- 3 days ago
Matt Lively, KPIX sports anchor, joins Willard and Dibs to share what he saw in Santa Clara at 49ers-Titans joint practice.
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00:00It probably would have been a bigger story if some of the people who cover the 49ers started fighting with
00:04each other, but not much.
00:07It sounded like there were tons of fights out at joint practice, but there's only one way to know if
00:13the media was involved in any of them.
00:15Let's go to a member of the media who was on the scene checking out joint practice.
00:19It is Willard and Dibbs. Glad you're with us, and we're glad that Matt Lively of KPIX is with us
00:25as well here on the River Islands guest line.
00:27Any fights for you today, Matt?
00:30You know what? I was sizing up a couple of guys, Vic Taffer, Nick Wagner, but ultimately I'm going to
00:36wait until the regular season gets going.
00:38I think that's when I can get my shots in. I'll be better prepared.
00:40You may want to pack a lunch if you're going to Taffer, because I mean, get a little size on
00:45you now, Matt.
00:47I mean, listen, I hit the gym, but yeah, maybe Taffer isn't the smartest guy. Maybe I'll start with Barrows.
00:52That might be more my speed, and then I'll work up from there.
00:55I like it, yeah.
00:55Yeah, that felt mean, but you're not wrong.
00:59All right, Matt, take us through this, though.
01:01Like, how authentic is it?
01:04It's always funny to me, right?
01:05There's a lot of these fights, and then the coaches sort of have to act like they're mad about it
01:09and kick people out,
01:10but we know it's going to happen again the next time, so what was your take on what you saw
01:14today?
01:16It was nonstop.
01:18They started in the sixth period, and I think for the first five to six minutes of the sixth period,
01:23there were at least four or five fights,
01:25and I was on the Niners' offensive side, but the Niners' defense was really doing most of the work.
01:30It felt like they were just more interested in fighting off the top,
01:32and then once the Niners' offense and the Titans' defense started going at each other,
01:37which the offensive line was really instigating most of that, Kyle Shanahan finally stepped in,
01:43and it was kind of like, all right, what are we doing here?
01:46Let's get some good practice in, and it really settled down from there,
01:50but it did take Kyle Shanahan, who's coming back from a concussion,
01:53and probably can't yell very loudly to step in and say, enough.
01:58Is this kind of a byproduct of that, Matt, to where Kyle Shanahan's still kind of working his way
02:03back into being, you know, the head coach and being able to control everything,
02:07or is this just kind of pure coincidence?
02:11Yeah, I mean, I think it's, you know, it's joint practice.
02:14It's these things happen.
02:15I heard a couple years ago that the Niners shut down one of their joint practices
02:18is because there was too much fighting.
02:20So first time you get to go up against another team, you're physical, you're loud.
02:25You know, Fred Warner said there was a lot of chatting between the Niners' defense
02:30and even Cam Ward, who was kind of giving it to them.
02:33So it was good that Shanahan was able to show, like, hey, I'm going to come in here and break
02:36it up,
02:37and you guys are going to listen.
02:38But I think this just goes to the territory of joint practice.
02:41It's time to go.
02:42Matt, I thought it was really interesting with Robert Sala back in town
02:46with the great reputation that he has with this organization,
02:51that it sounds like some thoughts have started to come up from some defensive players
02:55where maybe they didn't necessarily love the way that it was all kind of planned out last year,
03:00particularly the defensive backs.
03:03Did you catch wind of any of that, where Robert Sala not being around anymore
03:08might actually be kind of a welcome thing for some of the guys on the defensive side?
03:14Yeah, I did.
03:15I mean, I heard that in the press conferences,
03:17and Jair Brown was kind of saying that this role that he's entering this year
03:21is what suits his game best.
03:24And so they are going into a new scheme,
03:26and Fred Warner said today that he's more confident in this defensive back group
03:31than any other DB group that they've had since he's been there.
03:35And that might be the byproduct of Raheem Morris stepping in and trying something new.
03:39And they've got a couple different positions that have new names,
03:43the star and things like that, that are going to be added to that side of the ball.
03:48But those guys loved Robert Sala.
03:50I think they like playing for Robert Sala.
03:52But I don't blame a guy like Jair Brown who might just go,
03:55hey, this is actually going to suit my game better.
03:57I'm enjoying this a lot more.
03:59I don't see anything wrong with that,
04:01but I don't necessarily think it was a shot at Sala
04:04because he seemingly, you know, last year when you talk to these guys,
04:07hey, he's made me so much better.
04:09He's such a great defensive mind.
04:11So I don't think there's any really disrespectment by it.
04:14Do you think that last year was more of a byproduct of the personnel?
04:18You didn't have Fred for a while.
04:19You lost Mikel Williams.
04:20You lost Nick Bosa.
04:21And it seemed to me that you didn't really have an option
04:24other than to play kind of a soft defense.
04:28I mean, guys, they were finding guys off the street.
04:31I mean, Garrett Wallow started a playoff game for this team.
04:35Like, it was like every time somebody stepped up and we're like,
04:38wow, Tatum Bethune's really good.
