Kyle Shanahan - HC, 49ers Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-18 | Full transcript (primary source).
Kyle Shanahan, HC of the 49ers, addressed the media on September 18, 2026, to discuss player injuries and the team's preparations for the upcoming game. The press conference included updates on the status of key players and strategies related to the team's performance.
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Transcript
Shanahan: So guys injuries for the game straddling will be out Pinero questionable and black questionable.
Reporter: Are you gonna have to bring a kicker in maybe tomorrow just just in case?
Shanahan: Yes, yeah practice squad or yes. You know what it's gonna be. I don't there's two guys are deciding on I'm not sure.
Reporter: Something that he's been dealing with all week or just?
Shanahan: Yeah, he's missed Wednesday Thursday in today, so I don't know if it came on Tuesday or Wednesday morning, but it's been solely because of it.
Reporter: There's been a lot of buzz about the the pre-snap motion this week. Why do you think it works so well what what example for you guys to pull it off so well?
Shanahan: Um, I mean, it's something we always do so I didn't think it was anything unusual last week. Something we've always believed in and there's lots of different reasons for it angles confusion hitting things moving. There's just some we've always believed in specifically with that dash motion where he's close to moving forward. But it has to walk that kind of fine line.
Reporter: How much timing is involved in that like how much do you need to see it on the practice field before you're comfortable?
Shanahan: That's huh. Yeah is and it's more I mean the quarterback and the people doing it got to get the timing. I mean, he's got to be exact for this cadence. It gets harder on the road. So there's a lot of things to it. You got to do a lot of reps over because it's not like he's looking you can't see behind them I'm says and juice can't always hear him. So it takes time.
Reporter: How much does the fact that you have a lot of guys who have been together for a while? I'll give you that kind of confidence.
Shanahan: It helps a lot. I mean we do with the receivers a lot, too. You know, we call it different words. But you guys see a lot of people do that too when they just get moving real fast right before the play and if the timing is off they will start going forward before the snap, which is illegal. But hopefully the timing is always on.
Reporter: With given all the time you had to think about the trip all the time you put into the trip All the work you've done and maybe worry I imagine and imagine you feel pretty good about the recovery at least you're wanting to know.
Shanahan: Sir, I don't know if relief is the right word but is there a sense of I know satisfaction or like that was a section of the season almost all by itself?
Shanahan: Not really. I mean, I think anytime week one whether it's in Australia or whether it's home I mean that that's a game that you think about always because it's it's the first one on there. So right when you get the schedule you always think about what week one. That's what you watch film for when you're messing around over the summer. I'm you're always thinking about that. We had a little more thoughts because of the travel and the unknown. But once that games over it's over. I mean it was nice to get a few days to recover and things like that which made us able to think about it enjoy the win a little bit longer than usual the same as how you feel about a Thursday night game. But anything else once your week starts which is on a Monday. There's just on a week, too.
Reporter: How was it recovery been from from the big trip ahead getting back into California time?
Shanahan: In each person's different. I'm some guys didn't have a problem at all. A lot of guys did I know I did like the first three four days was rough. But by the time you got to Monday, especially Tuesday, and then it was all good.
Reporter: What's that with it's sleeping?
Shanahan: Yeah, just sleeping for whatever description of gel I guess sometimes waking up too early sometimes too late. But just feeling a little bit off especially those first couple days which you know kind of how we felt when we got out there. But it just takes a few days.
Reporter: Look they Chloe said that he hope they don't go back again. Now that you're removed from that situation, do you hope you don't go back again?
Shanahan: Yeah, I mean you that's really trying to get in trouble. No, it's that you don't want it to be come off the wrong way and how you were to just like Shawn doesn't want to. It's anything that puts 17 games are very tough. I mean anything every game is so tough and what you put into it for seven days. So anytime you got to put more travel on it and stuff it and makes it a lot harder. So that's that's something that no teams really wish for whether it's 16 hours away or five hours away. So obviously the farther the harder. And I think it's you know that's all international games are like that too without being the farthest and that's why you always hope it's timed out to where you can have a bye week after so that was the challenge of it and the unknown. But I feel good after getting the three extra days off that we did players got five. And now you never wish for that stuff. But now that we've been through it, you know, you can handle it.
