49ers transcripts following loss to the Rams

The San Francisco 49ers met with the media following their loss to the St. Louis Rams, and the players and coaches were pretty limited in what they had to say about the embarrassing offensive performance. This is not entirely shocking, but it is worth a read in the transcripts.

Head Coach Jim Harbaugh
Press Conference - November 2, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. St. Louis Rams

What was your view of that last play there? What did the referee tell you? Did you think it was a fumble?

"The last play, I didn't have a real good view of it. They said the play stands. That was the explanation."

Was it a play where you're going for it there and if you didn't make it you would've kept the timeout to kick the field goal or were you going for the touchdown all the way there?

"It's irrelevant now."

What about a play a couple of plays before that - WR Michael Crabtree catch, non-catch? They ruled that it was a catch but not a touchdown but when he got out of bounds it seemed like it should've stopped the clock. Was that brought up as an issue by you guys, that the clock kept running after that play?

"Yes. They said they would review all of it - the clock, the catch, the spot. They came back with a ‘play stands.' That was the only explanation."

Do you think that time should've been added to the play clock in that situation?

"My view of it was from the replay."

What do you think was happening offensively? Eight sacks. Just did not seem like you guys were getting anything going at least until the end. What did you see happening there?

"Not enough good football. We got beat."

Do you think the bye week kind of took some of the consistency out of your offense?

"Well, we didn't have enough good football to win the game. Now, we got to suck it up. That's a tough loss."

Are you concerned that your team is not playing well at the midpoint of the season? Usually, you sort of are in gear at this point.

"We have to play good football in order to win in this league, there's no question about it. Today was not good enough to win."

You'll know more when you see film, but from what you saw, do you think the sacks were pretty much a protection problem or do you think there were times when QB Colin Kaepernick maybe could've gotten rid of it or sensed the rush better?

"I'll take a look at it."

At the end of the first half, field goal misses. What did the referees tell you about that call when he looked like he was, perhaps, behind the goal line when he was tackled?

"Don't have an explanation. Probably wait for that explanation. But what I was told was the defender pushed him back into the end zone. That's the way they ruled it."

On the second-to-last play, it looked like Colin was doing play-action to RB Frank Gore and then was rolling right and was maybe going to throw to him. Was there no thought of running Frank in that situation, regardless?

"We wanted to throw it on second down the way the clock was."

Are you confused by this team at this point? Again, as Santa Rosa Press Democrat columnist Lowell Cohn pointed out, your teams have usually been picking it up right about now. What's your feelings about the team, generally?

"We got to suck it up. That was a tough loss. We got to play better football, coach better football, better habits, play better."

How do you think Kaepernick played generally?

"I'm not going to go through every single guy. As a team, we didn't play good enough football."

Coming off a bye, this was a team you guys were able to handle on the road not too long ago. Are you surprised by this?

"Got to play at the highest level to win football games in this league. Didn't get that done."

There was a sequence before your final field goal where WR Bruce Ellington gets the unsportsmanlike and then two false starts in-a-row. Did you feel your team lost a little poise at that point?

"Have to have good habits.  We did not use good judgment."

Any injuries to report?

"Not that I know of right now."

What's kind of lost in all of this - LB Chris Borland had at least 17 tackles in the game. Can you describe how well he played?

"Take a look at that. Again, got to suck it up as a team right now. Got to play better. Better habits, better assignments, better coaching."

So much focus, maybe more by us than anybody, on the players who you're going to get back eventually, like LB Aldon Smith, LB NaVorro Bowman. Do you think there's been any focus or too much focus in the locker room or just around the team thinking about what's coming ahead and not what's happening right now?

"I don't sense that, no."

Do you still believe this team is a very good team?

"Yes."

What's your sense of how C Marcus Martin did in his first start?

"Again, the team is what I'm thinking about right now."

Was RB Marcus Lattimore here today with the team?

"Did not see Marcus."

Do you know why he was not here?

