How Kyle Shanahan Feels about Facing the Seahawks in the Playoffs

"I don't really look at it as you have to beat someone three times. I just look at it as we have to beat them on Saturday."

Kyle Shanahan was asked Monday about facing the Seattle Seahawks this Saturday in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Here's what Shanahan said, courtesy of the 49er P.R. department.

Q: What's your immediate reaction finding out last night that you'd be playing the Seattle Seahawks again? What does that do for the preparation having already prepared for them twice this season?

SHANAHAN: “Really all it did was make us lose Monday because we found out we were playing Seattle and now we know we're playing Saturday, so once we found out after the game, we quickly realized that Monday was going to be Tuesday for us, so we just got right to that point.”

Q: With losing Monday, what is your plan for the week?

SHANAHAN: “Just treating today like a Tuesday, we weren't going to have a team meeting. I told the guys after the game, regardless whether we played Saturday or Sunday, we weren't going to do a team meeting or anything today. I just wanted those guys working all on recovery and things like that. And now that we know that we're playing Saturday, this Tuesday will be a Wednesday, so we got today to get our whole game plan in. Players will do their recovery, they'll come in tomorrow and for that, we'll most likely go half-speed, we won't do a full speed practice or anything like that and we'll just get that going on Wednesday.”

Q: When people talk about how it's hard to beat a team three times in the season, what did you learn from that aspect last year and what do you see of this matchup against the Seahawks?

SHANAHAN: “I don't really look at it as you have to beat someone three times. I just look at it as we have to beat them on Saturday. That's the game, I don't think the other games have to do with it. It all comes down to this and that's how it was last year too. There was no difference to me in that. Teams know each other pretty well. You don't get to surprise teams that much in situations like this, but that's how it's been with us in Seattle for a number of years here and usually every time we play it's comes down to the wire, usually that last possession and that's what we're working and ready to fight for.”

Q: Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is the coach you've gone up against the most as a head coach. What is your relationship with him like and particularly the aspect that he's more of the defensive guy and you the offense?

SHANAHAN: “I've always had a lot of respect for Pete, just knowing him over the years. I think the day that I moved with my family out of Saratoga High School, I think him and his son Brendan moved in. I think he was a year older than me at that school, so I've always had a connection with him that way. I’ve talked to him over the years, even when he was coaching at USC, but he's been real fun to compete against him over the years. He's a hell of a coach. He's done as consistently as anyone and he always has his guys ready to go.”