Opening Statement:
"All right. Let's get rolling. Wanted to start with some updates and some good news with [LB] Jordan Magee. We will begin his 21-day window to return. And also, three guys that we worked back into practice last week should have a full practice load this week, and that's [CB] Trey Amos, [S] Nick Cross and [RB Jeremy] J-Mac [McNichols]. So excited for that. As a team, we've turned the page from Sunday. A lot of hard truths to go around, trust me. We have learned these lessons. And now, we're gearing up for a great challenge Monday night against San Francisco. And that starts today by us throwing a great practice. So, let's get rolling with you guys."
*On if anyone addressed the team on Monday: *"Me. It's my responsibility, point blank, period."
On what is needed to get RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt more touches:
"Well, I think a lot that goes into touches, into game runs and passes and sometimes hot hand of where it's gonna go. But what we know is that he's got explosive power to hit to the next gear and get the big plays. So, we're gonna continue working with him and all the guys to make sure like, man, when the ops are there, we gotta go nail them."
*On working to have defensive success throughout all four quarters of a game: *"Yeah, I thought a lot of passes for the second game that are counting overtime too. And so, we've got to be able to close there. We had an interception that we thought was a fantastic play by [CB] Amik [Robertson] that's certainly a closing one. Another one I thought he made an excellent play on. They call it as a defensive hold on a sack. And so, we've got to be able to overcome those, those responding moments and we'll continue to roll people as we're going to go. But I think, just making sure when the chance is there to respond that we do that. But those are two plays that like, and I fully support how he played on those ones, and I thought they were excellent plays by him."
On maintaining aggression in coverage:
"Yeah, for sure you don't want only one back or too deep to go. And so, some of it is gonna come down to discipline to say, 'Okay, if we're playing zone, am I keying the right person? Am I playing man? Do I stay into the combination if I'm working with somebody else?' So having the ability to play both is very important. But being able to execute in those critical moments, like that to me is the key to it all."
*On the message to the team about taking lessons from Sunday and what the players can do with their extra day this week: *"Yeah, for sure it was an ideal time for us to have one extra day. We needed it physically, after a long trip coming back and 90 plays defensively and overtime to the end. So, it was much needed for us. We also kind of identified we've only played 30% of the season. Like there's so much that's in front of us and it's gonna be an absolute battle. They all are and making sure as we came back into today, this is really the start of the week as we wanna get rolling with the guys. So that was the message. And like throwing a good practice today and being a part of that's the first step."
On the team having 'hangovers' from Sunday's performance and knowing when it's time to move on:
"Yeah. We have to and it's difficult. Some are longer than others, but that's like part of the job, to make sure these are the specific moments that we wanna learn from and apply and move it forward. And what I do know about our team, through the first part of the season, we've had a lot of adversity where you've got to respond and dig deep into a player being out, an injury, like things that don't normally come up. Like hospitalizations and injuries that knock a guy out for the year. Talking about like [LB] Leo [Chenal]. And so, there's going to be that in our game in terms of like fighting through the adversity. And so, the more connected the team is, the better chance that you have to get to that quicker because you have more discussions, more follow-up and get yourself ready to go. So, although the adversity's been difficult, this team's connected, they are tough and you get a chance to show that resilience and not just talk about it. And I think that's a big step when the adversity comes, not just talking about it, but showing it. And it's a team that definitely wants to do that."
*On how he can tell that QB Jayden Daniels has moved forward from tough situations: *"Yeah, you have to. I think that's a good point. It's kinda like lip service, you can't just say it, what is demonstrating it? How is the preparation beginning? How's the engagement of teammates and coaches and game plan? And so, for him specifically, he's such a mentally tough person that he's very stoic in a lot of times. So, it's honest conversations about where you're at, how things are. And so, the longer you get to know somebody, you know some of the signs and tells. And so for him, he's somebody that definitely is back and even through tough weeks he is a really resilient guy."
On steps he's taking to minimize pre-snap penalties:
"Two parts. One you've heard us have more officials at practice and then how many different cadences to use. That's a big part of it from like on this week on the road, how many different ones in silent. When you're at home, how many different to use. So, when you're doing plays at the line of scrimmage, let's make sure like that's the discipline, not adding cadences into them, but using it at a normal rate and that's a good first step."
*On changes being made at practice to make sure the same mistakes don't occur moving forward: *"There's definitely tweaks that I will do. There's a good process that we go through in terms of preparation, on field, practice, and you're here to see a lot of that. But there are definitely tweaks that I'll do. And when you have those, I think that's the natural evolution. Okay, this small change, this might even be where you stand. How do you communicate being closer to somebody? So, there'll be tweaks, but I do like the process of Wednesday, a Thursday, a Friday. We meet as a staff on specific ones. Some of the game management goes to the defense, some with special teams, some with offense, some I do with the entire team just to make sure everybody knows this is the scenario and this is what we'll do."
On an injury update on WR Stefon Diggs and on WR Terry McLaurin's performance against the New York Giants:
"Terry did a fantastic job in the game. I was most impressed by him knowing where he was to put himself in a spot to play. It speaks to the warrior he is. With [WR] Stef [Stefon Diggs] and [S] Percy [Butler] and [S] T.O. [Tyler Owens] they won't be out there today, but I am hopeful as the week goes on that they'll get some reps into the days ahead and that's a good sign."
*On his conversations with Offensive Coordinator David Blough about the last play of Sunday's game: *"Yeah, I'll continue to take responsibility first off, for the situation. But I'm also saying, yes, it has been dissected, discussed and corrected internally. And that's where we'll stay. But that is my responsibility to have those after actions and have discussions with David or any member of the staff, a player. And that's not unusual to do that. But yeah, we certainly do."
