can make it because he knows the type of ballplayer I am, he knows my talent and what I'm capable of, I can't do nothing but respect it, 'cause I feel like I can make that play too.
So, me just pushing myself, it is one thing, but having a coach that believes in you, that believes that you can be one of the best, believes that you can be, you know, one of the top guys and all this and that, it just gives you more confidence to just to go work harder.
'Cause you know that you're not gonna let yourself slack, but you know that he's not gonna let yourself slack either.
DeMo said he feels like your confidence level is higher, especially when going against guys like Mike Evans.
Has it raised, and how do you feel going into this third season?
I wouldn't necessarily say that it raised.
I've always been a competitor, no matter who it was.
If you go back to my rookie year and watch me guard Tyreek Hill, they It doesn't matter who I was playing against.
I'm my biggest competitor.
It's just the fact of you get older, you get more experience, so you know what guys are, are finna come and what guys are finna do.
I wouldn't really say that, oh, just 'cause I'm going Mike Evans, it's like, or, or this past off-season it's like, "Oh, yeah, I'm more of a competitor now."
I've always been a competitor.
That's why I'm here, you know?
'Cause I've, I've always competed.
Bernardo, you're, you're a competitive player, and Jones, they added Jack Jones to the room.
Jones is kinda known as a real dog, a real competitor.
What have you noticed from him?
Anything stand out about his game?
Jack's a Well, first off, Jack's a, a cool guy, to be around, and me and Jack have conversations, things like that.
He's a real savvy football player, and Jack has, real good ball skills.
I give him that.
He, he competes, just like we all do.
And, I've been, like, real impressed with Jack, coming in.
He plays a real, a real, you know, savvy, aggressive type of playing style when it comes to playing the ball.
And, it's like things from each defensive back in the, in the room, each guy does something extremely well.
And if somebody does something extremely well, and that could be something that you l- lack in, I feel like you should try to pick that up.
Or you should try to learn from what you can, 'cause we all in this together basically.
Outside of it being the first game of the season, what are you most looking forward to about your trip down to Australia?
I'm really just looking at going to, looking at, well, looking forward to going and competing with the guys.
Just going and getting the W, going to compete, going to put all this work, all this training camp stuff, all these meetings to use, and just going to do it on the big stage.
That's really what I'm looking forward to, going to war with my guys.
You talked about, you know, now being able to look at a formation and kind of, you know, say, okay, it's gonna be, you know, three routes maybe.
Is that stuff that you did in college a lot, or have you recognized that that's something that's required in the NFL to have success?
I did it in college, but the NFL is more detailed and, and complex than college football.
And in college football, I was basically a As coach used to tell me, "Just go guard that guy man to man," and I'd just go press him and follow him all over the field the whole entire game.
So, now it's a lot more you gotta play off, you gotta press, you know, you gotta read this, you gotta read this, and you can't be late.
Ain't no hesitation in our game.
Once you see it, go.
Like, even if you wrong, go.
Like, all that hesitation not gonna work.
So, just the NFL just, it's more complex and detailed.
You know, you could make a, make a play and it's the difference between a pick and a PBU, and you only two inches off.
But that hesitation or just that not processing just as fast as you need to, that's the biggest difference between college and the NFL.
The game is way faster.
How nice also for you to have back Fred, Fred, having Dre and, and Nick Bosa for, for your own game, so you can focus more on things, 'cause now you got all the support from these superstars.
When you see guys like that that you play with, you know, the standards is always high.
And you know, just knowing that they got your back, just knowing that, you know, they gonna give it they all, just knowing the type of dogs they are, the type of guys that they got.
You look left and you look right, and you see some savages.
But on the side of you, it's like, oh yeah, I'm ready.
Like, I, I don't really need a, a to go speech.
I don't really need motivation.
I know who on my right and who on my left.
So I, I love having those guys around me out there on the field.
A couple more.
Well, was that, was that ever initially frustrating your first two years?
'Cause it sounds in some ways much more simple to just follow a guy around all over the field.
What, did you ever be, were you ever thinking like, "I wish I could just do that.
This is really much harder"?
N- not really, 'cause offenses scheme up more in the NFL, so it's kind of hard to just play man the whole game in the NFL.
So I wouldn't necessarily, necessarily say that it was frustrating, 'cause it's just part of football.
Like, you gotta grow.
