Daniel Kilgore: “Establishing the run game, that’s what we’re going to focus on this week.”

SANTA CLARA – Starting center Daniel Kilgore spoke at his locker Wednesday afternoon. Here’s a transcript.

Q: You hear it from Blaine, you hear it from Curtis Modkins as well – this line needs to get back to fundamentals. What does that mean?

KILGORE: It means trusting your technique, honestly. Last week against Carolina, we were doing some things that were pretty good, but our main focus the past couple of days has been footwork and techniques. That’s the biggest part of our game. Starting with the running game and going back to the fundamentals, working on our techniques.

Q: What kind of challenge do you face against the Seahawks?

KILGORE: Again, facing another great front-seven. That’s a big part of it, just like you said. Going back to our fundamentals, making sure that we’re all dialed in on the same page with any front that they give us. Their defensive line is very good. They move around very well. We’ve just got to make sure that we know what’s coming and that we’re all on the same page.

ME: What kinds of things were you doing in practice up to now if fundamentals weren’t a priority or an emphasis?

KILGORE: Fundamentals are always a priority. Maybe, uh…I don’t have an answer for you. But when bullets start flying, it gets tough. Carolina did a good job sending edge pressures and stopping our run game. When you don’t establish the run game, it’s hard to build off anything as an offense. Going back to the fundamentals of what we were doing before and establishing the run game, that’s what we’re going to focus on this week.

Q: A lot of new faces in this locker room. Is there an expectation that you will improve as the season progresses?

KILGORE: Yeah, definitely. No matter who is on the line, I feel like our first group is working well together. Feel like we’re all dialed in. Again, it’s going back to what we do, what we worked on so hard in the offseason. Not to say that we’ve slacked on those things, but making sure we’re all 100-percent dialed in.

This article has 96 Comments

  1. Maybe, uh…I don’t have an answer for you. But when bullets start flying, it gets tough.

    That’s where they miss the calming influence of Johnny B. Goodwin….

  2. Drilling fundamentals is a tried and true reaction to unsatisfactory performance in any endeavor: football, baseball, golf, tennis, boxing, piano playing, ballet dancing, car racing, rock climbing, surfing, snowboarding, marksmanship, and competitive chilli cook-offs. Among others.
    #oldschool

      1. Grant
        I think you are in error in presuming they strayed away or failed to emphasize it earlier just just because there is a renewed emphasis this week. It’s a refocus. It’s about drilling in a mental program so that they don’t have to think under the stress of ‘bullets’; they’re on automatic even under stress.
        I don’t think it was intentional on your part, but the question came out as somewhat of a ‘ Gotchya in print.
        After a bad golf or tennis outing, don’t you go hit a few? I do. Hell, I get insulted by some outings on the disc golf course and go practice solo.

      2. Bad habits keep returning no matter ow often you practice. That is until it is like breathing. New system, new approach and a new set of fundamentals from new instructors.

      3. Human nature perhaps? Discipline is not something that comes easily Grant, it takes work!

        However, that said, these guys have to come up with things to say that sound better than what KILGORE should have said:

        “Playing in Carolina (Eastern Time Zone) on a short week, in hot, muggy weather, with very little time to game plan and/or prepare, let alone enough time for our bodies to recover from a very late Monday night game, made it extremely tough to maintain our fundamentals and win the matchups in the trenches that we feel like we normally would under normal, humain circumstances, especially when you consider the reigning champions had an extra 4 days to recover and prepare for us!”

        Am I right?

        1. Grant, with all of your resources, maybe you could do us a favor and go back and find out just how well West Coast teams travel to the Eastern Seaboard on a short week, over the last 10 seasons, when their opponent actually has more than 7 days to prepare for them.

          Can you do that for us Grant?

          Because you seem to be conveniently forgetting how tough these games have been traditionally for west coast teams, and just how much of an advantage Carolina had coming in on Sunday!

    1. Brotha, even in the bedroom, sometimes just getting back to the basics can help elevate performance!

      1. I wouldn’t know about that Prime, never had a bad review!
        OK, that’s bs, I’m 66 and it takes all night to do what I used to do all night.

      2. “Brotha, even in the bedroom, sometimes just getting back to the basics can help elevate performance!”

