Assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka

Q: I'm sure it's a challenge for a veteran to have sort of a rotating cast of skill players around him. What's your advice to (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart) now with (running back) Cam (Skattebo) out? Obviously he's been without (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers) and people coming in and out of his world.

KAFKA: The one thing I'm really proud of is how our guys have handled it. The coaches getting guys ready, and having that next man up mentality. Honestly, the next guy that has to go into the game, understanding what he has to do on any given play, and then going and executing. Jaxson's done a great job of kind of getting everyone on the same page. Whether he's meeting with them extra or talking to them on the sideline, just those open lines have been great in getting everyone on the same page.

Q: How big of a loss is Skatt, just with the relationship that he has with Jaxson?

KAFKA: I think we all feel for Skatt and what he meant to the team, the offense, the energy he brought. I wish him a speedy recovery. He's been around the building a couple times too, so it's been good to see him. He keeps the guys spirits high, which has been good. But yeah, you have a guy like that that gets hurt in that kind of way, it's certainly a downer. But again, (running back Tyrone) Tracy (Jr.), (running back Devin Singletary) Motor, those guys are going to step up and do a heck of a job in terms of carrying the load in the run game, in the pass game. They do a phenomenal job, and they're pros, right? I mean, these guys are starters in the league and we have full confidence in those two.

Q: What is the challenge for those two guys, given what Skatt had brought to you guys? I mean, they're different kind of players, different kind of personalities, different styles. How difficult is that, and what's the challenge with it?

KAFKA: It's really for any time we get a guy in the game, we want to build that play, that system around the strengths of those players. So, whether it's Tracy, whether it's Motor, we go back and we say, we know who these players are. They've been with us now for a little while, so we understand what they're good at, we understand where their strengths and weaknesses are and so we try to put them in the best position to be successful.

Q: Does it make it easier? I know you said next man up, but does it make it easier with those guys stepping up, knowing what they can do in this offense already?

KAFKA: Certainly, certainly. It's certainly easier than when you get a guy off the street and don't really know much about him besides for maybe just the tape you watched on him. So yeah, having those guys over the course of the last few years, understanding who they are is certainly a little bit easier, yeah.

Q: You've had (wide receiver) Wan'Dale (Robinson) the whole time he's been here, but what has he shown you since Malik went down? What has he shown you in terms of taking it to the next level?

KAFKA: I think Wan'Dale is probably, he is our most consistent receiver in terms of assignment, in terms of detail, in terms of knowledge of the offense. He's been here, he has a lot of time on task on it. We're playing him in a bunch of different spots, inside, outside, motions. Over the course of the years, you've seen him in the backfield too. So, he does a lot for us, he's a critical piece of that, and he does a great job, whether we're in different personnel groupings. I mean, he talks with everybody and communicates really at a high level. Really, he's one of those main pieces, main cogs of the offense that kind of keeps this thing going.

Q: What do you think (wide receiver) Ray-Ray McCloud can give to this offense? You've seen him for a couple weeks here now.

KAFKA: He's done a good job on the practice squad. The time around it, I noticed some familiarity with the offense over the course of the last couple years. You can see that already, you can see some of the carryover. So, it's been good to have him out there and see him run around a little bit.

Q: I don't know if you know (49ers defensive coordinator Robert) Saleh at all from circles, but what are you seeing in what he's bringing to that defense?

KAFKA: I have a lot of respect for Coach Saleh and the detail, the way he approaches the game, how he coaches it. These guys are playing their butt off. They've had to deal with some injuries over the course of the last few weeks, but he's got these same guys, new guys coming in or veteran guys stepping in, he's got these guys playing fast, aggressive. You see it, it's all over the tape, so it's a good challenge for us. It'll be a great challenge for us and our offense to make sure we know where these guys are at and then go and execute.

Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen

BOWEN: Obviously Sunday, didn't coach well enough, didn't play well enough, tough to win games when you give up that many yards on the ground, the explosive runs. We have another big challenge this week. We're going to have to get things fixed. There's a variety of issues I would say that showed up kind of throughout the game that reared their head, but confident we can get them fixed. Went through them with the guys, got to get back to work on the field, working through those things, but confident we can get them fixed. But again, a big challenge this week. We're going to have to be ready to go, obviously, with this 49ers offense.

