49ers-Eagles: All the post-game transcripts from San Francisco's victory

Here ya go! Transcripts galore!

Head Coach Jim Harbaugh
Press Conference - September 28, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Can you talk about the job that the defense did?

"Yeah, the defense turned in a real gem. And they were getting off the field early in the possessions with that no huddle attack. You don't give them the first, the second; first down, the third first down. They were doing a heck of a job getting off between the first first down and the second or none."

Did this feel like a RB Frank Gore kind of game going in, maybe even, especially, because of what happened last week? This one could really have Frank's name on it?

"Yeah, I think a lot of people had great effort and certainly none more than Frank. That first touchdown play we really needed, great effort by him. The speed, the angle, the way he got it in the end zone was something. I didn't think he was going to get it in. But he's a savvy player and made a ‘Frank Gore' play. So yeah, Frank Gore."

What option is he on that play? Is he even supposed to be a part of that play when the quarterback's rolling left?

"Yeah, it turned into a scramble play and [QB Colin] Kap [Kaepernick] did a great job keeping his eyes up field. I had no idea, when he stopped, pulled it up and started to throw, I didn't know where he was going with the ball."

Generally, coaches don't want you to throw the ball the width of the field.

"Across your body?"

Yeah.

"Yeah, across three quarters of the field."

On your back foot. When he throws it are you like, ‘What are you doing?' Or is it because it's Kaepernick he's capable of doing everything?

"I really didn't see Frank. So, I didn't know where he was going with the ball. He did and knew what he was doing. That was a great play. Great play by Colin, great play by Frank. But yeah, back to the defense. Incredible job getting the turnovers, the holding the opposition in terms of yardage, etcetera and also time of possession, I thought was one heck of a job. And we made other mistakes in other phases of the game and I thought the defense really hung in there, sucked it up and kept us in the ballgame."

Were there concepts you were using to make that successful?

"Defensively?"

Yeah, were there concepts you were using? You're right, it was very impressive.

"Within our calls, within our team defense. And I thought the pressure was there, the coverage was there. Some of the things we've been getting criticized for. The lack of a pass rush or the communication in the secondary, and I thought it was a great job by our defense, by our defensive coaches of some real improvement in our football."

Your offense was quite different from last week. You lost a tackle and you lost a tight end and you kept running, and running, and running. Why was that?

"We felt that was going to be a good part of our scheme, running the football. We put [G] Joe Looney--, ready to go as a tight end. I thought he did a real good job, especially when [TE] Vernon [Davis] went down. And guys were coming and going and I thought it was a real good job by our offensive coaches of having those contingency plans in place."

It was the first time LB Aaron Lynch has been the primary guy as the nickel pass rusher. What did you see from his game today?

"Well especially on the, was it the third down play? He was really running, really pursuing and put pressure on the quarterback when he was out of the pocket. I thought he had some other fine plays; physical, power and speed. So, just keep coming Aaron. You're doing a nice job."

Who got the game ball?

"We didn't give one out yet."

Who will get it?

"We'll see. It was a great team effort."

When you sent the offense out on that fourth down near midfield, and then the clock wound down and Colin called a timeout. Did you not want him to call a timeout there?

"No, I wanted to take the delay of game, but I didn't tell him, I didn't tell him that. I got to tell him that. So, that's sloppy play on me. I should have alerted him if we didn't get the offsides to take the delay of game. Sloppy, sloppy coaching on my part."

What about that last challenge, was that done because you didn't think WR Jeremy Maclin caught the ball or --?

"Didn't know. Didn't know if he did or didn't. It would have been an amazing catch for him to catch it. I thought I saw on the replay board that the ball moved and slide a little bit. But great catch by him and would have set up a fourth down. I thought it was worth the challenge."

The Eagles offense didn't get across midfield until like five minutes left in the game. Were you so caught up you didn't realize that or were you understanding that?

"I was understanding. There were other ways they were getting their points, and that was part of their offense not being out on the field. The way they were getting those, got 21 points, their offense wasn't even out there. But the way our defense played and the key stops throughout the game was huge against a really good offense."

You mentioned last week that your team has been in this position before, one and two with two losses in a row. So, what does beating a team that comes in here undefeated, what does that do for team morale at this point?

"It's going to be good for morale, I would suspect. Good for my morale. But we got to keep going."

What did Colin tell you he saw on the interception return? He just didn't see that guy?

"Yeah, he didn't see him. They were playing a man-free coverage. The defender on number two spun off, turned him over to the free player in the middle and I don't think Colin saw him. So, that was a tough one, but our guys overcame a lot as you saw today. There were things that happened in the game. Punt blocked for a touchdown. Rarely, it's tough to come back from that. Punt returned for a touchdown, tough to come back from that. Interception return for a touchdown. Those are tough things to come back from for any football team and I thought our team really sucked it up."