        Such a tool. Smh. I can see the commercial now….

        Scene 1: Prime throws an insult at Seb, but it comes up inches short.

        Scene 2: Camera pans out to Prime picking up the phone to call his doctor.

        Scene 3: Close up of Prime that pans out to show Prime giving a thumbs up, while laying next to his exhausted boyfriend.

        Scene 4: The Canadian national anthem starts playing while a phone number flashes across the screen.

              1. You cannot be a 49er fan if you don’t have a good sense of humor. My psychiatrist told me that.

      1. Nah, dad has a better offer after the 2017 season…Hollywood stunt double for Mark Wahlberg.

        1. Cassie ..
          doesn’t he realize that .. Hollywood
          is fickle ..?

          The bait shop would be a steadier
          paycheck !

  3. Previously, they were probably installing final touches, as if getting a race car tuned up to run a race. Getting back to basics is like changing the oil.

    Hope Chip has learned from Carolina and will become more varied and deceptive. Glad he is emphasizing the reduction of the self inflicted wounds.

      1. I think that the way they become more varied and deceptive, can be accomplished in a myriad of ways.

        I hope they send Reid because he is quick enough to get to the QB. Last year, RW avoided the linemen too many times.

        On offense, I hope they take advantage of the team speed by doing counters and reverses.

          1. You fall into the trap of dissing Sun Tzu, who Bill Walsh used for a lot for his inspiration.

            In essence, by dissing Sun Tzu, you are dissing Bill Walsh, which makes you look clueless.

            But, whatever.

              1. Sorry, Seb ..but ..
                and start reading
                try as I might.. I just cannot
                get excited by a war monger who’s
                been dead for a couple
                thousand years …

                bury him .. and try reading something
                a little more … uplifting

              2. Its OK, many have ignored his lessons, to their detriment and loss.

                I guess you want the Niners to ignore sage counsel.

                One thing Sun Tzu wrote about was how to defeat arrogant generals. He said that one should make him angry, then he will be easy to defeat.

                If Chip gets upset over a question from the media, how can you expect him to handle another HC?

                looks like Chip needs to learn more people skills, and read more books written by Bill Walsh. I do not have the exact quote, but Bill said that you should never let them see you sweat. If Chip can become petty and arrogant over a question, maybe he is not the leader the Niners need.

                Chip should be calm, speak slower at times, be polite, answer all questions thoroughly, and be forthright and honest. Refusing to answer questions, dodging questioners and acting vain and unctuous is counter productive, and not good leadership.

                It is fine to see the chippy Chip if the Niners are losing, but when they lose, he becomes surly and defensive. He should follow Kipling’s advice and meet triumph and disaster, and treat those two imposters just the same.

          2. Re-post…When the Seb Comes Around (to Johnny Cash’s ‘When the Man Comes Around’…)

            “And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder
            A Press-Democrat writer saying,
            ‘Come and see,’ and I saw, and behold a blue sphere’d avatar”

            There’s a Seb goin’ ’round takin’ names
            And he decides who to trash and who to blame
            Everybody won’t be treated all the same
            The world taken by storm turnin’ brown
            When the Seb comes around

            The hairs on your arm stand as a ghost
            When Chip fails to read his ev’ry post
            Will you partake of that loony boast
            Or disappear like a looser bal’loon clown
            When the Seb comes around

            1. Cassie, you and I know that Chip declared that he never debates blog posts, although he fell into the trap of even mentioning them.

              You know I have been advocating for some time that the Niners should stop shooting themselves in the foot. Chip just parroted me when he mentioned avoiding the self inflicted wounds.

              I advocated that they should counter the stacked box by spreading them wide and attacking the edges. What did Chip just say about that?

              I will continue to advocate that the Niners avoid running into the teeth of the defense. Hope Chip gets smarter, or they will have more 3 and outs.

              Glad to see you back in form. Was wondering if you were off your game.

              1. *Chip said they need to get the ball distributed outside better.

                To me, that is just like attacking the edges.

              2. Wilson, maybe it is delusional to think the Niners have learned from their mistakes, and will make corrections and adjustments, too.