"I'm sure we'll have an announcement about that."

QB Colin Kaepernick

Press Conference - November 2, 2014

San Francisco 49ers vs. St. Louis Rams

What happened on that last play?

"The ball came out. I have to hold on to it."

Did you cross the line with it?

"I know I crossed the line."

Did you juggle it a little bit at the outset or did you have it all the way?

"What do you mean?"

It looked like there might have been a little bobble on the snap.

"Yeah, I did bobble the snap, but regardless."

Did you see the goal line? How are you so confident that you crossed the goal line?

"I was looking in the end zone."

What's your assessment on where the offense is right now?

"Not where we need to be."

Usually by this time of the season you're gearing up and you are near where you need to be? Why do you think it's different this year?

"Execution. We have to play better."

You generally answer with execution so let me follow up. How do you get to execute better?

"Practice better."

Does that mean you're not practicing well enough?

"No."

They blitzed you a lot. Did you expect that? Was it more than you expected?

"No, we prepared for that during the week."

Did you think you had any opportunities in the first half before going flat in the second?

"We had opportunities in both halves, we didn't take advantage."

You've been sacked 14 times total the past two games. How tough is it to do your job when you're under such duress?

"That's why I'm here, to make plays regardless of the situation. I have to be better back there."

Was it your call or an upstairs call to throw down on the goal line rather than hand it off?

"Upstairs."

What happened on the play before the sneak? You roll out, what happened on that?

"Thought we could get a touchdown on it. Nothing was there so we threw it away."

On that pass to WR Michael Crabtree, is that play designed to deliver the ball to him in the end zone?

"Yes."

And did you think that he was in the end zone on that play?

"I thought he was, but I have to make a better throw and then we don't have to leave it up to the refs."

It seemed like some time ticked off the clock after that play, should have had something like 35 seconds and you had 19. Does that affect those last two play calls that you guys called?

"We had a timeout still. So, regardless we should have been able to call what we wanted."

You said you have to do a better job regarding some of those sacks. What do you mean?

"I'm here to make plays. I can make people miss. So, that's part of my job."

Were they spying you at all, do you think?

"Ran a lot of cover zero. It's not a spy, they're just bringing one more than we have to block."

We just talked to T Joe Staley, he's obviously very frustrated too. He said a lot of the offensive players as a whole are doing dumb stuff. Why is that? You have veteran players here that have been here, very talented players. Does that surprise you that this offense is doing that in this part of the season?

"Like I said, we just have to go out and play better. We have the tools here to be successful. We just have to go do it."

You said they were bringing one more man than you had to block. Did you feel like there would be some opportunities for you down the field?

"You're going to have to get the ball out quick. Tried to call plays where we had that option."

LB Chris Borland

Postgame Quotes - November 2, 2014

San Francisco 49ers vs. St. Louis Rams

Going back to the blown assignment, what happened on the play?

"They ran vertical routes to my right and a drag to my left, and I thought I had help, but I should have known I didn't to the outside, so the drag, I should have covered it."

That's the WR Kenny Britt touchdown?

"Yes."

That's a lot to ask of a linebacker if you're supposed to stay with a receiver that long. You wouldn't expect some deep help at least?

"That's our assignment, and I should have played better."

What about going from the Denver game to this game? Did you see personal growth from game to game? Do you feel better about this game than you did the Broncos?

"It's hard to feel better after this game. I think personally I played better and our defense played better overall, but just a sour taste in my mouth."

It seemed like you were going to pull this out. What was it like on the sideline wondering if QB Colin Kaepernick was in, and waiting, and finding out it was a fumble?

"It was difficult. I think both times we were waiting to see if [WR Michael] Crabtree was in on the catch and then again with [QB Colin] Kaepernick, so it was tough. It was one of the harder losses I've ever been a part of."

Did LB Patrick Willis talk to you at all during the game to give you tips?