You ever play a half like that where the defense did not allow 21 points? To have a punt blocked for a touchdown--?

"I can't remember one Dennis [O'Donnell], that I've seen. I'm sure it's happened, but I can't remember one. Now I have, saw one today."

The defense is kind of Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio's baby, but obviously he's gone against Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Chip Kelly at Oregon. Did you talk to him at all, just kind of curious, about what he had planned for this game against the Eagles this week?

"I was watching what they were planning, but that's Vic and the defensive coaches making the plans and great job by them. Good to see our team played really good in the second half. Kind of flipped the script a little bit, first half, second half. So, proud of our team, move on."

Any indication on how serious the injuries to Vernon and Anthony Davis might be?

"No, no indications yet. I haven't gotten any yet."

What'd you see from S Antoine Bethea today? How instrumental was he in the defense?

"He was huge. Had some PBU's, had the interception, sharp, crisp tackling, again. I thought both our safety's played really well. And [S] Eric Reid was sucking it up. He was playing, slowed a little bit and he did a nice job. And our corners, our two corners I thought really played well, [CB] Chris [Culliver], and [CB] Perrish [Cox] and [DB] Jimmie [Ward], as well."

Can you talk about the touchdown catch by WR Stevie Johnson? It looked like a great catch, but also keeping the feet inbounds was amazing concentration.

"Yeah, that was something by Stevie and he wasn't feeling real good either. He woke up this morning, had a bug and he sucked it up. There were a lot of examples of that today."

Do you have concerns about your punt team or chalk it up to a couple plays that went wrong?

"You don't want to put the ball on the one yard line and make your team punt. That was not ideal at all. Somehow we got two rushers on [LB Dan] Skuta. I don't know exactly how that transpired, but we'll shore that up. And I didn't know how we got out leveraged and gave up the return on the boundary as well, but we'll get it corrected."

I know Frank always wants to win the game, but did he at all communicate to you or Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman or whoever that he'd like the ball a little bit more this week?

"Frank communicated to the whole team, he didn't care who got the ball, didn't care what the stats were. It's about the team, the team, the team and that's what his message to the team was."

Hard for us to hear in the pressbox, but did it get noisy down there today?

"Yeah, it was. It was noisy today right from the beginning. I thought our crowd did a great job and it feels good. It feels good we got a win for them."

You think it will help the home field advantage?

"That's a good start. Yup."

Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio
Press Conference - September 28, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Very successful day for your defense. What concepts were you using to succeed that way?

"We were just playing a good bit of zone, mixed in a little bit of man. Little bit of pressure, not a lot. Stayed in our base package a lot. Just played stuff that we always play, really."

What did you see just in that game that made you want to give LB Aaron Lynch more of that play at the nickel pass-rusher spot?

"Well, our pass rush hadn't been as good as we liked the past three games. When Aaron has been in there, his has been a little bit better than some of the others. Felt it was justified to play him at this point in time."

What did you see from him today?

"Well, you have to let me watch the tape, but obviously I did feel him come loose there once or twice, but I don't really know how he did overall."

Did you go back and look at the Stanford-Oregon games?

"Did not."

Not at all?

"No."

Philadelphia head coach Chip Kelly's teams scored a lot of points against you at Stanford. Was this especially satisfying to do something like this?

"No, it's another year, another season, new team, new opponent."

You weren't even thinking about it?

"Not at all."

How would you compare this defensive effort to others you've coached here?

"It's up there. I don't know if it's the best. Obviously, that team's moved the ball and scored points on mostly everybody. Somehow, someway today, we found a way to play good defense. It comes down at the end of the game there. I thought we played good when they drove it down to the two-yard line. The guy sticks a hell of a throw and a hell of a catch in there. One other one very similar. I don't think we played bad in that drive. That's just NFL football. The quarterback makes perfect throws, receivers make great catches. Why did it happen then and not earlier in the game? I don't know. Nobody knows that. Things just went our way today. We played good. Our players played great. They deserve all the credit. I really didn't want to come up here. I told Mike Chasanoff to send players in here to you, but he twisted my arm. The players played great."

On the third-and-goal and fourth-and-goal, how well did it go according to plan?

"I don't know if you've ever planned two plays inside the two with the game on the line. But I will tell you this, the two calls that we made on third down and fourth down, we practiced on during the week during those situations."

You talked about that DT Justin Smith play he made in 2011 against this team. It seemed like he was having another really big game. Who stood out to you in this one?

"I don't know without looking at the tape. I think all 11 guys stood out. Everybody that was out there I think played good. You don't hold a team with that fire power and then offensive scheme down the way we did. A little bit of it today, they lost a possession or two in the first half due to the turnover touchdowns. But they still had the ball, I believe, 11 times, which is kind of a normal game."