On whom he turns to for feedback after a misstep and on if the first people he turns to are his family:
"Yeah, that's my first step. But there is both internally here people that do, and externally too. And on this one, when you're most frustrated with yourself than anyone else, then it's a little harder [laughs]. And we've all been those where you stub your toe and you're like, 'Ah, there's nobody to talk to right now.' So those are ones that yes, internally and externally people to lean into when good and bad."
*On how he successfully does a self-analysis of his coaching performance during the season: *"It's not too much in the weeds because you wanna make sure if you're doing weekly after actions, then some of those tweaks should take place. And so, when a moment or a scenario that you like that you wanna hit, as much as even like filming our meetings, how am I communicating? What is that part to go? So, I try to take every feedback step along the way to go so you don't have to wait. In this particular week, we were able to do one extra half day, all three phases. So, I get some time with each of the offense, defense, and special team staff, what things need tweaking as we're heading into this game. And you don't normally get to do that, but we did take that option this week knowing, okay, heading into this game on Monday night, what are the things that we wanted to adjust? So yes, I do."
On what he saw from DE Deatrich Wise Jr.'s first game back post-injury:
"Yeah. Number one, I felt his presence and it was in the run game first. I feel that, and that's Deatrich, you feel his length and his strength and going into the game against the Giants as a ball control team and wanting to work the line of scrimmage. I thought this was the ideal game for him to come back and feel his presence. So, I thought that was a good step forward for him. He came back in fantastic shape, to have that much time and to get himself ready to go, that was certainly impressive too. But he brings a lot to us on and off the field."
On what he's seen from the San Francisco 49ers and on points of emphasis while preparing for Monday night's game:
"Yeah. I thought, one that like all three phases I thought synced up. They've done a nice job of having balance defensively with [San Francisco 49ers Defensive Coordinator] Rah [Raheem Morris]. I thought they limited explosive plays, both run and pass, to allow them to have to drive down the field if you're gonna earn a score. And I thought [San Francisco 49ers Head Coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and [San Francisco 49ers QB] Brock [Purdy], I thought both are off to a fast start. Kyle's exceptional, especially on the early downs, the run actions, the motions and the shifts that go with that. So, I thought that is his sweet spot, and you feel that coming alive on there. And yes, we'll have to play really disciplined. It's gonna be two physical teams for sure. But I think the game within the game is plain, clean and, like, no self-inflicted mistakes that come up on both sides."
On identifying game management challenges the team is facing and working to overcome them:
"Yeah and on both sides, there's ones that I like going into Dallas to get to the end of the half where they don't have time to come back. Like those are ones that we worked hard on. If you remember, I think in the '25 season, they were scoring at the end of the half at a very high rate and they did it against us when we were in Dallas. So having the ability to use it, to work down the field, now the outcome at the end of that series was terrible, but I like that type of collaboration and communication to go into it. Some of them are within a game at the end of the half, do we have the opportunity to use clock to go at the end of the half? I think in the Seattle game, they had a kick. We were able to get back down and we got a kick. So those are those in between moments that I look for and work hard on. And that's when I feel like our team is most in sync, you know, when we can offensively get the field down and I think [K] Drew [Stephens] had hit like a 57 yarder, but you have to get some first downs to get to that spot. And so I'd love to get rid of the one-offs that have caused us to not take advantage of a moment or a situation like obviously with Sunday as the prime example, but there's a lot that I like what the team is doing and like it's always, always something that we talk about in the halves, kickoffs, time, all of it. And so, we're gonna continue on it really hard."
On roster movement in the running back room and on what he wants to see from them as a unit:
"Yeah and like in the three phases, like the toughness with and without the ball, that's the run game and the pass protection. I liked what I've seen from the group pass protection wise. I've seen a different number of blitzes, ones, but that was an area of emphasis that we had for Bill. And then to have [RB] Austin [Ekeler] back, he's kind of the third element in that in terms of the pass game. And so can we get him involved in that way as well because his ability in the pass game is not a super design play that makes him unique. It's getting the ball to him in space and then getting matched up on a safety and a linebacker. And so, I'm excited that he's back. And as it gets more into the season, I think we'll feel that get expressed as well, and J-Mac being back as well. So, I like the group. This is a really hardworking group. And so, to have those two guys join us not mid-year, like early part of the year and having had them with us over the first maybe four, three or four games that's a big step forward for us."
On how long he talked to the team about their Week 5 performance and how the players responded:
"Every Monday, I get a chance to visit with the team and I wanna talk about what happened. You know, in the game, these are the things we like, these are things we didn't. So, I did that same process. As it got down to the end, I mainly talked about our execution and knowing how close we are. And also, this is where we need to take it to. And that was just with everybody in the organization. And so, that starts with me. And so, these are the steps that we're gonna put in place to make sure that execution increases, and now we get to go follow that plan."
On the plan to handle teams blitzing against Washington more in games:
"So yeah, if it's what we would call like zero, like empty it out, everybody to go. If you're bringing more, then you need to have answers that may not even be part of the play. Okay, now there's eight players up. This is where we can go. This is the next option. And that's always a part of it. With Jayden and with [QB] Marcus [Mariota] some of the man-to-man's where your backs can be turned, those could be an advantage for us in some scenarios. That was the case with Jayden on Sunday, but it's a big part of it. How, what, the design, and it's a little bit of the back and forth of game planning, counter, counter punch, and but no doubt about it, man. Like you always have to be ready to respond with blitz. There's some risk defensively as well. And so, if they're gonna put themself into that spot, this is the chance to go make them pay. And you gotta have confidence on both sides to go do it. So, it is a little bit of back and forth."
