Vic Fangio

Q. What challenges do San Francisco’s offense present from just watching them this year? (Cayden Steele)

Vic Fangio: Yeah, lots of them. They have a really good scheme. It’s all packaged together very nicely. They give you a lot of good motions. Everything they do is with a purpose and they do a really good job of it. Obviously, [49ers QB Brock] Purdy operates it very well, [49ers RB Christian] McCaffrey’s an elite back, got a good group of receivers, [49ers TE George] Kittle at tight end. I mean, they had a run where they were [the] hottest offense in the league for like six, seven weeks in a row.

Q. They use a lot of two-back personnel. What are the challenges for you in terms of matching that? (Jeff McLane)

Vic Fangio: I mean, we just have to decide how we want to play it, but we could play it with any of our personnel groups on defense.

Q. Has 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan changed much over the years? Have you seen an evolution? (Dave Zangaro)

Vic Fangio: Not really, I don’t think. I think he’s just evolved like all of us have. I haven’t coached against him in a while. We are friends. Almost coached together a couple times, but I haven’t gone against him in a while.

Q. Is there one thing that in particular that impresses you about the way he coaches offense? (Dave Zangaro)

Vic Fangio: Yeah, everything’s packaged well together and he’s a good play caller during the game. You always know that, and everything they do has a purpose and a reason.

Q. Is he similar at all [to] his father? When you said you’re friends, when you get together, or get on the phone together, is it all football? (Bob Brookover)

Vic Fangio: I mean, we don’t talk often, put it that way. But if there’s a reason to, we do talk or text with each other. What was the first part of your question?

Q. How much does he coach like his father? (Bob Brookover)

Vic Fangio: I think it’s all evolved from his dad and when they went to Washington together. It’s just a continuous evolution. It started in Denver way back, and the bones, the nuts and bolts are there from forever, but things evolve.

Q. With RB Christian McCaffery, what makes him so difficult as a matchup? Is it more of the receiving part of it? (John McMullen)

Vic Fangio: Both. He’s a very good runner when they hand it off to him. Obviously, he is a very good receiver. I think he’s got over a hundred receptions this year. He’s always a threat that way and they do like to scheme plays for him in the passing game.

Q. Given that he is their leading receiver, and 49ers TE George Kittle probably would be if he hadn’t missed a bunch of games. How big of a game is this for the linebackers and then also are you expecting LB Nakobe Dean to play? (Jimmy Kempski)

Vic Fangio: Yeah, it’s a big game for everybody. I mean, you play an offense this good and this diverse, all 11 have got to be cooking. I do expect Nakobe to play.

Q. How have the motion-heavy teams you’ve seen this year, I guess, prepped you for this? What’s the challenge in pressure calls against motion teams? (Zach Berman)

Vic Fangio: It all depends upon what type of pressure you’re doing. Some of them, the motion has no effect. Some of it, it does. So yeah, they’re really good at the motion. They have variety in it, different types of it. They do it for a reason and they’re good at it.

Q. You’ve gone head-to-head with 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan, I believe, four times over the course of your career. I think he’s scored one touchdown in those games. Why do you think you’ve had that level of success against him in your career? (Olivia Reiner)

Vic Fangio: I don’t know. We haven’t gone against each other in almost 10 years, I don’t think. 2018, how many years is that? Seven. I don’t know.

Q. You mentioned 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan’s a good play caller. From your perspective, what makes a good offensive play caller? (John McMullen)

Vic Fangio: I don’t want to share that and help offensive play callers around the league.

Q. 49ers QB Brock Purdy holds the ball as long as any quarterback. In terms of extending plays, he doesn’t get sacked at a high rate. What are the keys to not allowing him to do things out of structure? (Jeff McLane)

Vic Fangio: Yeah, he’s very good at that. He’s a scrambler and when he’s scrambling, he’s looking down the field. His eyes go down the field. He’s wanting to throw out of the scramble before he decides to run it, and he’s very good at it. They have a lot of maximum play action-type protections, where he’s going to have some time anyway. Then if he doesn’t like what he sees, he can buy even more time. I think that’s why his average is up there so high as far as holding the ball.