How important has CB Perrish Cox been? Not only to play at a high level but replacing a starter who's injured?

"Very important. You answered your question with an answer. He's played at a high level. He's got in there and done a really good job."

If someone had told you last night that the Eagles wouldn't cross their 43 [yard line] until four minutes were left in the game, you wouldn't believe that?

"Probably not. That's a weird game where you give up three touchdowns, the team does, when the defense is not on the field. I could remember being involved in one of those but on the other end, where we actually beat a team once when we actually scored three defensive touchdowns. We won, I believe, 24-6 or something like that. But our offense today was able to move the ball eventually, whereas in that game, we never moved it. You never know how these games are going to play out. That's why 16-game stats, games are games. Each game's its own entity."

Can it be hard for defenses sometimes to maintain its focus or intensity when the team is giving up those points that have nothing to do with the defense?

"Maybe initially, when you're sitting on the sideline and you see a touchdown scored without being on the field. I'm sure there's a letdown. I have it, too. I don't like seeing a touchdown scored whether we're on field or whatever. It still goes in their column and not ours. But our guys were pretty resilient. I thought they did a good job of handling the no-huddle and the quick stuff well. We really stressed them on Friday on practice with the tempo and getting the calls in-and-out. Even to the point where we stressed them to where it was above and beyond what they would see and that was the thinking behind that. Thought we handled that part of the game well."

You touched on this earlier. How satisfying is it for your defense and for your group to come out and pitch a shutout today against a team that you mentioned scores all these points?

"It's satisfying. If we would've won today, 45-42 and they were all on us, that's satisfying, too. All it means is that we're 2-2. Our record's going to fall somewhere between 14-2 and 2-14. We just have to get on to the next one. Who knows what next week's will look like."

Was there a particular play today that maybe, with our eyes, we don't notice that was great but you, it stands out to you?

"There probably is if I think hard enough."

There was one screen pass I thought you guys ...

"Yeah. They're a great screen team, both to the backs, to the tight ends, to the receivers. They got one out on us. Luckily, there was a penalty call on that one. I tell you what stands out today - we had no penalties on defense."

RB Frank Gore and QB Colin Kaepernick
Press Conference - September 28, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

RB Frank Gore after last week's frustration, what does this win do for you guys?

Gore: "It's great. We just want to win as a team. We know who we are in the locker room. We know who we've got in the locker room. We've just got to go out there and fight for each other and do whatever it takes, whether it's running or throwing. What counts is the W."

Can you guys just talk about the 55-yard touchdown? Such an odd play.

Gore: "That was just [QB Colin Kaepernick] Kap. He did a great job running around, keeping his eyes down the field. Coach [49ers running backs coach Tom] Rathman told me all week, he keeps telling me all the time when I fake the ball, stay alive for Kap to keep the play alive and get me the ball and he did."

WR Stevie Johnson, I just had a chance to ask him, Colin, he called that play legendary. What did you see when you flushed left across the field? What was your vision?

Kaepernick: "I mean, they dropped eight. We really didn't have the ideal situation when they did that. Stevie did a great job pushing the corner back, coming back to the pylon and giving me the opportunity to make a throw."

Was there ever a point when you let go of that ball that you think maybe it's throwing from the numbers on the one side to the numbers on the other that maybe this isn't the wisest throw to make?

Gore: "His arm's strong enough."

I was talking about Stevie said your touchdown pass to Frank was legendary. That's what I was talking about.

Kaepernick: "Oh. That was a great job by Frank." Gore: "Great job by Kap." Kaepernick: "He broke the tackle and got into the end zone. Putting the ball in 21's hands is a good thing."

Was he yelling or did you see him or how did that work?

Gore: "He saw me." Kaepernick: "Just saw him. He came out the back end, turned back towards me and no one was around."

Did you ever have to make a play like that in college?

Kaepernick: "I don't think I've ever had one quite like that."

How do you balance the creativity that you show on a play like that versus trying to rein it in and make sure you don't make mistakes as well?

Kaepernick: "It really just depends on what the situation is and what the play is going to give to us. Got flushed on that play, so at that point you have to try to make something happen."

Frank, there was a lot of talk this week about this team maybe having an identity crisis on offense and getting away from who you guys are. Did you feel that way and do you feel like today you got back to who you are?

Gore: "I just think as a team we've got so many weapons. I think we've just got to do whatever it takes. Coach [49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman] G-Ro calls a pass or a run, we've just got to fight for each other and get it done. We've got to talk and then do it. We've just got to go out there and do it. It was a tough game, but a great win. Philly is a great team. With our backs against the wall, it was a must win."

Frank, did you have an idea going in, knowing this game you might get the ball a little more with just the way the game plan was?

Gore: "Like I said, I'm a football player. I just want to play football. Like I tell my coach, when I'm in the game I'm going to do whatever it takes to help my team get a victory."

