49ers-Seahawks transcripts: Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick, others react to Thanksgiving loss

Head Coach Jim Harbaugh
Press Conference - November 27, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks

49ers CEO Jed York just tweeted out that this kind of performance was unacceptable and he apologized to the fans. Is that an appropriate reaction to this game tonight?

"We didn't get it done. The Seahawks played much better team football than we did. We know what we have to do now - to come back and win them all."

Does that mean it doesn't matter to you one way or another what your owner tweets?

"I don't know anything about the tweet."

CSNBayArea.com writer Matt Maiocco just told you.

"What matters is what we do, how we respond as a football team."

Where do you go from here?

"We got to regroup, come back. We have to win them all."

Do you think this performance was unacceptable?

"They played better as a team than we did combined. They played better. We didn't play well enough."

How would you assess QB Colin Kaepernick's performance tonight?

"In all areas, they played better team football."

We've asked you a lot of questions about the offense after wins where you still get the win, but something like this does it make you kind of reevaluate what you guys are doing offensively? Could there be major changes coming?

"We always do that. We'll do that again. We'll evaluate it. I don't know what you refer to with major changes."

What happened with WR Michael Crabtree?

"He hurt his knee."

His knee? It was announced to the press as a rib injury.

"On the field, he talked about his knee and then he said it calmed down. He came to the sideline and was able to go back in."

Colin's two interceptions were throwing directly at Seahawks CB Richard Sherman. Was that something you still believe was the right read, that he should've made those throws?

"No. You don't look at throws that are intercepted as throws you should make. Again, they did a much better job than we did in all areas."

I think he was throwing to WR Brandon Lloyd the first time? Do you know, was there a miscommunication on the route or was it just a bad throw?

"Yeah, he left the throw inside. The right route was run."

Do you sense any demoralization in your team? Do you have to motivate them at this point or they're veterans and you just let them keep playing?

"They're disappointed with the loss. We know what we have to do."

How disappointed are you?

"We know what we have to do. We'll set our jaw to that."

You talk about Seattle playing better as a team. What exactly is the reason they played so much better?

"They played better team defense. They played better team offense. In all areas."

Anything more specific about why the offense couldn't get in gear? Was it just something that they were doing that you couldn't solve or was it just man-for-man outplaying you?

"I think they played better team defense. Played very, very good team defense."

Do you concern yourself now about your position for the playoffs or is that something you can't even think about at this point?

"That's what we concern ourselves with. We're going to set our jaw to doing what needs to be done and that's - gotta win them all."

And you feel if you win them all, you still have a shot?

"Yes."

What'd you think about the stadium atmosphere?

"I thought it was excellent."

As far as Jed York saying that this was unacceptable, he's the owner, but is that an appropriate thing to say after, to tweet after a loss like this?

"I addressed that. We know what we have to do as a football team. We'll set our jaw to doing that."

QB Colin Kaepernick
Press Conference - November 27, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks

Can you put your finger on why the offense struggled like it did today?

"We just didn't play well."

Colin, you said you were going to throw to the outside and you weren't going to worry about CB Richard Sherman but obviously he made you pay for that. Do you wish you had a couple of those throws back?

"They were bad throws. Our receivers won. I didn't make the throw on those. Those were my fault."

Was there miscommunication on the first one, your receivers route?

"No."

Is this offense a playoff offense you think? The way you guys are playing, the way you guys have been playing?

"We have to play better."

Did you come out with the right energy?

"We didn't execute. That is the number one thing."

Colin, when you say you are taking the blame for some of those throws that Sherman picked off, there were a couple of others throws too that you were overthrowing. What was the difference tonight why you were off?

"I wish I knew. I just didn't make the throws that I should have tonight."

The Seahawks do, Colin, but seem so different out there to your offense and makes you guys look different playing against them?

"They are a good defense, they play fast, they play physical. We just have to be able to make plays."

Watching QB Russell Wilson run around out there makes me wonder, why is it that you don't run anymore?

"A lot of it is just opportunity."

Would you like to? Would you like to open up that part of your game more?

"Anything we can do to help us win."

Where do you think you stand now in terms of the season, the playoff picture, what comes next?

"We have to win out in order to have a shot to get into the playoffs."

After the game Colin, Jed York tweeted out that this game was unacceptable and he basically apologized to the fans. As the quarterback, the leader of the team and the face of the franchise, how does that affect you that the CEO is tweeting that out?

"It's not acceptable. We didn't play well. We didn't perform well. We have a much higher standard for ourselves."

Colin, there was some boos as you were coming off the field. I was just wondering how that makes you feel. You're going to kind of be probably the face of a loss like this as the quarterback.

"I should be. I didn't play well tonight. If your quarterback doesn't play well, it's going to be hard for you to win games."