Q: Obviously, Denver and last week were different circumstances. But when you look at 71 points in five quarters, as defensive coordinator, what is that?

BOWEN: Yeah, it's disappointing. It's disappointing, it's frustrating. And then you go back to the five before that and there's zero points, right? So, it's been a drastic change here. I think just with our guys, making sure we're getting back to who we are, right? And what we want to be about and don't let one thing snowball on us and keep playing, keep finding solutions, keep working on the practice field. And I'm confident that we're going to do that this week.

Q: Who are you? What do you want to be about?

BOWEN: Yeah, I want to be about effort, finish, physicality, speed, flying around to the football, back to the play style. Let's make it more about the play style. We have to get the fundamentals fixed. We have to make sure we're looking at the right guy. We have to have the right technique in man coverage, all that type of stuff. But let's make sure we don't lose sight of the play style and what that is.

Q: It was only a couple weeks ago that (cornerback) Deontae Banks was out of the rotation. And second half of the last game, he's your number one corner and could be again if those two guys aren't practicing. How did he respond in those two weeks to losing his spot and now all of a sudden here he is at one again?

BOWEN: Yeah, I think he's been good even throughout training camp when they were battling it out, him and (cornerback Cor'Dale) Flott. I think he's been engaged. He has, he's been engaged. He comes in, he works every day. Never going to be perfect with any of these guys. There's always plays, but I do think he's taking the next step. And just being a pro in what it takes week in and week out.

Q: When you say the run defense, there's some things you're looking at. What are you seeing common wise in maybe these five quarters that's been an issue that you want to address?

BOWEN: Yeah, I think specifically on Sunday, it was probably one of our worst tackling games. I think tackling showed up. I think just making sure we're defined in where we're at in terms of gap control. Not lying to the guys behind us, it gets a little gray, then it gets a little loose. And then good backs find it, and they exploit it. So, making sure we're doing a good job of being where we're supposed to be, controlling our gaps. And a few calls there, pressure, we got caught behind on a couple of those. Good job by them, give credit to them, what they did. And I thought they did a good job mixing it. It was inside, it was outside. Just having to defend the whole field in terms of the run game and what that was on Sunday. But again, a lot of different things. It's not one group, it's not one guy, it's not the players, it's everybody. All of us together in this thing and things we have to get fixed as we go here.

Q: What is not lying to the guys behind us on gap control?

BOWEN: Yeah, I think just making sure my hat is where it's supposed to be. Because you have the second level, you have the third level guys, and you start getting nosy. You start playing peekaboo a little bit in there, like I'm going to show up and then the guy doesn't really know how to fit off and then it just gets a little bit loose.

Q: How much does not having a corner who travels with a number one receiver, which you did a little bit last year and you've done a lot with the (cornerback Paulson) Adebo. How much does that change what's happening in the secondary?

BOWEN: Yeah, I think it's week to week. I mean, that's something we look at every week. And a lot of that depends on who we're going against, and the skill sets of our personnel as well. So, it's something we look at week to week that we have to kind of make a decision on as we go.

Q: You say it's not one guy, everyone understands that. But what's the balance between making a change, taking someone out of the lineup whois not performing versus sticking with them and having faith that they'll turn around?

BOWEN: Yeah, I think if there's a consistent lack of production, so to speak, I think that's something you look at. I think right now for us, it's holistic. We have to make sure every single person, including myself, is doing a better job at executing our job play in and play out.

Q: How much more difficult does it make when you say it is everything and there's not just one thing you can pinpoint?

BOWEN: Yeah, no, I get you, and I get your point. I think each play is different, it's a one off here, it's a one off there. I wouldn't say consistently that we're lying to the guy behind us. Consistently we're, obviously last week we missed more tackles than we had, right? But there's some good parts of that too, where guys are showing up and making some plays and there is a little bit more consistency. So, to me, it's more consistency across the board with those things that we're kind of pinpointing, because you never know. You never know the play where it's going to show up and it's going to cost you.