What'd you see from FB Bruce Miller today? How was he helping you out?

Gore: "Bruce is very smart. He played a great game. He reads defenses like I do so that helps me out a lot. How the defense moves, he sees the same thing. So, that's why we were successful in the run game. Also, my O-line did a great job blocking, blocking downfield receivers. We played as one. I think this game moving forward you'll see a lot of that."

Colin, what kind of statement did you guys make coming out in the second half scoring the points that you guys did knowing that the second half so far up until this point had been a struggle for you guys?

Kaepernick: "I think it was just something that we had to do. We knew we could. We just had to go out and get it done at that point."

Colin, you guys had played a lot of games at Candlestick, you and Frank. What's the atmosphere been like so far here? Is it a comfort zone now even though you've only been here a few times? Do you feel like it's got that same kind of intensity?

Kaepernick: "It's a great atmosphere. I feel like it's louder than Candlestick to be honest. The fans helped us being loud, rooting for us today the way they did. It's great when you have that behind you."

Colin, what happened with some of the clock management issues and calling the time out? Why did you call that timeout when you tried to draw them off?

Kaepernick: "That's our base rule. If we try to draw them off and we don't get it then we call a timeout."

49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said that it was sloppy coaching on his part to not articulate that to you. Did you guys talk about that on the sideline after that?

Kaepernick: "We talk about everything on the sideline."

What happened on your interception?

Kaepernick: "Had man coverage. The guy fell off of the inside slant and made a good play."

Can you talk about going away from the five-wide set that you had last week? This week was a lot different.

Kaepernick: "This week we had good looks to run the ball and give it to Frank. It was working. He was carrying the ball well. Our offensive line was blocking well. So, we were going to stick with it."

S Antoine Bethea
Press Conference - September 28, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Did your ankle bother you at all?

"No, not at all. I'll see it by tomorrow and Tuesday."

How important to you was it to get that 100^th start in-a-row?

"It was important to me, man. That's something I hold close, dear to my heart. Just being reliable, being able to have my coaches and teammates to rely on me week-in and week-out. That's something I've really held onto my career so far."

Can you talk about the two plays - the forced fumble and then the interception?

"Forced fumble, just running to the ball, trying to make a tackle and I was able to get my hand in. It's something that we focus on throughout the week, forcing turnovers. And then the pick, was able to go up there and [DT] Justin Smith was able to get some pressure on the quarterback and I was able to go up and make a play."

Since Philadelphia head coach Chip Kelly got there last year, they've put up some pretty big offensive numbers. Did you see weaknesses or things you could exploit or was there things on the film that gave you confidence going into this game?

"I think for us, we have a good defense over there. The main thing for us was just communication. When you watch the film, like you said, it's a great offense on that side of the ball. But a lot of the times where they get the defenses, a defense, maybe, somebody busts a coverage here and there or maybe the lineman are not in a gap or two. So, the big thing for us was, if we can line up and communicate well, we'll be fine with this offense."

Is communication something that's been coming? I mean, there's a lot of new parts in the secondary. Is it something that every game you're getting better at?

"Yeah. Every week you're going to get better out there practicing, communicating with one another in the film room, seeing different plays and just knowing  how each other is going to react off one another. That's something that we'll continue to get better at throughout the year."

What made the goal-line stand work?

"Again, communication. Throughout the week, we kind of knew when they get into certain formations, what type of plays they will run. But the biggest thing is just communicating across the board and just making sure everybody was in the right place. And obviously, as you can see, we had everybody in the right place and we was able to get off the field."

On third-down you got into the quarterback's face, right?

"Yeah."

Was that a blitz or was that --

"A call? Yeah. That was called and everybody performed their responsibilities well."

What does a game like this against a team like this do to a locker room?

"Of course, it's going to make us feel good coming off two tough losses. But at the end of the day, it's still one game. We're 2-2. We got 12 games left. Great teams are able to stack wins on top of each other, and that's what we need to do. Don't get me wrong, this win feels great. We break this two-game losing streak. But we got to continue to work and continue to get better."

You made a number of plays. What do you think was your best play?

"I'm not sure. I don't know."

One you're most proud of?

"I don't know. All of them."

How would you describe what Friday's practice looked like? Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said he really tried to stress you guys with tempo that day?

"Yeah, that's exactly what it was. It was very loud. He was calling in calls real late so the players would have to kind of scramble to get the plays and communicate. Made it real easy for us today on Sunday. I think that was a great coaching move by coach Vic."

You and CB Perrish Cox collided on that possible interception earlier in the year, but it didn't happen today. And then you were also together on that fumble. What's it like working with him and what's that communication like?

