Kyle Shanahan - HC, 49ers Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-11 | Full transcript (primary source).
Kyle Shanahan, HC, addressed the media following the 49ers' recent game, discussing player injuries and the team's experience during their trip. The press conference took place on September 11, 2026, as the team reflected on their performance and the unique atmosphere of the venue.
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Transcript
Shanahan: All right, the injury is from the game. Stripling left, he had an ankle, didn't return. Jake Tonjes had a knee, didn't return. And Trent Williams and McCaffrey left with cramps, but they came back.
Shanahan: They checked his Achilles. They said that was intact. But they're not exactly sure of the magnitude of the ankle injury. They're not sure.
Shanahan: People that sent you the game today, what was your fault saying as soon as you need more funds in that field? It was cool. They came earlier than American fans do. It seemed pretty packed and full on in pregame warm ups, which we usually tailgate a little bit longer. So that was cool. The stadium was awesome, just how filled it was and how high it was. It felt gladiator-ish.
Shanahan: The difference for us is just how big your guys' footy fields are. So they all felt pretty far away from us, which was a little different, but awesome experience here.
Shanahan: I mean, you just don't hear them as much when they're that far away. But there was a lot of red out there, and they were yelling all games, so they seemed pretty good, too.
Shanahan: We've had a lot of really good wins together. This was a special experience, just thinking about all off-season, the unknowns and stuff, having to come this far, a place none of us have ever been before. It was a great week. It took us a couple days to get our mind right. But our hotel, the city, the whole organization, we're bringing everything, the cooks. It felt like home once we got here. I'm glad the guys went out and played like that, too.
Shanahan: I always knew what day it was. I was trying to show how confusing it was, comparing it to people at home. But I learned the days when we got here. We're one ahead. Now I'm ready to go back into the future. I think it's Thursday at home, and it's Friday here. My son plays on Friday, so somehow I'm going to land over a day later, but still be able to make his game on Friday, so it's pretty cool.
Shanahan: I mean, the game worked. Win or lose, I knew everyone was going to make a big deal about that for either team. You never know how much that factors into it. You just try to do the best to prepare for three and a half hours. I like how we prepared. But more importantly, I liked how we played. It felt awesome.
Shanahan: I mean, just having those guys back, we went a long time without them last year. George, not as long, he just missed the one playoff game. But I know it's huge for those guys from just a mental standpoint, getting over that hump, getting out playing again, their impact you could feel throughout the whole game, and it was really cool getting Greenlawn and Deebo back too.
Shanahan: I mean, we don't see much difference of play in the first half as a second half. We thought we were ahead of them. We missed a couple opportunities there in the second quarter. We had a chance to lap them right at the end of the first half, missed a third down. And then we started right with the ball, and we just wanted to go out and keep trying to, we said all week, we just want to be the team that wants some more. And that's how we tried to approach the whole week, and I felt it on the first play, felt it to the last play.
Shanahan: It was a huge job on special teams, opening up that third quarter with a big kick return. I think it kind of got us started to go on and get that touchdown, and the defense played so well, and I think the 99-yard drive, though, was the biggest momentum change of the game.
Shanahan: I love calling plays for Mike. I mean, Mike's been great here. I mean, today was my first time doing it with him. But I mean, I think you guys saw what he did on third down, and Kevin, I want to say, I know our first two third downs, I believe, went to him, moving the chains, I think he had a big second along that got us to overcome and avoid third down.
Shanahan: And it was nice to be able to have a type of receiver we could throw a fade to like that in the red zone. That was cool. I thought they both ran really hard and really well, I'll see on the plane, exactly how good it was, but it felt like it out there.
Shanahan: I mean, that was a goal for us coming into this, trying to balance it out more, whether it was with Kalon, whether it was getting Deebo some carries. The Christian went out with a little bit with cramps, but he didn't miss much, came back quick, and they all helped today.
Shanahan: What's that? I would. It was cool. I'd like to come back when I'm not working, though. Enjoy it a little bit more. People seemed awesome, seemed like a fun place, and just it's tough to have fun when you're working all week, but maybe next time.
Shanahan: What's that? To play? I like 17 home games in San Francisco, nothing against Australia, I just don't like to travel.
Shanahan: Yeah, I think it was right after a 99-yard drive, and they were answering. They went all the way down the field, seemed like they were going to score, and it was going to be a battle. But for us to stop them on fourth and goal inside the one, that was huge.
Shanahan: I'm sorry, I can't hear.
Shanahan: They did an unbelievable job. I mean, you got to mix it up, you got to get rid of the ball quick, which I think Brock did a great job of. The receiver's getting open. But we had to hold onto it a number of times, too. None more bigger than the long ball to D-Rob. That was huge.