And I feel like in my first two years I done made a, a good amount of plays, you know, just playing the game of football, and especially being a lu- a young player playing as much as I played my first two years.
So I wouldn't necessarily say it was frustrating, 'cause I done had success.
I done had down moments.
That's what I learned from.
So, yeah, I, I, I wouldn't really say that it, it was frustrating or anything like that.
It just a part of the process.
Bernard, it seems like this week you're doing a lot of raking the ball out, and it seems almost like a point of emphasis, maybe more so than a year ago.
Is that something that Raheem emphasizes, or is that something that you've decided to do?
That's kind of always, you know, been a thing.
It just growing and understanding the game better, and understanding, when the ball is loose, when the ball isn't loose.
You know, understanding how ball carriers are thinking.
You always wanna try to take the ball away, you know, any chance that you get.
And, got, g- guys like Fred who does it like in his sleep, you know, you kind of just pick games up from being around, like pick the game up from being around all these great players.
So it was just a point of emphasis that personally I wanted to make, but our coaches do emphasize it, but it's always been something that they emphasize.
I just wanted to put it in my head more just like, "Oh, when I'm going out there, just not doing it if I can."
No, it's like, "Hey, at the end of this play, go punch the ball.
At the end of this play, go punch the ball."
What's the biggest lesson you've learned in, over the last two seasons?
The biggest lesson I probably learned is, is just take accountability even when it's not your fault.
Like, even when, you know, any, no matter who it is, you know, the, the media, anybody, the player, whoever it may be, you know, pointing the finger at you, you know, just approach it how you do in real life as a man.
Just take accountability and go and, you know, just fix it.
Go and try to work better to, you know, accomplish the goal to do whatever you gotta do.
All that pointing the finger, all that crying, that complaining, that's not gonna get you nowhere.
Take it for what it is, even if you know it's right or wrong, and then move on and just go get the job done.
What's it been like trying to find your voice in the building since coming into the NFL?
Obviously, you know, you're just naturally quieter coming into a new situation.
And beyond the football stuff, just being around the guys and, and feeling comfortable to have, you know, the conversations and, and I guess be comfortable in your own skin here.
Ask the first part of that question again.
What's it been like trying to find, like, your voice, in this building?
I, I don't really say it's me trying to find my voice.
I know exactly who I am.
I'm the type of person that I don't always say a lot, but I call things a spade for a spade, and I always like, I speak when I need to speak.
You got two ears and one mouth for a reason.
So, it's just when you grow and, you get older, and it's the younger guys who look up to you, like, younger guys who are asking you questions and, you know, trying to see the, the way to do things, and I'm like, "I, hey, I've been there.
I've done that."
Or, you know, "I done did this," or, "I done had success doing this," it's like, I, you, you, you wanna help.
You wanna help people.
You, you wanna help guys grow.
You wanna help everything just elevate, because if we all elevate, then we, we better as a team.
We're only as strong as the weakest link, basically.
All right.
Who's first?
What's your, favorite thing about training camp, and your least favorite thing?
Least favorite thing would be the hotel.
My favorite thing is, I would say, getting back into, like, the season.
Like, it's the start of a new season, you get to be around guys again.
And it's just the, it's from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM is with the guys, and just kind of that camaraderie building, and obviously, playing football's a lot of fun, too.
So that's kind of the fun, and not so fun part is the hotel, being away from my dogs and, and wife.
Is the actual hotel kind of run down, too?
I mean- No.
No, the Santa Clara Marriott is a great hotel, okay?
No, it hasn't changed since I've been there, but I got a great room with a patio, and it's great, so I'm not complaining about it.
Colton, the, Foerster said that he felt like Poony and Colby had, I think he said, "Awesome off-seasons."
Mm-hmm.
You know, you watch this, these guys pretty closely.
What do you think of their development?
Yeah, I mean, he's right.
You know, obviously Connor, you know, he's training in Iowa.
I don't get to see him as much, but just from, you know, seeing what he looks like now, looks like a complete different player than when, you know, his fr- his rookie year, when, you know, guys come in kind of big eyed and trying to figure it out.
You know, he understands it a little more, he's playing a little faster.
You see he's putting on a little weight, too, so he looks good.
And obviously Dom, love playing next to him.
I just talked to him yesterday about, you know, he understands a lot more.
And, and every year you're in this system, you pick up little nuances, whether it's, you know, how you can use the play that's called to your advantage and, and kind of how, you know, Kyle schemes it and Foerster coaches it.