              3. Yeah Wilson. I don’t know why he thinks so small. Why worry about Chip ‘parroting’ his wisdom, he should be focused on the Pentagon and National Command Authority using his scholarship in their use of strategies and tactics in international relations and conflicts. He shouldn’t be messing with this small time stuff, he could be saving the world.
                (an attempt to kick him upstairs to play elsewhere)

              4. But, but when I go off on a tangent, posters rip me for that, and tell me to stick to football.

                Now that I think about it, they could solve a lot of the problems by getting creative. Black unemployment is what creates many of these problems, so they should organize, and start being more productive. Instead of pumping iron to work out, they should turn all workout gyms into power production facilities.

                How could that be feasible? With leverage. People power is a huge untapped resource. One person with the proper lever, can lift a hundred tons. They should also set up facilities that pump water. Everyone uses water, so a few hours of workout time could translate into transporting the water where it is needed, The energy derived from reservoirs could also generate electricity.

                They could store energy by creating large high pressure air storage containers, and use the energy from the air during peak times. This would make it economically profitable. It could be easily done using existing technology, and if one person can do it, a million people could make it very feasible. It would help solve the unemployment problem, and negate the need for huge energy production facilities, including nuclear. It would be appropriately sized, locally produced and simple to install.

                I do not think that everyone should do it every day all day long, but even one hour a day would generate enough energy while providing a healthful workout. Employ at least a million black or hispanic workers, and it would help solve a lot of problems while generating millions of dollars worth of energy

              5. Seb what makes you think the 49ers have learned from their mistakes? Right now all we have are Kelly’s words. Talk is cheap, lets see it on the field Sunday.

  4. Interesting… the niners Oline has graded out as one of the worst run blocking lines in the NFL through the first 2 weeks. In fact Carlos Hyde is gaining 80% of his yardage after contact which is ridiculous.

    1. I don’t think we have a playoff team, but over the last two weeks we’ve faced above-average fronts. The way I look at it, we’ve scored 28 and 27 points, respectively. In the first game, we had a pass rush (bad Ram oline?). In the second game we didn’t (good Carolina oline? short schedule and stifling heat/humidity? probably both?). If we had a good pass rush vs. Carolina, the game would have been closer. and we might have scored more points (more possessions). What I’m driving at is that against weaker fronts, the run blocking will be more effective, we’ll have more possessions, and we’ll average more points. So I think we could finish at .500 or better. But I want to see a few more games.

      1. George,
        Those are certainly valid points. I was actually surprised the team did as well as they did in Carolina. Short week, Cross Country trip, against a rested, more talented team with extra time to prepare.

        Those type of conditions wear on the O and D line more than any other unit on the field. So at least in the last game I will give them a bit more of a pass.

    2. Shoup they were one of the worst run blocking OL’s last year too like 30-31st. Its much of the same group from late in the season(Staley, Kilgore, Tiller and Brown, everyone but Beadle’s played some in the latter half last year. They were bad in the beginning of the season, even worse but supposedly improved with this group of players in. Maybe the OL is better in pass blocking but the same in run blocking this season?

      1. wilson, I think they are better in pass blocking. However, it’s hard for me to envision the run blocking on the right side being poor. Tiller and Brown would be a handful for any dlineman one on one. Perhaps the defensive scheme has linebackers there. I don’t know. Would anyone like to comment on this? The weakest link is on the left in Beadles. Putting Garnett there should help, maybe a lot.

        1. George,

          One of the Hallmarks of a Kelly coached offense is the ability of his OL to get to the 2nd level (blocking linebackers) after 1st, making a block on the D-lineman directly infront of them.

          Last year I provided videos to this site that showed numerous missed assingments at Philly on linebacker blocking.

          Greg Cosell on KNBR said the 49er OL was not getting to the 2nd level to block LB’s in the Carolina game:

          Here’s the Kelly offensive video I posted last year for your study
          http://chipwagon.typepad.com/eagles/2016/01/where-did-it-all-go-wrong.html

        2. George, I totally agree. Garnett looks good as a run blocker. He may need time to become a better pass blocker, but that just takes experience on the field.

        3. Garnett will starting by week 5. He fell behind schedule during the offseason. He is now working at both guard positions. If he would have been ready to go at the start of camp, he would have started week 1. Beadles will make for a servicable and versatile backup.