"[LB] Patrick [Willis] and [LB NaVorro] Bowman talk to me every game. It's a perfect room for a young linebacker to be in."

TE Vernon Davis

Postgame Quotes - November 2, 2014

San Francisco 49ers vs. St. Louis Rams

Does that make it even more frustrating, that it's widespread? It wasn't just one area of the team that didn't play well. It was basically the entire team.  

"It's not frustrating at all. I try to be optimistic about everything and I'm excited about the next game. I'm sure my teammates are as well, even though we do have a bitter taste in our mouth with this loss. But, we've always got the next one."

You had the loss going into the bye and this is another loss, and you guys are primarily on the road for this month. Is it panic time now or you just take it one game at a time?

"The ship didn't sink. We're still in it. We have to just play strong, stay focused, stay into it, and support one another. I think that's the biggest thing, just leaning on one another for that support to play even better. But, like I said, we're excited about the next one."

Last season you would get about one deep pass per game, at least. This season, I can't remember the last time you had a deep pass. What's going on?   

"It'll come. I'm not worried. It's out of my hands. I leave that up to the offensive coordinator and I just stay out of the way and do my job and do all that I can."

There were a lot of sacks. Did the Rams surprise you guys or something, or were guys not getting open? Lack of protection?

"I'm not sure. I won't know what went on out there, really, until Tuesday when we come in. I'll get the full picture and we'll have an opportunity to fix those things."

WR Bruce Ellington

Postgame Quotes - November 2, 2014

San Francisco 49ers vs. St. Louis Rams

Were you surprised you got a penalty for tossing the ball at the Rams player?

"No, not at all. Just in the moment, heat of the game, and just made a bonehead play. I shouldn't have done it. Now that I look back on it, I regret it. Stuff like that happens, but I'll learn from it. It won't happen again."

Did you think that it warranted a penalty?

"You can't do it. It's something I'll learn from and can't do it again."

What was your sight line, your view of that last play, the fumble and whether it was a fumble or not?

"All I saw was [QB Colin] Kaepernick lost it, but he got it back. It looked like his knee was down and he was across the plane, but the refs called it a fumble, so it's something we have to live with and get better next week."

RB Frank Gore

Postgame Quotes - November 2, 2014

San Francisco 49ers vs. St. Louis Rams

I don't know if they get any tougher than this, do they, Frank?

"No, they don't get any tougher than this. We didn't play a good game. The defense gave us an opportunity and the offense, we didn't make plays when we had to. The Rams played a good game. They played hard and they got the win."

Is this kind of a turning point for a team where you have to regroup and decide where this team is going from this point forward? 

"We've got to just, as a team, come in Tuesday and make our mind up on where we want to go. We've got to play better ball as a team and we've got to make plays when it's there. We just haven't been consistent and in this league you can't do that. You can't win like that. We let the Rams hang around and they got the momentum and pulled it off."

Why weren't you guys able to adjust against their blitz?

"They're here for a reason. They're making plays. We've just got to play better."

Do you feel that everything is correctable?

"Yeah. We've just got to look at ourselves in the mirror and we're going to try to get to this postseason. We've got to go do it and stop playing around."

C Marcus Martin

Postgame Quotes - November 2, 2014

San Francisco 49ers vs. St. Louis Rams

This was your first game as a starter. What did you learn and what do you have to do going forward?

"This is the NFL. Every week it's going to be something different. You've just got to learn from your mistakes, watch the film, and correct the mistakes."

How do you think you played? What was your expectation going in compared to what happened out there?

"You've just got to watch the film. Watch the film, and work on ourselves. I've got to work on myself and get better as a player. As a collective group, we've just got to improve."

How much pressure were the Rams bringing?

"They brought a lot of pressure. They have a good front seven. We've just got to go watch the film and get better."

You say you need to learn from the mistakes. What were the biggest mistakes?

"I've got to look at the film. I don't know off the top of my head, but there were mistakes made and we didn't play good enough to win. So that's one thing we've got to improve upon."