"Oh, man, P, he's a great player. Fortunately with the injuries, he's been able to get on the field. And since he's been able to get on the field, he's been making plays. I heard him talking about the Chicago play, and how as a team we were getting on him. But I like that, though. Two teammates going, fighting for the ball and they're just trying to make plays. I appreciate his style of play, the way that he plays the game and hopefully we'll just continue to do that throughout the year."

Did you really think you could keep this team's offense out of the end zone?

"Of course. That's what you play defense for. That's why you play the game. We don't come out here on the field and say, ‘Okay, we're going to let them score a touchdown.' You come out here to keep the team out of the end zone and a doughnut on the scoreboard."

What's the key to tackling Philadelphia running back LeSean McCoy?

"It's a team effort. Everybody has to run to the ball. Everybody has to play their leverage. When you're that guy at the point of contact, you got to be squared and you got to form tackle."

Two big stops: third-down and fourth-down. How surprised were you LeSean McCoy didn't get the ball down there?

"They have a lot of weapons on that side of the ball. That's up to Philly's offensive coordinator and all that. We just come out and play ball. Wherever we see the ball, we just go get it."

Philadelphia receiver Jeremy Maclin didn't get going until really late in the game. Did you guys have any particular strategies against him in coverage?

"No, not at all. Coach Vic called the calls and the defense, we did a great job playing our responsibilities."

WR Anquan Boldin
Postgame Quotes - September 28, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The 49ers seemed to get back to their strengths. Power, keep persisting. Did it feel that way to you?

"I think we did a nice job, especially getting the running game going. Going back to [RB] Frank [Gore], that's a guy we have to stick with. He's Frank Gore, he's a guy you want to see with the ball in his hands. I thought we did a nice job offensively, but I think the defense played a heck of a game. If you look at it they really shut them out. If they don't score on the blocked punt, the return touchdown and then the pick-six, they don't get anything."

How was it trying to get any kind of flow with a first half like that? Things were kind of disjointed a little bit.

"We just figured at some point you've just got to play football. Despite all the crazy stuff that happened in the first half, at some point things are going to settle down and you've just got to play football."

You talked about getting the ball back to Frank. Do you think you set that in motion now?

"Yeah, I think so. That was our mindset, just getting him back on the ball and getting him touches, making sure we controlled the line of scrimmage."

When you see a turnover like when [S Antoine] Bethea stripped the receiver and then Parish Cox has the fumble recovery to put you in good field position, did you feel the momentum really switch at that point in the game?

"Yeah, I think so. Football has its ebbs and flows. You have to stick it out. You have to continue to stay on course. I think we did that. We were lucky enough to get a couple of turnovers and turn things that way."

G/T Alex Boone
Postgame Quotes - September 28, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

On being able to establish the run today:

"It's who we are and I'm happy to be back to that. That is our identity and we need to run the ball like that every week. It's no surprise and it was a good day for [RB] Frank [Gore] and a good day for the offensive line and a great day for [QB Colin] Kap [Kaepernick]. A win is a win."

What is halftime like in here when you guys are struggling with some problems, turnovers and them getting touchdowns on special teams?

"I can't speak for special teams, but I know on the offense we just said that we were going to go out there and run the ball. We took care of business and to go out and rush for over 200 yards in an NFL game is huge. We did a great job today."

We saw both backs; RB Carlos Hyde and RB Frank Gore going back and forth. Do you think that helps you guys, or gives you a little bit of an edge, the fact that they couldn't load up on one guy?

"Yeah, I think that any time you have two great backs it's always going to work in your favor. They both did a great job today. They were both very physical and I'm very proud of them."

This is one of those things where the losses have been tough, so you just get a win any way you can get it?

"This is about us being back to who we are. Now we have to keep building on it, keep rolling and realize that we have a tough team coming to town in Kansas City. We have to just go out and continue to build on what we have done so far."

LB Ahmad Brooks
Postgame Quotes - September 28, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

You overcame adversity and were relentless in the second half. Talk about the mindset of the team.

"We were desperate to get this win. Losing two straight games to conference teams, we needed to get back on track. We just needed to get back to the basics. It all comes down to winning."

Did the bad taste from last week's game fuel the fire a little bit?

"Most definitely. We know we should have won those games. Those games that we lost, we should have won, but we didn't. We needed to get back on track, get this win and get back to doing what we normally do. It's been kind of dull in the locker room and on the practice field because we've been losing. We've got to relax. It's the beginning of the season; we've still got a dozen games left. We've just got to keep working and trying to improve."

With the early mistakes, was there more pressure on the defense to have to step up?

"Oh yes, of course. It's a team sport. People make mistakes. You can't criticize everyone for every little mistake that they make. We all make mistakes. That's when you have your teammate, your buddy, your friend, and the person right beside you to pick you up, lift you up and help you out. That's what we were able to do today."

