SANTA CLARA -- Kyle Shanahan brought his A-material to his press conference Wednesday afternoon inside Levi’s Stadium.
The coach of the unbeaten 49ers covered a myriad of topics after pacing his club through the first practice of the week in preparation to face Washington on Sunday at 10 a.m.
Shanahan drew big laughs early in his press conference when he was asked about the good and the bad of serving as offensive coordinator in Washington during four seasons in which his father, Mike, was the head coach before getting fired.
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Here’s a rundown of Shanahan’s comedic moments:
A little good, a lot bad
What was the best part of his time working as an assistant coach (2010-13) with Washington?
“Being able to work with my dad and being around some other good coaches,” Shanahan answered.
San Francisco 49ers
What was the worst part?
“Everything else.”
On blackout moment from Saleh, Sherman
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh received national attention for a fist-pumping moment on the sideline during the 49ers’ goal-line stand at the end of the first half against the Rams. Saleh later said he blacked out in that high-intensity moment.
Shanahan said many folks have made him aware of Saleh’s reaction, which was captured on the TV broadcast.
“I’ve been sent all the memes and everything,” Shanahan said. “It’s what I expect. I mess with him all the time. That’s his style. He has a cleanly shaven head every single day he talks to you guys. (He's) very tan and lifts (weights) a lot. He knows what he’s doing. He enjoys game day, too.”
When asked if ever blacks out on the sideline, Shanahan said he does -- but it’s usually directed at an official.
“People can tell on my face when I do, and sometimes I get fined for it, so you try not to black out as a coach,” Shanahan said.
“Players do it, too. I mess with (Richard) Sherman. I think he’s done it at the coin toss the last couple weeks.”
Sherman apologized last week to Baker Mayfield after originally saying the Cleveland quarterback did not shake his hand at the pregame handshake. Video later surfaced that showed the two, in fact, shook hands.
Shanahan compares Saleh to Gandi
The intensity and enthusiasm Saleh shows on the sideline during games is what he’s like the other six days of the week. In fact, Shanahan said Saleh reminds him of Gandi.
“Saleh is a peaceful giant. Saleh is very relaxed and peaceful. He’s not like that very much. That’s rare,” Shanahan said. “He’s not a guy who’s going to mess with anyone. He’s a very good teacher. He speaks to everyone with a lot of regard, a lot of respect. But it’s cool to see him like that because he’s not always like that.”
However, Shanahan was reminded that Saleh also stressed the need for “extreme violence” from his defensive players. Saleh wears a rubber wristband with those words inscribed.
“He knows what it takes,” Shanahan said of the phrase. “He just wears a bracelet. It’s not like it’s tatted on his face or anything.”
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Saleh had his own press conference after the 49ers’ win over the Rams. Shanahan received credit for signing off on that, which is a rare occurrence for a coordinator after a game. When asked why he did it, Shanahan said it was the idea of 49ers vice president of communications Bob Lange.
“Just because Bob asked me when I was walking into the shower, and it seemed like it made sense,” he said.