Dan Campbell postgame media availability | 2023 NFC Championship: Lions vs. 49ers

Summary

The coach reflects on his team's crushing NFC Championship loss, crediting the opponent for making plays while expressing pride in his own team's fight. He takes accountability for fateful 4th down calls, laments uncharacteristic mistakes, and acknowledges the challenge ahead to regroup and return. The coach stresses the difficulty of losses like these, saying it feels like getting your heart ripped out. He aims to appreciate accomplishments while grappling with devastation, knowing the team dynamics will change and admitting only the Super Bowl winner feels truly satisfied.

Takeaways

• 😊 Gave credit to the 49ers for making plays and being a great team
• 😔 Expressed disappointment in the loss and said it was hard for the team
• 😠 Took responsibility for the 4th down play calls that didn't work out
• 😇 Said the loss was uncharacteristic and they couldn't get momentum back
• 😢 Said the loss feels like getting your heart ripped out
• 🚫 Said they didn't convert on critical 4th downs in the 2nd half
• 😤 Said the 49ers started making plays and they couldn't counter
• 🤔 Admitted the 49ers' experience may have been a factor
• 😕 Said the locker room is very disappointed after the loss
• 🙂 Still believes in the team and players despite the difficult loss

Q & A

What does Shanahan credit the 49ers' win to?

Shanahan credits the 49ers' win to his players making plays when needed. He says they have lived through and experienced big moments which helped them close out the game.

How does McVay view the Rams' performance and what happened in the second half?

McVay says the Rams' performance in the second half was very uncharacteristic of them. He can't pinpoint what exactly went wrong but says they normally are able to regain momentum, which they couldn't do this time.

What was McVay's thinking behind going for it on 4th down twice?

McVay felt confident about converting on 4th down to keep momentum and prevent the 49ers from running the clock down further. In hindsight he understands the scrutiny but doesn't regret the decisions.

What does McVay say is the reality of trying to get back to the NFC Championship game next year?

McVay says it will be twice as hard to get back to the NFC Championship game next year. He notes that the division will be loaded with talent and every opponent will be gunning for the Rams.

What is McVay's message to Fuller about the touchdown he gave up?

McVay tells Fuller that mistakes happen but to keep fighting on every play and make the opponents work for everything. He doesn't want players who look scared against tough matchups.

What does McVay say is necessary for success along with talent and good coaching?

McVay believes there needs to be chemistry, teamwork, unselfishness, and no egos along with talent and coaching to find success. Otherwise a team will quickly become average.

How does McVay describe the locker room atmosphere after the loss?

McVay says the locker room is very disappointed and describes it as feeling like your heart was ripped out. He reiterates that no one is happy with how things ended.

Does McVay think the 49ers' experience played a factor in the second half?

McVay says it's hard for him to believe the 49ers having more experience played a big role since the Rams played in many big games this season too. But he can't completely dispute it having an impact.

What did McVay expect the 49ers to do in the second half?

McVay expected the 49ers to make some plays in the second half. He knew they would make a run at some point, it was just a matter of the Rams answering back which they couldn't do.

How does McVay summarize the loss and the season?

McVay feels that without winning the Super Bowl, the Rams' season will leave them feeling like every other non-Super Bowl team - with a pretty bad taste in their mouths despite accomplishments.

Outlines

00:00

😞 Answering questions about the difficult playoff loss

Shanahan discusses the disappointment of the loss to the 49ers in the NFC Championship game. He credits the 49ers for making plays to win while acknowledging his team's mistakes and inability to rebound. He takes responsibility for the failed 4th down attempts while defending his decisions.

05:01

😔 Describing the team's somber locker room mood

Shanahan talks about the extreme disappointment in the locker room after blowing the early lead and losing a chance to go to the Super Bowl. He emphasizes the challenge of rebounding from such a crushing loss.

10:01

😟 On not capitalizing on early momentum

Shanahan analyzes his team's inability to counter the 49ers' plays in the 3rd and 4th quarters after a strong first half. He suggests experience may have played a factor for the 49ers but doesn't want to believe that fully explains his team's struggles.

Keywords

💡Loss

The coach is discussing his team's loss in the NFC Championship game. He talks about the disappointment and pain of losing in such a difficult way, having their 'hearts ripped out'. This shows how emotionally devastating a loss like this can be, especially when you feel victory was within reach.

💡Mistakes

The coach acknowledges his team made some 'self-inflicted' mistakes in the second half that allowed their opponent to come back. He says these mistakes were 'uncharacteristic' and they normally are able to regain momentum, but failed to do so this time. This highlights how small mistakes can be hugely impactful in big games.