Everyone stayed friends and buddies despite the couple of struggling games?

"Yeah, people might point fingers here and there. But, at the end of the day, we control our own destiny. The coaches, they're here to coach. But we're here as players to execute what they give us to execute. We've got to make the best out of it. We haven't been performing like we normally perform. We took the onus on ourselves to handle the responsibility of getting the win."

Is everyone on the same page - players and coaching staff?

"Yeah, even when we lost those two games, it was just a breakdown. We didn't play all four quarters. We were winning but we didn't sustain the wins. Every year is a new team. You've still got your core guys. You've got new faces year in and year out. This is a new team, so we're trying to find our identify as the 2014-2015 San Francisco 49ers."

CB Perrish Cox
Press Conference - September 28, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Can you talk about how the game has changed for you this year?

"No, the only thing that has changed is that I am on the field. Coach always talks to me about staying ready. You never know when your time will come. I just want to make the most out of it when I get the chance."

Nice to just have the ball pop into your arms and be inbounds. Did you know everything was good on that play?

"I didn't really expect that. I was going for the hit and at the last minute, I saw the ball pop out and made the play."

Did you see S Antoine Bethea let off a little bit on the deep interception you had?

"I did. I saw him at the last minute as I was about to go up for the ball. He was coming down real hard and had a good angle on the ball. We'll share this one as a team."

No penalties and pitching a shutout today on defense. How satisfying is that for you as a defensive unit to play that kind of game against that kind of team?

"It is very satisfying. We gave up plenty of yards these last two weeks on just penalties. A few third and longs, some hands to the face, a couple illegal touchings down field. Those are tough and tiring at the same time. To go out and hold a great offense like they have, with the tempo they play, to a shutout, it feels good."

What can you say about the tempo the Eagles play with on offense?

"It was crazy. There were a couple plays where they would run a deep post, and already have a new set of receivers on the field for the next play. It is tough to get back to the line of scrimmage and get your next play called when they are already ready to go. As a whole, I think we handled it pretty well. We had a good week of practice and obviously, it showed out there today."

What happened on the goal line stand?

"The two calls we had, those were actually the only two calls we went over in practice. Obviously, it worked out perfect."

What did you do on those plays?

"On the first one, I had the flats. On the second, we just worked together as a whole unit."

Was it kind of surreal to see 21 points up on the board but the defense hadn't surrendered any?

"As a defense, we always stay positive and stay together. We are always talking to each other, telling each other to just play our game. If we continue stopping them, our offense and special teams will get it going. That is what we did."

You mentioned that Friday practice where you guys were running up and down pretty good. Aren't Friday practices usually a lot more casual than that?

"It depends. This week, we knew we were going against an up tempo, no huddle offense. It was just one of those weeks. It started off Tuesday and continued all week to get ready for the Eagles."

Did you have a lot of confidence in your scheme that you could do a good job against that potent offense?

"We always come in with a lot of confidence. I think these past two weeks, those games we were up going into the half. We just didn't finish. All week long, we wanted to finish. Just keep pounding. Like I said, as a team, we did it together."

Head coach Jim Harbaugh mentioned that S Eric Reid was kind of slowed up by injury. Did that change any of your responsibilities in the secondary?

"Just like I said after recent games, we have a next man up mentality. Earlier this week, we had another safety come in and play a lot of snaps in [S] Craig Dahl. We are always ready for anything."

RB Carlos Hyde
Postgame Quotes - September 28, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

How about the play of RB Frank Gore, over 100 yards again?

"That was huge. I get excited when I see Frank. I call Frank my big brother, so when I see him out there getting explosive runs then I get excited and I want to get a piece of that."

Late in the game you must have had a thought of "here we go again," where the other team is heading to the end zone and you guys think you need one more shot?

"I was just thinking I've seen the defense get a goal line stop before. I just felt like their back was against the wall and I felt like they were going to execute and that's exactly what they did."

How are you feeling in this offense now? Where do you think you are?

"I really can't tell you. Whenever coach calls me to go in I just try to execute and do my job right."

Did it feel like you guys left a few points out on the board as an offense for it to be as close as it was in the end?

"It felt like we were up by 21. I looked up and we were only up by five. I thought, ‘man I felt like we scored way more.' But, you're right those field goals we need to convert those field goals into touchdowns. When we get into the red zone and score touchdowns."

FB Bruce Miller
Postgame Quotes - September 28, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

At first there were some issues at the beginning, but you guys persevered. Do you think that wound up being a big difference in the game?

"Yeah, number one our defense played outstanding. Most of the time, you're not supposed to win games like that if you give up a blocked punt for a touchdown and give up a punt return for a touchdown. It doesn't usually go in your favor, but the defense played great, our offense kept fighting and we were able to persevere. We struggled a little bit early, but we put up enough points and the defense shut them down."