Shanahan: I think we took a seven-step drop, the safety double mic, and took about three hitches to see it, which normally I would never expect to get that versus that pass rush. So it was a hell of a job by the protection, by the whole line, the tight end state on it, in on it, Brock seeing the coverage, and D-Rob making the big time touchdown.
Shanahan: Not really. Like I said earlier in the week, when you have two guys like that on the D-line, you can't balance it out. We had to treat the ends the same way, and it didn't change any of the game plan.
Shanahan: In terms of seeing the red, it was like both the games that we play versus Rams at home in California. It was a little different with the cheering and stuff. I think they got to get a little used to how we do it, went to it, and everything like that.
Shanahan: But the coolest part was hearing how the crowd's seen the songs throughout the game. That really stuck out, and I wish we did that more in the US.
Shanahan: On my bus ride to the practice field and coming out of my hotel, it seems like fans were real excited about it. We always had people there. We had people cheering when we would drive by. The fact that that stadium was packed during warm ups, I was saying earlier, that doesn't happen very much. So people seemed ready to go. And I have a few relatives that have friends down here and stuff, and they've been talking about for a while, and hopefully we gave them a good show.
Shanahan: I thought Brock played so well. He had one play. I know he wants to take back the interception of Lake, but he made some big time plays, some big time throws. It was a 99-yard drive. There were so many plays there that he had a take-off schedule, where there wasn't an answer, and he moved the chains with his legs. And I think he found, I want to say it was Deebo on one. That was a big off schedule across the field.
Shanahan: Oh, no, for the touchdown. So Brock was unbelievable today.
Shanahan: Renato? It was huge for Renato. Renato had such a good training camp. He had such a good off season, starting back to phase one in OTAs. To me, one of the guys I was most excited about this year, just in terms of taking such a big step from the year before. And then he had that hamstring, which set him back, and he wasn't able to go until this week. And he was working all week to get up, and for him to be healthy enough to play in that game, make it through the game without getting an injury, and to play at the level he did it, that was huge.
Shanahan: Yeah, we've watched Mike do that for his whole career. I've just never been on the team with him. So he did that to us a ton when I was in Atlanta. Mike is as good as any receiver who's played down there.
Shanahan: Hadn't got to work on it as much as that we liked during training camp. It was something that we told them early on that we wanted them doing when they were in Tennessee working together. They were working on the side a little bit this week. And I said, I want to give them more opportunities to get better at it, but they didn't need it today. They looked pretty good at it.
Shanahan: What's that? No, once we get out there on the grass, the grass was great, the field seemed great. We were worried early when we came because it was so early and it was just wetter. That was going to be real slippery, but it dried off and thought it was a great field, great playing conditions. And once you get in those white lines, it's all ball, so nothing's different.
Shanahan: Fred, I think I'm hearing the question right, but how much Fred means to me, but Fred means everything to me. I don't want to coach very much when Fred's not around. What he does on the field, what he does in the meetings, how he is every single day. Fred, I don't think he's ever had a bad day in his life. He is one of the most impressive people I've been around. He just passed Pat Willis today for the most tackles in the history of our franchise, and he's got a lot more ahead of him, too, so Fred's the man.
Shanahan: I mean, that's a business decision. NFL is awesome. The whole world should know about it. So I get why we want to spread it around and go places. I was hoping to get a bye week after it. We don't. We've got a few extra days, though, so I think we'll be able to recover from it.
Shanahan: You guys know I wasn't excited at first, but that's just because you only think about your team, but after going through this all, knowing we were coming down here and getting over that, it's been an awesome experience. Love getting the win today, and it's time to enjoy this flight and get back and get ready for week two.
Shanahan: I don't know. That's just the way we did it, so I don't know the other way. Guys, we go to the East Coast. We usually go stay at a place for about a week every year when we go play in the East Coast, and so this was really the same thing for us. It was a much longer flight, 16 hours compared to five, and the time change was a lot more different, but once we got here, this is stuff that we're kind of used to.
Shanahan: We do a week at the Greenbrier probably three times since I've been here, and we do it at the Air Force Academy before we go to Mexico City, and we do that stuff a lot. So once we got here and got used to the plane, we kind of like being on the road and being in a hotel, and it helps you lock in and do your job.
Shanahan: It wasn't good. I mean, it sounded ACL, it's MCL, I believe, but there's some issues with it that we've got to see how it is. There's a little more information to it, but we don't know yet.
Shanahan: All right, thank you guys.