He's picked up on that, and just the, the level of confidence he's at and, and where he's at in his development, it's cool to see.
And, you know, every guy's come in ready to go.
That's what camp's about.
And, you know, obviously the first two weeks, and now we got pads going on, so, you know, now's when the real, the real thing starts.
You're, you're about- Can you talk about the speeding up you want to Trent earlier this week said it would be, it's beneficial to be able to go up against the new scheme that Raheem Morris is implementing for the defense.
What are some of those benefits?
Obviously, it's nothing new, like you've never seen that type of defense before, but having to practice up against it, how is that beneficial?
It's beneficial in the way that that's all we see in the regular season.
So now that we get to go against it, starting in August instead of game planning it for the first week in, in September, it makes it a lot easier for us.
Obviously, it just, it makes it fresher in our minds.
We're seeing it a lot more.
It's not, you know, a typical four down jetting front.
And so we're getting a lot of looks with five down, spinners with D linemen off the ball.
So it just kind of puts us ahead of the game in what we're gonna see, you know, in the season more than just a four down base front.
So, more schematically different for us and, and it helps us in the long run.
Being like, you know, a vet or not new to the game, not new to the NFL, makes, does, would you say it makes you guys, like, more comfortable?
Of course.
I mean, that, anytime you can, you can go against a defense that you don't see until September before then is, is great for us, instead of trying to relearn a new defense, in September.
So it's great that we get to go against it now, and we get to see all the kinds of different looks.
It just helps us, you know, prepare earlier.
You are about six weeks away from starting the season down in Australia.
So, at what point do you start thinking about, Miles Garrett or getting your body clock matched up since it's 5:45 in the morning right now there?
What is it, 10:55 or 10:50 kickoff down there AM?
When it comes to those guys, I mean, Miles obviously out in the division now.
Who knows who else they may add or may not.
Our just, our division's good.
It is what it is.
That's what you want.
Obviously, defending Super Bowl champs in our, are in our division, so we're in-- we're, there's no game where we're gonna see a bad player.
But that kind of clock starts, you know, usually two weeks out.
Like, right now we're worried about installing, installing runs, installing passes, going against our defense, kind of scheming them.
But really just getting a feel for our offense and how we're gonna gel as a group.
And then obviously, two weeks out's kind of when, you know, things are settled and, and we're ready to rock, and that's when we're game planning them.
But, yeah, it'll be, it'll be interesting with a 10:50 clock.
But, we're down under, so it'll be cool.
You ready to see Nick, like, across from you in practice again?
It's been a, it's been a while.
It's been a little bit.
About time he gets out there.
But no, anytime you can go against Nick, it, like you said, Cam, it speeds it up.
So, the more looks we can get against a guy like him, it only helps us in the long run going against that kind of speed, power.
Obv- he's one of the best edge rushers in the game.
So, the faster he can get out there, the better for us.
With, with a couple of injuries, it seems like there's some opportunities for g- guys like Kaylin Black, D'Jon Stribling right now.
What, what have been kind of your early impressions, particularly of those two guys and the way they've embraced the opportunities they've been given?
Fast and running hard, which is nice to see.
When you get young guys that come in and can just hit the hole and hit it fast, and there's no question on, you know, second guessing or chopping their feet in the hole, it makes our job a lot easier.
And obviously in the passing game too, I think a couple of those guys had some nice catches out in the flats today as well.
So, when you get young guys who are confident, they're not questioning themselves and just hitting it, obviously you can correct that.
But hesitation, it really, you can't correct it.
You know, guys gotta figure it out.
But when they're coming in right now, running as hard as they are, they got great leadership in that room with Bobby T and, and C Mac, so it's nice to see it early on.
Is, is that unusual for a rookie, particularly like outside zones, to have to be as decisive as, as you're seeing?
It is.
I mean, colleges aren't really running it.
So when, I mean, there are a few, but when you get guys who can come in and run it like they are, it's nice to see, and it, it makes our jobs a lot easier.
When you add somebody like Mike Evans and all the roster that you guys already have, because at, at the end of the season last year, it seemed like there were times that you were holding on the forward.
Brock was finding the spaces, but he couldn't find someone to throw to.
To add a piece like that, and then seeing the young guys being able to do these things, does it make your life easier?
Sure does.