04:40Tatum Bethune goes down.
04:41And so it really was, hey, we are piecemealing this thing together.
04:45Everybody just has to plug and play.
04:48And it might not fit your game, but this is what you've got to do this week.
04:51And so I still look back at last year's defense and think, wow,
04:56what a job they did with the guys that they were missing.
04:59I mean, through 10 weeks, they were without Nick Bosa, Fred Warner,
05:03and Mikel Williams.
05:04And they just kept signing guys who somehow made it work.
05:09Matt Lively, KPIX with us.
05:11Willard and Dibbs, 95-7 the game.
05:13All right, Matt, I love that you were on the offensive side of the ball.
05:16How did Dajon Stribling look?
05:18To me, he had the most impressive practice of his training camp thus far.
05:23And I thought he looked like the best wide receiver out there today, honestly.
05:26He caught a couple touchdown passes.
05:28He was making contested catches against the different defense,
05:32which I think is what we were all excited to see.
05:34Early on in training camp, his hands are great.
05:37He can get to the spot and catch a ball, but he was having a tough time separating.
05:41And today I saw him separate against that Titans defense, which was nice to see.
05:45But I walked away being really impressed with Dajon Stribling.
05:49And, of course, Thursday is going to be a way bigger test for him.
05:52That's when you actually are in game mode and let's see what you have.
05:57But Stribling was great.
05:58And also, Demarcus Robinson deserves his flowers from this one as well.
06:02He also came down with a couple touchdown grabs.
06:04And that's a guy who last year I think we all expected a little bit more of him.
06:09And he claimed that the DUI and the four-week suspension didn't play into his season.
06:13But I think it did.
06:14When you miss those first few weeks, that's valuable time.
06:18And I think that he has a chance to really step up and fill that Jawan Jennings spot from a
06:24year ago.
06:25Matt, I know with a Shanahan offense, we're sort of conditioned to think that the rookies are not going to
06:31have a key role.
06:32But I checked the NFL rules, and they are allowed to.
06:36So, like, let's hear about Stribling.
06:40Like, is he forcing his way into a real statistical role this year with this offense?
06:47Well, the thing is with those Shanahan rookies is if you're a top guy, you typically do get to play.
06:52Like, Ricky Pearsall played once he was able to come back his rookie year and be healthy.
06:57Debo played.
06:58Brandon Iyuk played.
06:59Brandon Iyuk got put in the doghouse a little bit.
07:01But, like, Shanahan plays those top draft picks.
07:05It's more so the Cowings and Watkins or your Isaac Grindos or Jordan James.
07:09Those are the guys in the later rounds that I've found.
07:16You know, Christian Kirk is hurt.
07:17Ricky Pearsall is out for the year.
07:19We're still a little unsure what we're going to get from Debo Samuel.
07:23Dazon Stribling, it might not even be that he's forcing the hand of the coaching staff.
07:27They just might not have any other options.
07:29So, I think Dazon Stribling is going to have, or at least have the opportunity, to be an impactful player
07:35really early on.
07:36But, yeah, just based on body count, it makes perfect sense.
07:39And I'm wondering about the similar situation at running back with McCaffrey in bare feet today.
07:45How did the reps get broken out with the other guys?
07:49Yeah, I mean, it was definitely Patrick Taylor Jr. seems to be running back one in this, you know, limited
07:54running back room.
07:57And then it looked to go sincere McCormick and then Khalil Herbert.
08:01But I don't know.
08:03You know, with McCaffrey, I can't imagine.
08:04And it's not like he's going to miss week one.
08:07This seems to just be precautionary.
08:09I am more concerned behind him of how far out are Jordan James and Kalon Black from being able to
08:17go.
08:17That's where I'm more concerned about, hey, is it actually Patrick Taylor Jr. backing up Christian McCaffrey in Australia?
08:24I would like to see at least one of those guys get back for a preseason game.
08:29So you have that assurance that McCaffrey has a backup entering week one.
08:33Matt, I also think there have been so few questions about Brock Purdy, which speaks maybe to the comfort the
08:39fan base has with him.
08:40But everything that I'm seeing and reading from camp is that he has just had a sparkling few weeks out
08:48there.
08:48My question to you is, is it same old Purdy or do you see him as maybe even better?
08:54Have there been improvements that you can see?
08:58I've always really liked what I've seen from Brock Purdy.
09:00He's looked really sharp to me.
09:02If you want to say, yeah, he's improvement.
09:04You know, he's 26 and he's entering year four as the starter.
09:08And if you look at other quarterbacks historically, isn't this the time when you expect that franchise QB to take
09:14the biggest leap?
09:15Like, he could be entering his prime here from age 27 to 31, 32.
09:20And so this is what you're hoping to see from Brock Purdy.
09:23You want to see him improve and step up.
09:25And maybe this is the best season that he has.
09:27And maybe he's back in MVP conversation this year.
09:31I've really liked what I've seen from Brock so far.
09:33And on all accounts of what I saw, he had a great day against that Titans defense.
