Brian Flores – October 11, 2020 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 11, 2020
Postgame – San Francisco
Head Coach Brian Flores (transcribed by San Francisco 49ers)
(What are your thoughts on how the offense performed, particularly in the first half, but throughout the game?) – “We moved the ball well and made a lot of big plays. I thought the O-Line performed well. I thought we ran the ball well. We were late in the game to close it out. I thought [49ers head coach Kyle] Shanahan called a really good game. Our offensive coaching staff put together a very good plan and the players went out there and executed it. Credit goes to the players, our offensive coaching staff. I thought it was a good team victory.”
(Is this what the defense is capable of doing? Two interceptions, five sacks. How can you get this performance each week?) – “I thought [defensive coordinator] Josh [Boyer] had a good plan. Our defensive coaching staff did a really nice job this week getting these guys prepared against a good offense. They’ve got a lot of good skill players from [49ers TE George] Kittle to [49ers WR] Deebo [Samuel] to [49ers WR Brandon] Aiyuk. They’ve got good back backs and they made some plays, but we put our guys in good positions to keep them contained. We had some stops on third downs, we turned them over two times, maybe three times. The guys really played well throughout the game. One thing we’ll try to get coached up better is there were too many penalties, especially in the second half. I think we’ve got a lot of guys, who we have faith in that can go out there and make plays. They showed up today. If we continue to prepare the way we prepared and we at least put ourselves in position to play well.”
(What do you think a game like this can do for WR Preston Williams? It felt like he really got it going today in terms of his production and on that long ball there?) – “He played well, he went up and made some big catches and he started the game with the catch down the sideline, the big touchdown in the second half and then created some penalties that put us in good field position. That’s what he’s capable of. We’ve seen the athleticism and the talent and he’s working. He’s a hardworking kid, it’s important to him. I’m happy to see him have good game like he did today, but it wasn’t just Preston, there’s 11 guys on the field and our offensive line blocked it up. They gave [QB Ryan Fitzpatrick] Fitz good protection, Fitz made some good throws and Preston came down with a handful of them. We had a lot of guys show up and give us some production today.”
(What does a game and performance like this mean to you guys after the five field goals on those red zone trips last weekend and being close with those close losses in the first couple of weeks of the season? What does a win like this do for you guys moving forward?) – “I think the way these guys prepared, the way we practiced, how important all this is to them, I think it’s just a byproduct of all those things. The way they practice, the way they prepare, it’s not easy to win in this league and it wasn’t easy today. That’s a good football team. A lot of credit to them and Kyle, [49ers general manager] John Lynch and [49ers CEO] Jed York, they’ve done a good job at building a really strong football team. Our guys showed up and brought a lot of energy here today. That’s the type of preparation that we need in order to have success in this league. I think they’re learning that. Hopefully we’ll learn that and they’ll understand that’s what it takes, that’s the type of preparation you need. We’ve got do it every week. This week’s great, we’ll enjoy it, but, we’ve got to string something together.”
(Earlier today, we all learned that the team will not be traveling to Denver next week or for the next six weeks after having a schedule change. What was your reaction when you found that out?) – “I just wanted our guys to be focused on the game today. We don’t normally meet in the morning of game day. We normally just hop on the bus, but I called a meeting and to talk to them about the schedule changes so there was some clarity for them on what was going on over the next few weeks. We talked about it. I told them what the schedule would be and that’s that. I answered all their questions and then told them to focus on the 49ers. I think they did a really good job of that. Again, our coaching staff put together a good plan, offensively, defensively, the kicking game and the guys executed. It’s a different year and everyone’s got to adjust and be flexible. We’ve been talking about that all year and we’re going to have to do that. We’ve got coaches breaking down film of the Jets this morning and I’m sure they’re doing the same thing, but we’ve just got to adapt and that’s what we’ll do.”
(You talk a lot about team and team performances, where does this performance rank, since you’ve been here, as far as most complete team performance?) – “It’s right at the top. I think offensively, defensively and the kicking game. We started fast, brought great energy, made plays in all three phases. The fake punt by [special teams coordinator] Danny [Crossman] was a great call and a great execution on the part of our players. I think it might be right at the top and I think if we just continue to practice and prepare the way we’ve been doing been, hopefully we’ll string some of these together. It’s hard to win in this league, but we got up on them pretty good. It’s not often that you win by that type of score. We’ve still got to be ready for those close games, those tight games, where we’ve got to make critical plays in critical situations.”
(With your emphasis on special teams, how much do you appreciate having a guy like K Jason Sanders on this roster who has just been so perfect?) – “He’s been great the entire year and he’s taking real ownership of his craft. Every kick is important to him, whether it’s kickoff or if it’s a field goal. This guy is diligent about his craft as anyone I’ve been around. I’m really happy for him and the success he’s had individually, but it’s really helped us as a team. I think all our specialists are playing pretty well and contributing on the kicking game as well as offense and defense. You need as many contributions as you can get in this league.”
(With Fitzpatrick, how do you as a coach and a coaching staff get this kind of consistency from him? We’ve seen it against Jacksonville and again today with the 49ers. How do you get him to play this disciplined of a game?) – “I think he’s played well most of the year. He’s had some bad moments, but I think we’ve all had some bad moments. I think every player in our locker room has had some rough moments, but I think he’s been pretty consistent really the whole way through. We said earlier in the week, we feel like it gives us the best chance to win and I thought he played well today. The guys rallied around him and his energy, he’s got great leadership. Again, if he plays the way he played today it really kind of permeates throughout the team. So how do we get them to play more disciplined? We just continue to prepare, continue to practice, continue to harp on him to make decisions, but we also got to let him play and take a shot down the field. Look it’s a game of inches and he made a lot of good throws today. We’re happy about that and overall he played well today.”