Colin, I know this team is trying to play with a sense of urgency but it is late in the season and several times this offense has sputtered. Is there any frustration on your part or concern? How do you approach that? This team needs to get going. There is no time left."

"We keep working. Worrying about it, complaining about it, being frustrated with it, isn't going to help us get better. We keep working. That's the only way it's going to get right."

Are major changes needed? Or is everything that you guys need in the building?

"Everything we need is in the building. We have great players across our offense. We have to go out and play like it."

Colin, you said you guys have a higher standard for yourself. When is the last time you feel that the team, especially on offense, played up to that standard?

"That would be a tough question. I would have to go back and watch game film, but we have to perform at a higher level than we have been."

When you're on the sideline, is your communication almost strictly with Quarterbacks Coach Geep Chryst rather than with Head Coach Jim Harbaugh or Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman?

"Geep relays everything that we are doing. I mean he is the middle man."

WR Anquan Boldin
Postgame Quotes - November 27, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks

You guys added a bunch of players in the offseason, presumably to take that next step and compete against a team like Seattle. Why hasn't the offense taken that next step this year?

"Lack of execution like I said earlier."

This loss puts you in a tough spot in terms of the playoff race. Do you think about that or is that something you have to put out of your mind?

"We just come out and play football. Our goal is to win every game."

Is this the low point in the season Anquan?

"Definitely. I mean anytime you lose it's a low point, but we'll bounce back."

LB Ahmad Brooks
Postgame Quotes - November 27, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks

Did their offense do things that you haven't seen on film?

"No. They kept it simple and they kept it basic. They beat us."

Coming into the game against Seattle and holding them to just one touchdown and four field goals. Obviously, they got some good field position off turnovers. Was this a successful outing for the defense against that team?

"Yes and no. They put a lot of points on the board. Giving up 19 points was decent, I guess. If we had scored more points, it would have been good. Our defense, we have high standards for each other. 19 points wasn't good enough today."

They gained a lot of yards off short dump offs to the running back and tight end. What was happening on those plays?

"Probably just a blown coverage. That is really all I can say. I don't know. A lot of the times when we are in zone coverage, the running back is free and the quarterback just dumps the ball off to him. I just don't really know what to say. I'm just upset that we lost."

CB Perrish Cox
Postgame Quotes - November 27, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks

Anything you can put your finger on?

"No, not right now. I mean, we didn't win the game. We've got a couple days off, so we'll take a couple days off and regroup."

You know that locker room pretty good over there. Were you surprised at the number they did on you guys today?

"They're a good team; we take nothing away from them. We're a good team also. That outcome is what it is. We'll get it back."

What's the most difficult part about defending that team?

"They scored a touchdown, kicked a lot of field goals, but like I said they came out with the victory and that's the only thing that matters really."

What do you guys have to do now to get where you need to get?

"We've just got to stay together. Not point any fingers or anything like that. Like I said we'll take these couple days, come back Monday, regroup as a team, and go from there."

WR Michael Crabtree
Postgame Quotes - November 27, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks

They said you had a rib injury. Head coach Jim Harbaugh said your knee was hurting.

"Yeah, it's the first play. It's football. I came back in, fought it out. It's nothing serious."

It was your knee?

"It was my ab. It hit me helmet to the rib. It's football. I'm tough enough to tough it out and keep coming."

Are you surprised you guys weren't able to get anything going?

"Am I surprised? We got 70 yards. It's not supposed to happen like that. We've got to do better. It is what it is."

Any talk between you and CB Richard Sherman?

"I'm not worried about that guy. It's scheme, not 1-on-1. It's scheme. They did a good job of scheming."

When you see the film you've got to have some opinion about what's happening?

"We've just got to make plays. No excuses, make plays. That's it.

Adjustments in the pocket like rolling out QB Colin Kaepernick. Was it more beneficial?

"It didn't help. We had three points. We've got to start off early and we've got to play. We've got to play. We've got to be early. We've got to go out there and play. That's it. There's nothing else to talk about, we've got to play."

What about the confidence factor with the team and the offense?

"It's football. Everybody's football players. We've been here. We've been the best team the past three years. We've lost Super Bowls, we've lost big playoff games, we've been here before. We've got to do better. That's it."

TE Vernon Davis
Postgame Quotes - November 27, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks

I know you are disappointed by this, but are you surprised as well at the execution tonight?

"Very surprised. We came into this game expecting to win. We didn't pull it off. It can be frustrating for us as a team because we hold ourselves accountable. Any time we go to practice, we practice hard and we practice to win. We felt like we were prepared to win this game. We just didn't pull it off."

Are there things going wrong internally that you want to share with us? It seems week after week that you have the talent, you're just not executing and it is getting late into the season.