09:38And it's obviously a system he knows well because it's Robert Salas.
09:41And Shanahan went as far to say, hey, I'm hard on Brock when he messes up.
09:45And there was not a lot for me to be upset about today.
09:48So I really liked what I saw from Purdy.
09:51Can't imagine we're going to see really anything in the preseason from him outside of one or two very controlled
09:57drives later on.
09:59But I think Niner fans should have the expectation that this should be the best season of Brock Purdy's career.
10:05No doubt.
10:06When you look at the Thursday game and Brock maybe gets a series, maybe nothing at all.
10:10Is it going to be a healthy dose of Mac Jones?
10:13Or does he also kind of get the veterans treatment as well?
10:17I think, you know, if they do start a quarterback that's not Brock Purdy, I think Mac gets maybe that
10:22one or two series treatment.
10:23And then, you know, it's funny to say, like, there is a competition for QB3 right now, though.
10:29Adrian Martinez spent a lot of time on this roster last year and down on the practice squad.
10:34But you spent a draft pick two years ago on Curtis Rourke, who was recovering from that ACL injury all
10:40of last year.
10:40And so I think the coaching staff is excited to see what Rourke can bring.
10:45And, hey, is this a guy that could eventually replace Mac Jones as the backup?
10:48So I would imagine Mac gets a couple of series.
10:52Brock Purdy probably won't play.
10:54And then you have Adrian Martinez and Curtis Rourke getting a couple quarters each.
10:58Matt Lively, KPIX, is with us.
11:00Matt, you may want to dive into individuals with how you answer this question.
11:04I think we understand from the Pierce Hall angle or if there's broken bones like there is with Jordan James.
11:10But a lot of these injuries that everyone's buzzing about at 49er camp, are they actually injuries?
11:18Or are the 49ers just being conservative?
11:22That's such a good question.
11:24I go back and forth on this all the time.
11:27The younger guys, it seems like those are legit injuries.
11:30Because why would these first or second year players not be on the field right now?
11:34Like this is one of the most pivotal times for a rookie or a first year player, especially like Jordan
11:40James, who really didn't get to play last year.
11:42This is when you want to make your mark and get those reps.
11:44And so those are legit injuries.
11:46Then when you go down the line and like, Mike Evans moved great today.
11:50He didn't really do much against the Titans defense.
11:52They didn't have him out there for that.
11:53He was off running to the side again.
11:55But Mike Evans, you know, looked great in individual drills.
11:58And he looked like his leg was fine.
12:00So maybe that quad strain that he has is just preventative.
12:03And I think the same thing with Nick Bosa, who has the tendinitis.
12:06Like, why would you rush him back out there?
12:08And Christian McCaffrey, is it really smart for him to be out there for three, four weeks of training camp
12:13and preseason when you're trying to get 17 regular season games out of him?
12:17I'm not so sold on those guys, but for the Malik Mustafas and the Jacob Cowings and the Isaac Grindos
12:24and the Jordan James and Kalon Blacks, and I guess the list goes on and on and on because of
12:28the 49ers.
12:29Those do seem like legit injuries because those are guys that seemingly should be working right now.
12:34They need the reps.
12:35When you look at other players like George Kittle, what is your estimation as far as whether or not he
12:41might actually be ready to go in a month when they go to Australia?
12:44George is running around like he's good to go.
12:47I mean, of course, this is without pads, and this is just running off to the side, but I was
12:52really impressed with watching how George Kittle was moving over the last two days.
12:57I'm still really skeptical whether or not he's active for week one, and that's less so about being ready for
13:04contact week one and more so about you're about to stick this guy on a plane for 30-plus hours
13:10round trip.
13:11Is that the best use of their time?
13:13Or do they say, hey, let's shelve this guy.
13:15He gets a full week in Santa Clara to rehab instead of being on a plane for essentially four days.
13:21It just doesn't seem smart to bring him or maybe even Nick Bosa, for that matter, to Australia and put
13:28the toll on their bodies that those flights basically require of you.
13:33Hey, Matt, what was Don Levy doing out there today?
13:37Yeah, I don't know, man.
13:38Maybe looking at Jaden Duggar, 6'5", he plays a bunch of good positions on defense.
13:44Maybe that translates to the court.
13:46Mike Evans has a basketball background.
13:48I don't know.
13:49I know he had a press conference here soon, so he's not making any signings today, I guess.
13:55He was kind of walking around at practice, picking the ear of John Lynch.
14:01Did you talk to him at all?
14:02It sounds like some people caught up with him and started talking Warriors with him.
14:07Listen, I did not catch up with Mike Don Levy.
14:10We are two days away from the preseason opener, which, by the way, airs on KPIX.
14:14It's football season, baby.
14:15I got Valks in football, but the Warriors are kind of in the rearview mirror for at least another month
14:20for me.
14:21I think that's totally fair.
14:22Hey, Matt, really, really appreciate you jumping on with us after watching what you saw today.
14:28Hey, thanks for having me, guys.
14:29All right, we'll do it again.
14:30That's Matt Lively at KPIX with The Goods.
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