      2. Grant is on to something about the run game. If you know the play by the formation pre snap in the run game you can have all the right people in the right places to stop it. This OL should be able to impose their will on DL’s and LB’s. Something’s not working correctly in their scheme. The improved pass protection should help the QB keep guys out of the box. This offense is predicating on running the ball though. If they can’t do that it causes a problem.

      3. Wilson,
        Yes their run blocking was the primary reason the line was ranked so low. According to PFF’s grades they were slightly below average as a pass blocking unit all season grading out at either 17th or 18th I forget which.

        I was just hoping their run blocking would improve.

        1. Shoup, don’t let 49reasons see you quoting PFF about the OL. Its sort of like red to a bull.

          Lets see how they pan out over the season. The Panther’s are an exceptional team, the Hawks have a great defense but the rest of the teams we play save for 3 are all in the top 15 teams against the rush after 2 weeks. Lots can change during the season. The Saints, Dolphins and Falcons are the only real pushover teams after 2 weeks when it comes to defending the run. I think after we play the Hawks we get a better look when we see how they match up against Dallas, Bills, Bucs and Cardinals.

          Lets see if Chip can adapt and hope he’s not stuck.

          1. Bills, Bucs, Saints, Dolphins, Bears, Falcons, Rams, are all winnable.

            Cowboys, Jets will be hard. Hope to split against Seahawks and Cards. That said, they might luck out to win 10 games, but 8 is very feasible.

  5. “Q. You hear it from Blaine, you hear it from Curtis Modkins as well – this line needs to get back to fundamentals. What does that mean?”

    This is probably just nitpicking on my part but I don’t think that was the quote from Modkins or Blaine. Neither said the “line needs to get back to fundamentals.” I think the quote the reporter referenced from Modkins was “We’ve just kind of got to get back to basics and be able to block, run, set up blocks, you know, take what they give us, that kind of deal.” It may seem like a small point but whomever asked the question, either intentionally or unintentionally, just put it into Kilgore’s head that Modkins and Blaine basically said the offenses troubles in the run game were due to poor o-line play. I don’t really think that was what the quote was from Modkins.

    Call it my general distrust of the media, but it comes across to me like the reporter was trying to get a juicy quote by twisting what Modkins said. Don’t really care for the Skip Bayless brand of reporting.

    1. Chip should have smiled and politely answered the question. He should have just said that they need to have better footwork, know their assignments better and become more cohesive playing together.

      Easy, he would have answered the question using general terms, and not looked petty and vindictive.

      Grant is just doing his job. Maybe he is doing too well, and Chip is not up to the task. If the Niners win, his style is fine, but when they lose, Chip does not shine.

      1. Who are you replying to? The interview was with Daniel Kilgore and I referenced a quote from Curtis Modkins. Chip isn’t even in this discussion. Grant is not the reporter who asked that question. You can tell the questions Grant asks because it says “ME” before the question.

        1. Sorry, but Chip refused to answer a question that Modkins also did not have an answer to.

          I guess I am just pointing out how they avoid answering questions they do not like, Chip included.

          Sounds like the entire Cohn family are getting the cold shoulder for asking the tough questions.

  6. Prime Time,

    Do you think we will see a Kaepersprinkle before season’s end so Seb and Razor can justify their presence on this site?

    Or, as you say, we’re witnessing a Kap-El Nino event ?

      1. Cam Inman ✔ @CamInman
        Chip on Kaepernick: We all have inalienable rights as citizens of this country & they’re being violated. Thats what Colin is standing up for

        1. Grimey,

          Too many people are missing or don’t want to get the message because they can’t get past the action.

          I was the first on this blog to rip Kaepernick. The more I listened the more I agreed with him.

          I still disagree with the socks and the “paid leave” comments, but I can look past those and know he’s sticking this out and l applaud him for that.

          Did you see the entire WNBA team that locked arms and took a knee the other night?

          1. I, too, ripped Kaep because I thought that he should not denigrate the flag, but now realize that peaceful, silent, non violent protest is a cornerstone to our democracy.

            I questioned his method, but whole heartedly agreed with his message.

              1. But when a person can think things through, and change his mind, that is called evolving and adapting.

          2. Jack,

            Yes I saw that, and I’ve seen several HS football teams all kneeling as well. This is growing and more people will catch on. And hopefully things will get better.

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