Q: When you look at (San Francisco 49ers running back Christian) McCaffrey, obviously his numbers speak for themselves, but what makes him so dangerous in your eyes and how difficult is that to deal with?

BOWEN: Yeah, he can do it all. They got a really good scheme. He can run outside, he's got speed. He can run downhill and find creases. He can jump cut, great vision. Obviously, what he can do out of the backfield is an issue, creating matchups that way for him, getting him the ball in space, let him do his thing. So, they use him a lot of different ways and he's very effective at all of them.

Q: A lot of the damage has come to the edges, right, to the outside. They ran the pin and pull a lot against you guys. They had a lot of success. What are the coaching points for you just to make sure that you could stop that?

BOWEN: Yeah, I think we have to make sure we're showing up and setting good edges out there, whoever it is. It's not always the OLB, it's not always the safety, it's not always the corner, the inside backer. Everybody's responsible at some point to be an edge setter, just based on how they're scheming you and what they're trying to do. I think we have to make sure we're running. We have to see the path of the back, that tells you a lot. Making sure we're running, just in terms of are we getting downhill? Are we having to play over the top of a bunch of moving parts? Seeing those things and then finding ways to get hats to the ball. Again, they're trying to get it out there, I think, to create some one-on-one tackles.

Q: What's your take on the tush push, given what they did last week?

BOWEN: Yeah, I mean, heck of a play by (outside linebacker) Kayvon (Thibodeaux).

Q: Seeing that the refs had a difficult time officiating it, does that make you think that it should be taken out of the game?

BOWEN: I'm controlling what I can control.

Special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial

Q: How is it having (kicker) Graham (Gano) back?

GHOBRIAL: Great, I thought he did a nice job last week. Going into the week, obviously seeing him kick during the week gave us some conviction that he was going to have success. Obviously, Graham has done it a long time in this league. Him getting ready for that game, I know meant a lot to him, meant a lot to this organization. He felt like he was in a good place, we felt like he was in a good place, and it was cool to see him execute with some points.

Q: Did you change anything with his weekly workload to just make sure he's able to get through the next nine, 10 weeks?

GHOBRIAL: We're going to exhaust every option in terms of just making certain that he is consistent and healthy every week. I know that's something that he loves to stay connected to as well, making sure he takes care of his body. So, whether it's monitoring some of the reps he's taking, but at the end of the day, he still needs to get enough reps in those practices to make sure that he feels ready for the game and I don't think you can shortchange that by truly cutting those reps by a lot.

Q: You'll stay with (punter) Jamie (Gillan) on kickoff?

GHOBRIAL: Yeah, I think Jamie has done a really nice job throughout the year on kickoffs. Obviously, if Graham needs to go in there, he will. Both those guys, like I say, have the ability to do so. Graham has no restrictions in terms of game day. So, if we need him to play that, he will. Like I said, Jamie, I think, has done a nice job throughout the year. I think it's a huge pro for us when your punter can do kickoffs. Not necessarily to say that it alleviates the stress off a kicker to do that, but just because Jamie has shown to do a good job of it this year. Then when Graham has had his opportunities to do so as well, he's done a nice job as well. So, it's good to have two guys up on game day that have the ability to do so.

Q: How comfortable are you to have him do that full time? I'm talking about Jamie and the kickoffs; this gives Graham an opportunity to sort of stay healthy. Those are extra kicks he doesn't have to take.

GHOBRIAL: I think at the end of the day, when a player shows up to game day and he is healthy, he has to be able to do everything that is necessary to win the game. So, if he needed to go in on kickoff, I don't think he would bat an eye. I truly believe that last week, he truly believed that he was ready to do both field goals and kickoffs. Not going with Graham on kickoffs last week wasn't indicative of trying to keep him healthy per se. It was more so Jamie has done a nice job, and again, as long as Jamie's doing a nice job, that's something he could obviously own. But if Graham needed to do it, whether it be this game, next game, down the line in the season, I think he feels convicted that his body's in the right place, his mentality's in the right place, that he'd be able to execute some of those kickoffs. The other thing that you're seeing across the league now, the last couple years when people were trying to execute with hang time, that took a lot more effort of swinging into the ball. Kickers, when they had to let their coverage team have time to get downfield, they had to put more into the ball. Now you're seeing all these kickers three to five yards away from the ball. So, when they're three to five yards away from the ball, that swing becomes a little bit more effortless. It's just like tapping a soccer ball. So, it's not as taxing to those kickers as kicking two years ago, when you had to kick that hang time, where that was a lot more force coming into the ball to try and get more hang time.