Q. When you look at the way OLB Jaylx Hunt has kind of finished up the season, these last two games especially. What has been the difference for him and what kind of expectations do you have for him in the playoffs? (Martin Frank)

Vic Fangio: High expectations. He’s got to play [well] and he’s capable of it, which is the good news. Still even in that game the other day, a play or two that he could have done better. He’s got to be on point all the time and he’s capable of it.

Q. How unique is his skillset to be able to lead a team in sacks and interceptions in a season? (Dave Zangaro)

Vic Fangio: Yeah, it’s unusual to have that stat line. He has good hands when the ball’s thrown, and if he’s near it, he can catch it. He’s got a good feel for it. His pass rush has been improving; started improving in the last half of last year and kept going this year.

Q. When you look back at your San Francisco days, what are your most vivid memories? (Bob Brookover)

Vic Fangio: It’s been a while. 2014, that’s 11 or 12 years. We had a lot of success there. We won a lot of games, went to three straight championship games, won the Super Bowl. Really enjoyed it out there. Met my partner out there that I’m still with, so I always tell her that that was the best place I’ve been for that reason. I enjoyed it out there. We had a lot of good players, guys that I really enjoyed coaching. Still stay in touch with some of them, like [former 49ers DE] Justin Smith, [former 49ers LB] Patrick Willis, [former 49ers LB] NaVorro Bowman, [former 49ers LB] Ahmad Brooks, [former 49ers LB] Aldon Smith, could go on and on. [Former 49ers S Dashon] Goldson, [former 49ers S Donte] Whitner. We had a lot of good players.

Q. If 49ers QB Brock Purdy gets hurt, and he got hurt at the end of the last game, how different are the skillsets of 49ers QB Mac Jones? (Merrill Reese)

Vic Fangio: Not that much. They were very successful with Mac playing. I think he started eight games, if I’m not mistaken. They won five or six of those. Mac’s a really good quarterback and he’s where he should have been from the start.

Q. You really have to prepare for both of them. (Merrill Reese)

Vic Fangio: Always.

Q. The interceptions with an edge rusher leading that. I’m wondering how there’s more to the sack than just the statistic itself, the intersections with the defensive backs, and how do you kind of evaluate that over the year, how that’s played out? Just kind of the nature of having an edge rusher being the leader in that category. (Brooks Kubena)

Vic Fangio: So, you’re saying that’s a knock on the secondary?

Q. I’m wondering how you see that, whether the productions where you want it or maybe there’s something else that explains that. (Brooks Kubena)

Vic Fangio: No, I don’t think so. Yeah. Would we like to have more interceptions? For sure. I don’t really know where we rank as far as interceptions go in the league. I think it’s just something that happened, but he’s good at it. The one interception was a screen pass that he felt, had a chance for one in the first Giants game early. I think he’s a guy that, the more we drop in coverage, he’s a threat to come up with them.

Q. You mentioned that you got close to joining 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan. When was that? (Jeff McLane)

Vic Fangio: When he first went to San Francisco.

Q. For you to be his defensive coordinator? (Jeff McLane)

Vic Fangio: [Nods.]

Q. What stood out about the way the Seahawks played against the Niners, and the fact that they stayed in nickel, is that something you expected? Does that surprise you? (Zach Berman)

Vic Fangio: No, I think that’s what Seattle does. Seattle’s really good on defense and they played really [well] in that game. San Francisco has had a really good year on third down and Seattle didn’t allow them to convert many of those, which had a major impact on the game. Give Seattle kudos, they really played [well].

Q. Where have you seen OLB Jaelan Phillips make the biggest impact on the defense since he’s arrived? (Cayden Steele)

Vic Fangio: He’s given us a jumpstart in our pass rush. Even though, I don’t know, he’s had one sack for sure, I don’t know if he’s had two. But he’s applied a lot of pressure and allowed others to get some sacks. He’s given us some strong play on the edge, which will be important in this game. He’s brought a level of enthusiasm and happiness to be here that I think has been contagious.