On the blocked punt, do you think that was just a case of the Eagles just having a good scheme? Because it looked like they had a push up the middle and there weren't enough guys to block.

"They run the same scheme that we do on our punt protection, so they understand what gives our punt team some problems in protections. That's what they did and we have got to be a bit firmer when we are backed up that far and there's not a lot of space. That time they were able to get some penetration and make a play."

Can you talk about the success you guys had running the ball today and the factor it can have moving forward?

"We just have guys up front that move the line of scrimmage and backs that if you give them a crease, they will find the hole and pick up positive yards. That's what our focus was today. We didn't want to have a lot of negative plays and I don't think we did. We had a lot of positives, always chipping away with one, two, three yards and then later those turn into five, 10-yarders. That's what you have to do against a good defense that is sound in their scheme. You've just got to keep chipping away, chipping away and because of that, we were able to get the win."

S Eric Reid
Postgame Quotes - September 28, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

When you were coming into the game what was going to be the key? What did you want to focus on?

"The key this week was to tackle #25 [RB LeSean McCoy], which we did, and stay tight in coverage, which we did. We had a great outing today. We've got to put this behind us and get another one next week."

What was the feeling like going into the locker room having 21 points on Philadelphia's scoreboard but the defense hadn't given up a point?

"We've just got to keep fighting. Things happen during the course of the game, but you can't let that affect the next play. We gave up two touchdowns on special teams. We just had to keep making plays and we did that."

Talk about the series at first-and-goal within the 5. Philadelphia had a chance to win the game. Expand on that.

"We stepped up. That was a huge play and probably our best defensive series of the year. We've just got to keep building off of it. We increased our record to 2-2 but it's just beginning. We've got to win a lot more games."

What about the defense being put into some high-pressure situations and answering, despite not being on the field much in the game?

"The second-to-last drive when they got down to the red zone, they started moving the ball well. We kept fighting. We had the goal-line stand and we got off the field. Guys stepped up and made plays for us."

What were you doing to diminish their passing lanes? They didn't get a clean look at any of those pass attempts.

"Guys played their techniques and they played it well. We depended on each other. I think this is the best we've played as a whole defense thus far this season. We just need to keep building off of that."

LB Dan Skuta
Postgame Quotes - September 28, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

How were you able to be so successful at stopping their running game, specifically containing RB LeSean McCoy?

"The safeties and I were talking the whole game about different ways to make sure we kept LeSean in the box, because of the way he was bouncing outside. He's really good at doing that, so we really talked the whole game about making sure we had an edge set and I think for the most part, we did a pretty good job. There was maybe one or two times where he got out there on us, but he's a great player, so that is going to happen."

Can you talk about the play of the defense today overall?

"It was great. We battled the whole game through adversity and maybe going through those first couple of games made us stronger today because no one ever batted an eye. We just kept fighting the whole game like we know how to do."

What are your thoughts on being able to hold head coach Chip Kelly's offense scoreless?

"It was big and obviously we had to do it today because in other parts of it, me included on the punt team, we didn't do as good of a job. That means our defense has to play like that when that's going on, so it was big."

There's a monkey off your back, but now you have Chiefs QB Alex Smith coming to town, so can you talk about Alex's return and the Chiefs?

"I don't personally know Alex, but from what I remember, they have a great offense and I'm sure he's going to be fired up and ready to go, so it should be a lot of fun."

T Joe Staley
Postgame Quotes - September 28, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The 49ers seemed to get back to their strengths -- power, keep persisting. Did it feel that way to you?

"We have a lot of guys that can fit roles with whatever we want to do on offense. We knew going in we wanted to control possession and control the clock. That entails running the ball and having success getting three yards on first down, four yards on second down and creating third-and-twos, third-and-three situations and converting. Then going back to the drawing board and having those long, sustained drives. We did that today. That was one of the game plans going in."

Could you talk about the gap runs and constantly moving forward, not getting pushed back?

"We want to do everything. We ran a lot of gap stuff; we ran a lot of outside stuff like the outside cut. [QB Colin] Kaepernick had a big play on third down for us. We wanted those positives plays. A two-yard play is positive. A four-yard play puts us at four and manageable instead of third and 15."

There was a lot of talk about an identity crisis. Do you think you got back to the identity of who you are?

"We never really felt like we had an identity crisis. If you look back at what we did against Arizona, those four or five wide receiver sets were very successful against them. We were able to move the ball really well using that personnel group. We're all about creating an advantage for what we can do offensively and that's what I like about this offense. We'll do whatever we have to do to get a win and this week it was controlling the line of scrimmage." 

Why did you feel you could do this against Philadelphia?

"It was something we had to do because their offense is so explosive. When they get going and get one first down, two first downs, three first downs, with the way their tempo goes, it wears down a defense. One of the things to counter that is to have a long, sustaining drive and run short, quick passes and so that was what we were going for."

