Kyle Shanahan and DeMeco Ryans Size Up the Eagles

"You try to put guys in position to beat their players and they got pretty good players too.'

SANTA CLARA -- All week, Kyle Shanahan and DeMeco Ryans have been getting grilled about the Philadelphia Eagles. Here's what the 49ers head coach and defensive coordinator said, courtesy of their P.R. department.

KYLE SHANAHAN

Q: You had a match up with Philadelphia Eagles LB Hassan Reddick early in his career when he was in Arizona, how has he changed as player? How has he improved?

SHANAHAN: “I think he's playing in a real good scheme for him. I think he gets a lot more opportunities. And I just think pass rushers, the more they play in this league and stay healthy and hang around, the better they get. It's hard to rush the quarterback in this league and he's gotten better each year and he's playing at the top of his game right now and he's always been a good player. We love him coming out of college, but you can tell he just gets better and better each year.”

Q: When you guys beat them in Week Two last year, Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts looked a little bit raw still at that time. What have you seen about him that has improved and that team in general that's different from when you guys beat them in Week Two last year?

SHANAHAN: “He's just gotten more consistent. You can see in that game, the ability that he has and what he was close to doing a number of times. He made some big throws in that game and we contained him fairly well, but I think we're up 17-3, with five minutes to go and then he started getting going again and they brought it right into a one score game so you could see the ability that he had real early on and I know towards the end of that year he started getting on a roll and that's when why they ended up making the playoffs last year because of how good he got after that, but we could see signs of it in that game and now just watching him this year hearing about it, he is borderline NFL MVP and then turning the film on these last two days, he's just like how he was with potential and now he's doing it down in and down out.

Q: I know you like to obviously look at the opposing defense and kind of figure out where the areas to attack them are, but is it more difficult with a team like the Eagles that have good players at every level of that defense? What's the challenge that you face and the coaching staff faces in putting together a gameplan to beat them?

SHANAHAN: “Anytime you play a team with good players in a good scheme, it is just sound defense and when you play sound defenses, there's not a lot of holes schematically. You try to put guys in position to beat their players and they got pretty good players too. And on top of it, when you have a real good pass rush with a good backend, with all seven of those guys, it just combines for making everything more difficult and that's usually what you see this time of year. I think that's exactly how our defense is. And they'll come after you, they'll do what's needed to keep you off, but anytime you have a team that doesn't have to do that, because they can cover with good players, have seven guys verse four guys, to keep people to help with protection, then you have seven guys verse three guys. All that stuff becomes a factor and allows teams to be sounder, which makes it a lot harder to get big explosives.”

DeMECO RYANS

Q: How has Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts kind of evolved since you saw him Week Two of last year?

RYANS: “Jalen is looking a lot more comfortable within the offense, and scheme wise, it seems like they've put in more concepts that he's more comfortable with and he has a really great command of the offense. He's decisive with where he's going with the ball and they surround him with a lot of playmakers, adding [Philadelphia Eagles WR] A.J. Brown. Has a lot of playmakers around him, [Philadelphia Eagles WR DeVonta] Smith, Brown, the backs, tight ends, they have a really good core of guys, he distributes the ball really well. And those guys are really good after they catch the ball of making a guy miss and creating space and getting more yards after the catch, so they've done a really good job of just tailoring the offense around Jalen and that's what makes him look more comfortable.”

Q: Someone like him who can make plays with his legs, but also likes to throw shots, shot plays. How do you kind of strike that balance of let's make sure he doesn't eat us with his legs, but also isn't going over the top when he gets out?

RYANS: “I think there has to be a good balance with the shot plays and the running. When you're responsible for those shot plays, mainly our corners and safeties on the outside. We know the challenge that we have this week when guys have to go up and be able to make a play. They get opportunities when the ball is up, it's an opportunity for us to go up and make the play. That's how I view it and when it comes to him scrambling around, that's all 11. It starts with our D-line being where they're supposed to be and guys who are responsible to go get the quarterback. We just have to do our job. No, we can't make a bigger deal out of it than it is. Everybody has to do their job, be where they're supposed to be, and we play defense with all 11 as a group swarming. That's what's going to help us, defend the quarterback running.”

Q: With their offensive line are they capable of kind of meeting your defensive line’s force and violence?

RYANS: “Their offensive line is the strength of that team. You have two veteran guys there in [Philadelphia Eagles C Jason] Kelce and [Philadelphia Eagles T] Lane [Johnson] who've been together for a while and they anchor that line. They've done a really good job, very physical group, big offensive line, physical offensive line who tries to get after it and they're a really good team, but also our guys are good too, so it's going to be a physical matchup. We know we'll get their best, they're going to get our best as well.”

Q: You were affiliated early with Philadelphia Eagles DL Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham in their careers, what did you see from them back then? And did you see this for them, this kind of success they've had?

RYANS: “Yeah, Fletcher and Brandon have always been playmakers. They’ve always played on the other side of the line of scrimmage. I know Fletcher, when he first came in as a rookie, you saw it right away. The talent that he had, the strength that he had. He separated himself, so he's been a playmaker for over 10 years in the league and he's been consistent throughout his career. And then Brandon Graham on the edge, they probably tried to get rid of him a few times, but he still finds a way to stick on there and still is able to get after the quarterback, so it's impressive to see what BG has done for his entire career there in Philly. A guy who's been very disruptive and Fletcher and BG, they don't change. They're still getting after it, getting after the quarterback, making plays, so it's going to be a tough challenge for our offense.” 

Q: What kind of unique challenges does A.J. Brown present?

RYANS: “Yeah, A.J., the first thing is his size and strength. That's the one thing that separates him from a lot of receivers, but not only that, when he catches the ball he turns it to a different gear. His run after catch, it's been pretty dynamic to watch this year, so that's where he separates, he's big where he can go down the field and make plays on the deep balls, but also he's just catching the five-yard routes and turning it up field and turning that into an explosive, that's where he's been really good this year.”

Q: A.J. Brown doesn't seem like he's completely healthy. A lot of guys are like that this time of year, I think he was dealing with the hamstring when he played y'all in December last year, he obviously doesn't need tons of separation to do things. What are your memories of what he did in that game?

RYANS: “From last year playing against A.J. I remember him just making some very physical plays, contested catches and that's where you have to be physical with him. Again, he's a big body receiver who can go up and make tough catches, so you have to challenge him at every point. You have to stay sticky, you have to challenge him. That's how you make plays against him.”