When, when you can get guys open and not holding the ball for three to four seconds, I mean- You get it out quick, it, it's a lot harder on DNs, it's hard, a lot harder on defenses.
It makes our job easier.
And obviously running the ball helps too.
When you can run the ball, have possession, and then you get a deep threat like Mike, it changes the, the scope of game.
So when you have that threat and it kinda keeps the defense from stacking a box, it helps us in the run, it helps in the pass.
So, you know, those weapons are essential to us being good on offense and, and then playing well together.
Enrique has a, reputation for having a, a good personality, open personality.
Yeah.
Have you seen that already?
And just what are your early assessments of, of him?
Yeah, there's a good group of rookies.
I mean, they're working on their jokes right now, but, you can see them obviously working before practice with Fur and, and Rome.
Just willingness to work I think is one of the biggest things that these guys have.
They've got a lot of talent.
They're very open about it.
And they're learning.
So obviously it's their first three practices of, of their first camp, but, you can see the talent in them and w- and what those guys possess.
And Enrique especially, he's got great feet and hands.
He's gonna have to learn a little bit of our scheme and try and fit into that, and we're, you know, learning football's to, is gonna be the big thing for him.
But, the, the talent he has is, he's, he's a good player.
So, we'll see once the pads come on in, in one-on-ones and how that works, but, they're off to a good start.
What jokes are they working on?
Huh?
What jokes are they working on?
Jokes?
I don't tell jokes anymore.
I'm past that point.
Cole, you're one of the, one of the leaders on this team, and obviously the Shanahan accident impacts things, but does it, do you think it's gonna impact your football team?
It seems like you got a lot of coaches, a lot of veterans here.
What, what is the impact of that accident on this team?
I mean, it sucks.
You know, no one wants to be in a car accident.
Obviously Kyle wants to be out there coaching us and, and leading meetings, and that's kinda what we look forward to in the morning is, you know, our protect the team stuff and, and just his, you know, how he views the game and connects offense and defense.
Not having him in there is tough, but obviously like you said, we've got a group of guys who, multiple Pro Bowls, coaches who have been here together for a while, players who have been here together for a while, and young guys who have bought in.
So, obviously we miss him, but on the field it's the same.
Business as usual.
He's watching it, coaching it, and then it's passed down through his guys.
So, it sucks he's not out there, but you know, I know he's gonna come back as fast as possible, but, you know, we're not skipping a beat.
Cole, Christian's notorious for his workouts.
Does he look as explosive as ever when you look at- Who, Christian?
Yeah.
Yeah, it's Christian McCaffrey.
He looks great.
Connor Colby was kind of thrown into the fire in his first season and, you know, he had some challenges as, as a rookie.
Is he someone that reached out to you about your, the beginning of your career?
Did you guys talk at all?
Yeah, I mean, it's, it's hard to get Connor to say a few words.
But the, the words we have, have had, you know, he's asked about, you know, "What's it like?
How do you slow the game down?
In your experience, how do you flush plays?"
and that's the one thing, is once a bad play happens, how fast can you flush it and move on to the next?
And that's what we're seeing, you know, this year coming in, that just another year added to a player can help and it's not just, you know, what's going on.
So the slower you can make the game, obviously it's a fast one, but the slower you can make it, it's better for a player.
So, for him to come in and, and realize that at where he's at and where he wants to be, it just shows his experience and, and kinda, you know, where he's at right now.
So it's, it's good to see him asking questions and then wanting to get better.
I know it's very- Last one very early and, and Stribling is, is a rookie, but have you noticed in the spring or early on in training camp without pads his ability to help the tackles out with the way he can block in the running game?
We got a group of receivers who are blocking right now.
And that's the one thing that we coach most is our receivers in blocking.
That's what Kyle demands, that's what our offense demands.
We can do our best up front, our tight ends or fullbacks, but if we don't have receivers who are gonna get in there and, and get muddy and dirty, And you're seeing young guys who are buying in, and that's the biggest thing that we've always had and needed and, you know, wanted, is young guys who buy in.
We saw it with last year's class, and they played well, and then we're gonna need the same thing.
So for a guy like Stribling to come in and already be doing that, you're seeing J. Cowan doing it, Malik Turner doing it.
So guys who are doing this already, in camp, we'll see.
In two days pads come on, we'll see if it keeps going, but I got a lot of confidence in those guys that it will.