FB Bruce Miller

Postgame Quotes - November 2, 2014

San Francisco 49ers vs. St. Louis Rams

The offense is filled with weapons and the offensive line is filled with capable guys. Is there anything you can put your finger on about why today, in particular, it wasn't clicking?

"I know there are a lot of areas where we can get better and improve. We just have to execute. The plan is proven to be successful. When the play is there we have to make it and take advantage of opportunities. We didn't turn the ball over again. When we don't turn the ball over we're pretty tough to beat, but they just made plays."

How painful is this loss?

"It hurts, especially on the inch yard line going in to score. We feel like the guys we've got up front and the guys we've got carrying the football will punch that in and put the points on the board. I'll have to go back and watch the tape and see what happened, correct it, and move on."

There were three plays that were reviewed and went against you. What is the sense of the officiating or how all these things seem to go against you?

"As always, we just try to control things that we can control. We can't control the referees or what they're calling. We've just got to play the game. Good football teams will overcome officiating. Even if it's not going our way, we were still in a position to win the game no matter what happened earlier in the game. We've got to take advantage of it."

S Eric Reid

Postgame Quotes - November 2, 2014

San Francisco 49ers vs. St. Louis Rams

There was a point in the first half where you were really dominating them on defense-had a couple interceptions. They got that short field and scored on the WR [Kenny] Britt touchdown. Can you tell us anything about what happened on that play? He wound up pretty open.

"Yeah-just a mental error. He got open. The guy didn't cover him. We'll get that corrected. It was a mental mistake."

How does it feel, as a defense, to play that well for almost an entire game and come out with a loss?

"It feels like we lost. It doesn't matter how we played on defense. They scored more points than us. We let them score more points than us. We've got to make more plays, keep the score lower, give the offense more opportunities to have the ball."

You'll know more when you look at film, but in your heart, do you feel like this is all little, correctable stuff? Does any part of you have concerns at where the team is at this part of the season?

"There are mental mistakes that we need to get cleaned up. We're halfway through the season. But, like I said, we caught a tough break. We've just got to come back next week and get a win."

T Joe Staley

Postgame Quotes - November 2, 2014

San Francisco 49ers vs. St. Louis Rams

Was it a good week of practice?

"Yeah, it was a great week of practice."

Does it take you by surprise with this line and group of playmakers?

"Yes. Very much so."

Is it all stuff you guys feel is correctable?

"Yeah. We have all the talent in the world. We've been doing some dumb stuff and they took advantage of it."

When you say dumb stuff, is it penalties?

"Penalties, dumb blocks, dumb techniques, and dumb schemes."

LB Michael Wilhoite

Postgame Quotes - November 2, 2014

San Francisco 49ers vs. St. Louis Rams

You guys let up one touchdown. How do you react to a game like this? How do you come off the field in a game like this when you've overall played pretty well?

"Not very good. Either way, we lost, no matter what the score was, no matter how we played as a defense. It's still a bad feeling when you lose, regardless of how well we played or how bad we played. Either way, a loss is a loss and we're here to win. That's part of this business. If you're not winning, it never feels good."

There were three replay reviews today. All three went against you guys, all three seemed to be really close. Is there a sense that karma is just not on your side or what's the attitude?

"Maybe that's it, maybe that's just we didn't get the breaks today, we just didn't have good luck. Sometimes it happens like that and good teams or great teams are going to fight through that and they're going to find a way to win. We didn't do it today and we have to figure that out. We have to find a way to fight through that. It goes back to the beginning of the season where we're getting called for a bunch of penalties and we were kind of letting that beat us, and we found a way to overcome it. We've got to do it again. That's part of the game."

How did LB Chris Borland do overall?

"Great, great. You guys saw the game like I did, I thought he played great. He made a bunch of big plays, made a bunch of tackles. I think that he's only going to get better like he's doing, and playing good games, so my hat's off to him. I thought he was out there holding his own and more."