Kyle Shanahan - HC, 49ers Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-09 | Full transcript (primary source).
Kyle Shanahan, HC of the 49ers, addressed the media during a press conference on September 9, 2026, discussing various topics related to the NFL and the upcoming season. The conference provided an opportunity for Shanahan to share insights on team dynamics and player developments as the season begins.
Transcript
Shanahan: Do you see that happening with NFL, and what do you think NFL needs to do in order to get that? Man, that is definitely out of my expertise. I mean, it makes sense. Football is awesome. It's so fun to watch. It's all done growing up. That's what our country loves. So, I mean, yeah, why not? I mean, it's a cool sport. If people saw more of it, it would only be a matter of time.
Unknown: Cole, have you heard Aaron Donald?
Shanahan: Yeah. Very excited. I told you guys last time I talked to you guys, he was definitely playing. So, I've never been more excited to be wrong about something. So, we're good.
Unknown: Can you give us the exact reaction at this point?
Shanahan: I just smiled and said, that's good. So, we're going to have to see him eventually. We played him twice. But I was hoping he won it. I was preparing for the worst. Glad that we don't have to see him this week.
Unknown: Does this match have more of an end of season feel than a start of the season feel?
Shanahan: 100,000 people at the MCG, all these festivals, everything happening around the city. The Head of International for the NFL said we're trying to make it feel like a Super Bowl. Does it feel like that at all to you or to the players, given the fuss around the game? No, no, not at all. I mean, probably if I lived on my phone, maybe. But I mean, this is pretty normal for us. I mean, the flight wasn't normal. And that was a lot longer than we're used to. But I mean, we've gone to the Greenbrier and spent a week on East Coast Games three different times. We've gone to Florida for a week and worked at a high school one time. We stayed in Ohio for a week. And we do this stuff a lot. Last year, or a couple of years ago, before we went to Mexico City, we stayed at the Air Force for a week. Once you get through the plane ride and everything, it's the exact same schedule. I mean, we've gone through our total normal seven-day week. And today to us is just a Friday. It's the exact same schedule. And instead of going home after this, I'll go back to a hotel. But that's really what we're used to.
Unknown: I don't think so. I think our walk-through is here tomorrow. We have a walk-through. But yeah, no, we won't go out third. I mean, I haven't left the hotel except to come to this practice for five days or however long we've been here. So it feels like it does when we stay places for a week. I mean, I would love to say I'm getting out and experiencing Australia. And I'm sure if I did, I would think it was awesome. But this is just, we travel a lot. And when we do, we don't really do anything. Players get a day off. Coaches don't. We get this afternoon off a little bit with it being a Friday for us. So you get a little more free time where my guys will have the opportunity to go to dinner or something, but probably just chill in the hotel.
Unknown: All right. How's everyone? Do you have to manage how much they play in the game?
Shanahan: Uh, yeah, we got to be smart with that. I mean, you know, both are not practicing as much. Kittle, I mean, he's had this whole week, but they both look great and stuff. But we also, we definitely got to be smart with that.
Unknown: Does Mike Evans come in back to the presence? How have you found his best relationship with some of the rookies such as Seychell and Stripping?
Shanahan: Who's that? Mike Evans? Oh, Mike? Mike's been a stud. I mean, we've all known him. I feel like I've known him forever just going against him and stuff, but I really haven't as a person. And, um, the coolest thing about Mike is the pro he's been. I mean, anytime you have a guy who's to me, a first ball ballot hall of Famer, you never know exactly how they're going to be. Um, but Mike, Mike is a worker, man. He makes no excuses. Um, anything you ask him to do, like he tries to get it done the way he's in meetings. Um, he seems like a first year guy in terms of being attentive and things like that. And whenever you have a hall of Famer like that, who acts that way, um, it's the best example possible for young guys.
Unknown: Um, I mean, it's always a tough question with Brock because when Brock came in, I thought he played as that as high of a level as anybody. I mean, when he came in as a rookie, you know, he wanted all seven games he was in. Um, his second year, he took us to the Super Bowl and was right up there for an MVP of the league. Um, so Brock has played at a high level since day one. Um, I thought he had his best training camp for whatever that is. Um, you know, the more football Brock sees the more experience he has. So he understands things a little bit better. But, um, you know, that's my whole goal at Brock is to keep him playing like he did right away.
Unknown: There's been a lot of discussion around the program for the 2032 Olympics and the prospect of black football being in that you've coached like football. Why do you think black people should be in the Australian?
Shanahan: Um, because it's, because I think it probably be hard to put real football in there since it takes a while to recover and you probably couldn't get that many games in in three weeks. Um, and I think the closest option to that would be flag football, which, um, I mean, I've now I'm used to watching that with all my kids growing up doing it, how big it is in high schools and even colleges now. And it's definitely different. I mean, me doing that, um, Tom's flag football deal that we did for three days, you can see that it's a totally different sport. Um, but there are some similarities, similarities, some similarities to it. So, I mean, the more football they can get, however, they could get in the Olympics. I think, I mean, I'm definitely for that.