Reporter: Halfly this week said that he was trying to emulate you guys and when you came in in 2017 as far as building the Dolphins. What's your relationship then with him since he left and have you sort of recognized sort of a similar intent at least for him to build the Dolphins that way?
Shanahan: Yeah, I mean, I love half have some of the best coaches I've been around with best people. We and I knew right. I got to spend one year with them at Cleveland. That's how I knew him from that. So when I came here, we were lucky to be able to retain them wanted him to be here longer. But he ended up going to the Ohio State where he went to first. And he knew it was a matter of time before half would be a coordinator in this league and before he'd be a head coach because he was he was a stud from the beginning. But now I talked to have a good amount as much as I talked to anybody which isn't that much. But he'd be right up there and I know his philosophies I know how he looks at football and you can really see in week one just I know the game didn't go exactly how they want but watching the standard of how their defense played the turnovers they cause how they went for the ball even though the game was over on place 67 and they're just running the clock out you couldn't tell any difference between that and how hard the defense was playing a week one and that's exactly how stat half is that's how we try to get our team to be and you can see that his team is following what he wants at least in one week.
Reporter: There's been conversation that a lot of missed tackles in other games. Maybe some sloppy play and complicated copies like lack of preseason play for starters or maybe practicing isn't as intense as it has been the past you're down for intense practices. Do you feel like your practice style or I don't know if the preseason would play in this kind of get you around that or you can avoid some of the sloppiness early in the season?
Shanahan: I mean I don't the more you can practice football the right way I mean the more you can be prepared to play in those games and then it just gets harder and harder for everybody each year. I mean, that's how much work we used to put in OTA's and now that that's kind of a joke when it comes compared to trying to do normal football, you know, everyone's got to work around that now training camp you get that it's shorter amount of time especially when we had to go, you know a week earlier I'm gonna lose kind of those extra bonus days that you get and then when you get guys get get guys hurt in camp you know, yeah, you're running a physical camp and stuff and you're trying to get ready for people to play. But in a three-week period if someone gets hurt, they don't totally get ready to play. So it's we always are trying to do that. I don't think that we do it I'm sure we do it harder than a lot of teams but I think there's a lot of teams that do it just like us and some that might even go harder. And I know there's a number of teams I heard that they had ten practices in 11 days I know another team that I think goes seven in a row to start it out. So there's lots of different philosophies. But one thing no matter how you do it I strongly believe in is the more you can practice football truly like it's football the more you'll be ready for week one.
Reporter: A lot of speed on their weapons on the offensive side. What's the challenge this week for for Reeves defense?
Shanahan: They just can't let out they got too many playmakers. I mean, I know they got a young group of receivers but they're all talented. They all can move with the ball well, you know, you can see it. That's why they got one of them as a punt returner. And then when it comes to their running back, I mean he's as explosive as anyone in the league, you know last year he was I think he had every touch he had it was 15% of his touches were an explosive that was number one by far. No matter what happens in that game you can think you're getting after someone and you just give that guy a little bit of space and he's gone. And anytime you have a quarterback with a running element and who has the arm strength that he has you can't fall asleep. You can keep him contained all game and then you just get schematically off with his own reader one guy misses a coverage and they're far down the field and he can buy a little bit more time and launch it things can end pretty quickly.
Reporter: Understand what questionable means, but you have a level of optimism regarding I mean questionable about optimism. What'd you say questionable?
Shanahan: The same groin injury he dealt with earlier.
Reporter: No last year up in style was pretty good. Have you seen a jump this year with well up to stop is he better than was last year?
Shanahan: In terms of growth in your to just I think more knowledge. I mean, I thought Upton Upton was so impressive the first day he got here. I mean, he was one of our stars and OTAs. I felt like in training camp as a rookie he plays so aggressively so hard. He's got that chip on his shoulder being a smaller guy. Don't he's gonna be mad at me for saying that. But he's a means our Bulldogs. So he's always been so aggressive and I think where he would just be better is that he's been in the year in the league for a year. It's a little bit more knowledgeable a little bit more aware of how people are trying to attack the nickel position and that's where he's excelled the most.
Shanahan: All right. Thanks guys.