Q: Like approach, just more force?

GHOBRIAL: Yeah, so what I mean is because hang time is now irrelevant with those kickoffs, it is more so placement. Because placement is more of a premium than hang time, they don't have to be as far away from the ball. When you're not far away from the ball, you're not going to generate as much force into the ball. Two years ago, when you were trying to get more hang time on the ball, you had to back up from the ball. Then you're bringing more speed into the ball and when you're swinging, it's more violent. So, if you looked at a kicker two years ago, when they would swing on a kickoff, most kickers are landing on their kicking leg, because all their momentum is going that way, they're swinging freely. Now, they're doing more of a field goal kick to where they're actually landing on their plant foot and it's a little bit less taxing on them.

Q: Do you think if the game stays the way it is, it'll extend the life of kickers?

GHOBRIAL: Absolutely, yeah. I think one thing that you see across the league as players get older, they may not be as fast, they may not have as much explosiveness, so they have to rely more on fundamentals. Because this doesn't necessarily need a ton of explosiveness, it could give them more years in this league as a result.

Q: Is this kind of like a mentor, protege, special teams chess match for you?

GHOBRIAL: I have tremendous respect for (49ers special teams coordinator) Brant Boyer. He is a guy that obviously gave me an opportunity with the Jets and is, number one, a tremendous human being. He played in this league a long time, and he's coached in this league a long time. So, for him to give me some of that experience that he's had from both playing and coaching when I worked for him, I'm indebted to him. I look forward to the competition, and I know he does too. At the end of the day, this is National Football League, and we both want to win. So, we'll be excited to go against him and going forward.

Q: (Wide receiver) Ray-Ray's (McCloud) done some returning in the past. What could he bring if you use him back there?

GHOBRIAL: He obviously has the juice. He has home run ability, the short area quicks that you want, the catch mechanics, and he has the top-end speed. That skill set has obviously given him success in this league, and he'll certainly be a person that we work back there and see what gives us the best chance to win the game on Sunday.

Q: They had a bunch of quality returns last game. Was there a common thread when you went back and looked at it from the other day?

GHOBRIAL: Yeah, I think to have explosive returns in this league, your fundamentals have to be on point. I think Brant does a great job of teaching those techniques. Their front line did a good job of blocking those returns and then obviously the returners did a good job of fielding those kicks and then seeing where the return holes are and setting up their block. That's something that's certainly going to challenge us that we've got to be ready for in terms of being gap sound, in terms of tackling. It's going to be a big component to stop those returns.

Q: You guys were first in the league, I think, in kickoff return coverage going into last week. Then you gave up a couple of bigger returns. What was the breakdown and maybe what can you do about it?

GHOBRIAL: It just comes down to tackling. When you look back at that play and you stop it where the return hit, you're not necessarily seeing a huge gap, which sometimes you're like, okay, we've got to do this differently. It comes down to getting off blocks and finishing and tackling. That's something our guys, when they've been playing so well on kickoff, that obviously fuels them and they want to do right. To give up an explosive in the return game when you've been playing well on kickoff, you look inwardly and be like, what do I have to do better to make this play to where it doesn't happen again? That's a good thing about our group is they're hungry and they'll flourish any opportunity to go out there and make it right.

Q: Why haven't you been using (outside linebacker) Abdul (Carter) on the punt return, punt block team the last two weeks.

GHOBRIAL: I think every week is unique. He obviously has the ability to rush and he's done a really good job for us when he has been back there. It hasn't necessarily been anything of any particular reason why we haven't used him there. With opportunities, some of my calls reflect whether he would be in versus when he wouldn't. But again, he has the ability to do everything that all the other guys do and certainly could see him having success on Sunday with us.