Unknown: Yeah. I mean, I, I, it's such a, I mean, it's, it's such an absolute, um, deal like did it help or did it hurt? I mean, I don't, I don't think there's an answer to that. I think some guys that'll help some guys that'll hurt, um, that'll be the case for us. That'll be the case for them. Um, I bet there's some guys on our team that it would have helped to just come in right away and get out right away. And I think there's a lot of guys that'd be miserable for, uh, I think it's going to go both ways on that. So the stuff that we can discuss, I'm sure will be a good case study for anybody else in the future to sit there and overthink which one helped and not. But, um, the real thing that's going to help this game the most or hurt this game the most is who plays better football and whoever doesn't. I mean, we can say it's because of whatever schedule you chose, or we can say it's because you missed an assignment or we can say it's because, um, you had a bad play. You got beat by the guy in front of you there. There's too many variables that go into this stuff with 53 guys on each team with three and a half hours of football with 22 players out there. Um, to, to me to overthink or over say anything that it's one gives a big team that advantage over the other.
Unknown: When you were discussing the approach, did we believe this game might affect you in the week?
Shanahan: Uh, yes. Yeah, it was a big talk. That's, um, you know, that's, that was my biggest thing is, you know, it's what gives you the best advantage for this game and then what, um, helps you not have a less advantage who wouldn't been going against Miami or second week. And that's, um, so I just, you hope for as many days off between the two as you can have, you know, we're going to get back there Friday afternoon, um, you know, far as coaches and coaches working, which is not at all like the players, you know, we got to be a little bit more ready for Monday, Monday and Tuesday is where we put most of our work in, where we get the game plan in. And then we teach Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Um, the players really don't have to totally be there. I mean, that'll come in on Monday, they'll work out, they'll do things, but they don't really have to be fully ready to go to Wednesday. Um, so with us getting back Friday afternoon and the players really starting their true football week that Wednesday, I think five days is plenty of time for them to get adjusted. I mean, it's taken me a while to get adjusted here. I've been waking up at one in the morning, wide awake, um, every day until today. And I was extremely tired of four this morning, which I feels I think I finally have adjusted, um, which I think is five days. So, um, probably take the same when we get back to.
Unknown: I'm not, that's Aaron Donald to those guys irrelevant. Um, it's been how their week of practice has been and it's been great. And, um, we'll see based off how they feel on Friday. Um, how long they can go.
Unknown: What's that?
Shanahan: Uh, yeah, we asked very nicely. Didn't work.
Unknown: Do you think your travel strategy would have been different if you were playing someone other than the dolphins?
Shanahan: No, no, that's, that doesn't matter. This is NFL. Those are setups. Um, you know, ever look at an NFL game like that. It feels exactly like week one. Like I said earlier, the flight didn't, you know, and, um, you guys have a lot more accents than what I'm used to. Um, but this is, this is week one. That's why, that's why when I wish we came in the preseason, we would have had a lot more fun here in Australia. Like we take the preseason seriously, but I've also gone undefeated in the preseason and learned it after losing week one, that means nothing. Um, but week one, that's just as important as week 17. I don't care if you need the last game of the year to get into first, to get in the playoffs. That's the same as whether you, um, won or lost the first game of the year. So when you only have a 17 game season, um, these games are way too important.
Unknown: Awesome. Ready to go. All I have to talk about is what happened yesterday with injuries, um, with all the guys that are limited. Um, the worst one was Alfred Collins. Um, Alfred Torres Patel attended yesterday. So, uh, that was, that was a big loss. You know, we lost to D Lyman pretty much for the year after cuts before the first game, which, um, has been a huge challenge. You know, hurting for Alfred. Um, it happened yesterday during a, um, a period right before we started going against each other and, um, it was real, real unfortunate for him.
Shanahan: Yeah, he'll be out for the year. Um, I'm probably, uh, I'm sure Sean feels the same as me. We're gonna overthink and watch everything and realize that it's week one. So who the hell knows? But if it was week three, we'd overwatch and do everything and we'd have to see that we both adjusted once the game starts. So it's, um, and there's a lot more thoughts that go into it, but, um, none of it matters. So you get to those three and a half hours. So you just prepare as a coach as hard as you can. You prepare as a player as hard as you can. You get your team ready. Um, you do everything that you think's best, but all it comes down to is three and a half hours and you try to do your best to be ready for that moment.
Unknown: Um, it depends on how he, um, goes today, which I don't have to talk about that answer until tomorrow.
Unknown: Yes.
Shanahan: Yeah. Any D linemen, it's a possibility just unless you guys can name some guys we can fly here real quick.
Unknown: What's that?
Shanahan: No, I know there's some, I keep wanting to say rugby. I know some rugby, some footy guys around here who my bill do it. Uh, yeah. I mean, tonight's our Friday night, um, which is, you know, it's usually our, um, night home with our families. Um, or that's where I usually go to high school game or go out to dinner with my family. But, um, tonight might go out with a couple of coaches to have dinner or, um, just chilling the hotel and catch up on some needed sleep.
Unknown: All right. Thanks guys.