LB Michael Wilhoite
Postgame Quotes - September 28, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

That first half, what was it like for the defense to come into the locker room having not given up a point, but the Eagles had three touchdowns on the board?

"It was like nothing. It was basically like let's keep doing what we're doing. We're playing good defense. We can't control what's going on on offense or special teams, we've just got to keep playing good football. And we knew the offense would come through for us at some point. They always do. And we knew the special teams would come through for us at some point. They always do. We were confident. We came into halftime on defense confident. We're doing the right thing. You've just got to keep playing good football, keep making stops."

Maybe the biggest defensive stand of the year obviously was the first and goal for Philadelphia that basically iced the game.

"Yeah, it was very big. We kind of had an idea of what they might do and coach [defensive coordinator Vic Fangio] called a very good call to combat, twice, to combat what they did. We were all on the right guys. We all played in the right spots and he had nowhere to go with it and threw it out of the end zone I think twice when they were down there. When they're thrown out of the end zone, that means we're doing what we're supposed to do, we're where we were supposed to be and we're covering who we're supposed to cover."

The significance of the win. How big is the win?

"It's a win. It's a long season. Just like those last two games, we never made a real big deal. We said, ‘We lost them. We've got to come back and go to work and learn from it.' It's the same with a win. We play next Sunday and we play here. It's the same thing. We've got to go back to the film, learn from the mistakes and become a better team. The thing about the NFL is the teams that continue to get better each game are the teams that are playing at the end of the year, and that's our goal. We've just got to keep getting better."

LB Patrick Willis
Press Conference - September 28, 2014
San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

How do you keep from getting frustrated when your defense is playing a dominant game but you look up and they have 21 points?

"I don't think you get frustrated. You just continue to motivate one another and tell each other that it is a sixty minute ball game and continue to fight."

When they were driving down those final few minutes, were you getting nervous that you guys were going to suffer the same fate as you did the last two weeks?

"No, we weren't nervous at all. You can't think about them scoring. The only thing on your mind should be ‘they cannot score'. I feel like that was the mindset of our defense. We did a great job collectively as a group and we didn't let them in."

What made that goal line stand so successful?

"I don't know if anyone noticed or not, but AB [S Antoine Bethea] came up and made a tackle that was unbelievable. I told him that was one of the best plays I've seen in a while. It was just a heck of a play. I saw one thing inside, but they kept it outside. AB just made a heck of a play. The guys did a great job in coverage. Like I said, it was just a great overall team defensive stand."

Was that kind of the goal to get pressure up front and use the coverage in the back to eliminate the deep pass from Eagles QB Nick Foles?

"I feel like we had a great week of practice. [Defensive Coordinator] Coach Vic [Fangio] and the defensive coaches did a great job preparing us. All week, we worked on the super-fast tempo that they run. I remember Coach Vic talking to us last night and saying ‘we made practice a little faster than it might be in the game, but we wanted to make sure we were prepared.' We did a great job of communicating, staying together and playing team defense."

How were you able to nullify their running backs and make the running game a non-factor all game long?

"I think our guys did a great job of playing together. We noticed on film that they do a lot of stuff in that up-tempo offense. All it takes is for one guy to be in the wrong place and they will expose it. I felt like today, we did a great job communicating and making sure we played our defense the way it is supposed to be played."

Are you amazed how often Vic tells you expect something in a certain point of the game and it happens that way?

"This is my fourth season with Coach V now. After the first week of the season in 2011, I knew right there that if we listened, he was going to have us right and have us prepared. He has been at it the last four years with us, and he always has us ready to play."

Was that the case during the goal line stand?

"At the end of the day, Coach [Fangio] makes the calls and puts in the best call that he feels his needed at that point. From there, it is up to us to play. I feel like our guys did a great job of executing to get that stop."

You mentioned Antoine's tackle on the goal line, but he also chased down Eagles RB LeSean McCoy in the open field many times. What did you see from him as a tackler being able to rally to the ball and make those impressive stops?

"Words can't describe some of the plays he made out there today. He was all over the place. There is no question that if I could give a defensive game ball, it would absolutely go to our secondary, him in particular. [CB Perrish] Cox, [S Eric] Reid, [CB Chris] Culliver - they all did a great job. Today was a great team win for us but we are humbled by it. We know we have a big game next week that we need to win. As good as this game feels right now, if we don't take care of next week, it is not going to feel all that good. We need to make sure we stay focused and have that same kind of focus next week."

In your heart, did you really believe you could keep that offense out of the end zone?

"In my heart, I felt like we could win this game. Whatever it took. If they scored 50 points and we scored 51, or if they scored seven points and we scored 10. I just felt like we could win this game and that is all the matters at that end of the day."