"You know what, I try and stay out of that. Whatever is going on upstairs or in the next room, I leave it up to them. I just stay in my corner and do what I am supposed to do and control the things I can control."

Where do you go from here?

"We just have to keep working hard. It all starts in practice. We have to stay together as a team. We can't break up because I think there is still something out there for us."

This team has come back so many times before and always been the underdog. Is this maybe the most frustrating situation knowing that this team has been able to perform before and just can't this season or hasn't?

"It's been tough. I know we have had a lot of injuries. [LB] Patrick Willis and [LB] Navarro Bowman are guys that are out right now. We have replacements for them that have stepped up and done a pretty great job. [LB Chris] Borland is doing a phenomenal job. You saw last week, we came to play. We struggled a little bit in the beginning, but we pulled it off. I believe in us. I am sure the rest of my teammates believe in what we have. Like I said before, we have to stay together, keep our focus and be optimistic."

Jed York tweeted to the fans that he apologized and said this was an unacceptable performance. Do you agree with that or have a response to that from the owner?

"If he said that, than I guess it was. We hold ourselves accountable around here. We are all in it together. The owners, the coaches, the players. We can play better than that. We know it. Everyone knows it. But we didn't go out there and do it today. It was unacceptable, by all of us. We have to get back and put it all together, stay together as a team, and stay positive."

Could you feel the Seahawks gaining confidence and becoming more aggressive as the offense struggled today?

"I saw that. They were making plays while we were making mistakes. They started to gain momentum. We stayed in there. We weren't worried about what they were doing. We were just trying to focus on what we had to do."

RB Frank Gore
Postgame Quotes - November 27, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks

What happened out there today?

"I really don't know what it is. Things just aren't happening for us out there. I don't know what it is."

What did you think of their defense out there?

"They play hard and they play fast. They beat us."

Have you felt like this in the last three years? Unable to come up with answers for what is bothering this team.

"I know we have the players. Things just aren't happening for us and I don't know why. We need to look at ourselves as a whole and see what is going on. It's tough."

Is this the first time you can remember that this offense has been without answers?

"It was tough today. We just need to play better as a whole. This was a divisional game, and we knew Seattle was going to come in here and play hard. As an offense, we didn't come out and do anything today. I don't know what it is."

Are you guys still worthy of being a playoff team?

"We just have to keep taking it one game at a time. We need to play better than we did today, especially offensively. I feel our defense came out and played great. The last couple weeks, the defense has been holding us in there. We need to get better on offense. You can't win in this league playing like that."

This team has come from behind many times before. Does this feel like this most difficult challenge to overcome?

"I know we have great players in here on the offensive side of the ball. We just have to go out there and do it. Things just aren't clicking for us. I just think we need to look at ourselves as a whole and do better."

S Eric Reid
Postgame Quotes - November 27, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks

Talk to me about QB Russell Wilson, and giving up those big plays to him.

"He's great at extending the play. You think you've got him where you want him, and he spins outside the pocket, buying time, and then scrambles for a gain instead of getting sacked for a loss. Give him credit for making the most out of a bad situation and extending his plays."

The offense didn't help tonight with the turnovers. Talk about the offense.

"I think they're coming along. I think obviously they didn't have their best day today. We've just got to get some more points on the board; defense has to get some turnovers so they have more time with the ball."

It's Thanksgiving. Are you thankful about getting to be out here and play football, or what are you thankful for?

"Most definitely. Even though we lost, we're still so blessed and fortunate to live and have the opportunity to play this game. I'm just thankful for my family, who flew in from Louisiana to support me today, and the people that came out and spent their Thanksgiving with us."

T Joe Staley
Postgame Quotes - November 27, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks

Do you have some ideas as to why the offense hasn't taken it to the next level?

"We've got to make plays. That's what it is. We had zero big plays. Zero."

The offense had struggled a couple weeks coming into this but in victories despite that. Were you shocked at what happened tonight or did you have an inkling that things weren't clicking?

"I feel like the game plan was good. I liked what we were doing. That holding call hindered the drive there in the second quarter. I liked the game plan, I thought it was good. For some reason we weren't getting the big plays when we needed them."

QB Colin Kaepernick got booed coming off the field. As the quarterback he's going to take the brunt of this probably. Do you think that's fair?

"We all have a part in it. It's a team sport. Kap is not the only person on the San Francisco 49ers. We all wear that jersey. We're all held to a standard of what we expect out of each other and ourselves. Today wasn't the standard obviously. I sense the fans' frustration. We're frustrated. They show up on Sundays and cheer for the team. We give our lives to this sport. All the hard work, all the sacrifice our families go through. To come out today and play that way; it's disheartening. I share the fans' frustration. We know that feeling, too."