💡Opponent

The coach frequently references their opponent, the San Francisco 49ers. He credits them as a 'hell of a coach' and 'hell of a team', showing his respect for their talent and preparation. He notes how in big games like this, every play against a strong opponent matters.

💡Decisions

The coach discusses his 'fourth down decisions' on whether to go for it or kick a field goal. In hindsight he understands scrutiny over his decisions, but stands by his aggressive strategy. This shows the difficulty of in-game coaching decisions.

💡Momentum

The coach emphasizes how his team normally can regain momentum when opponents go on runs. However, this time they couldn't get the 'upper hand back' and 'couldn't quite make those plays'. Momentum swings are critical in the game of football.

💡Disappointment

In describing the locker room atmosphere, the coach notes the players are very 'disappointed' and 'nobody's happy'. He talks about the challenge of processing the difficult loss after being ahead at halftime.

💡Challenge

The coach stresses how getting back to this stage next year will be 'twice as hard' as it was this season. With their success, opponents will be gunning for them and they'll need to match their preparation and hunger.

💡Experience

Although disappointed, the coach frames this as a learning experience, especially for younger players. He says the key lesson is realizing which plays make the difference in big games like this.

💡Respect

Despite the loss, the coach emphasizes how 'proud' he is of the team and their efforts. He praises their fight and willingness to compete against a tough opponent.

💡Regroup

Looking ahead, the coach knows the team composition and coaching staff may change next season. He stresses the need to 'start over' and find the right chemistry and balance to make another run.

Highlights

Shanahan is a hell of a coach and the 49ers made the plays to win

It's hard when you lose that way, it feels like you get your heart ripped out

I'm proud of this group and I'll go anywhere with them

We did some really good things but today we didn't do enough

I felt really good about converting the 4th downs to get momentum back

It's been very uncharacteristic of us to not get our momentum back

We've always been able to counter back and we just couldn't do it

You have to live getting your heart ripped out to learn the lesson

It'll be twice as hard getting back here next year

You don't know which play will make the difference until you live it

The locker room is very disappointed, it feels like getting your heart ripped out

The roster and coaches will likely look quite different next year

Everything's got to be right - talent, compatibility, chemistry - or you'll become average quickly

We knew SF was going to make plays, you just have to answer back and we weren't able to

Unless you're the Super Bowl winner, you have a pretty bad taste in your mouth

Transcripts

um give those guys you know a lot of

credit we knew they wouldn't go away and

uh you know they made the plays um today

you know coach Shanahan's a hell of a

coach that's a team that uh you know

they they've done it they lived it and

they made the plays so credit to them

um I'm really I'm really proud of all

all these guys I am I mean and uh it's

hard when you lose that

way um it's

hard you know you feel like you get your

heart ripped out so um but I'm proud of

that group and I'll go anywhere with

that group and uh you wish you could

keep it all together but that's not the

reality

so

um you know we did some really good

things but today we we didn't do enough

and

uh and it's tough It's

questions Dan you um you had two fourth

down decision decisions that were

critical in the the second half neither

one was were what two fourth down

decisions that were critical in the

second half neither one was converted um

you know particularly the second one why

why not take a field goal there and

maybe stem the bleeding a little bit

yeah I just felt really good about us

converting and uh getting our momentum

and and not letting them play long ball

um you know they were bleeding the clock

out that's what they do um and I wanted

to get the upper hand back um um you

know and it's easy hindsight and I get

it you know um I get

that

but I don't regret those decisions and

that's hard you know it's hard because

you know they didn't we didn't come

through it wasn't able to to work out

but I just I don't I don't and I

understand the scrutiny I'll get that's

part of the gig man

um but you know we just just didn't work

go Dan how do you um process what

happened in the second half you know

some of the self-inflicted mistakes I

guess that didn't seem to you know come

up much of the year for you yeah you

know it's been it's been very

uncharacteristic of us we've always been

able to to get our momentum back and U

it's hard to to say I you know I

honestly right now I can't put my finger

on that that's not like us um you know

we had plays to be made that we just

didn't make we Norm do and you know some

of the things third quarter we came out

I thought we did a really good job

defensively man held them to three and

then got the ball back moved it you know

and um but we just couldn't we just

couldn't quite make those plays and so

third quarter you know we've been in

there we've been there before um and so

fourth quarter you're you feel like

we're going to get it back and we just

couldn't quite get over the hump and

uh you know and we just that hasn't been

us all year year and it showed up today

the worst

time Dan uh you did a lot of good things

in the first half of this game um you

got this far I don't know if a lot of

people picked you to come to the NFC

title game but disappointing end but

what do you what do you learn from this

experience I'm sure you hope to get back

here you expect to get back here but

what do you learn from this experience

of making it this far to this game well

you know I think one of the things you

always tell everybody who's never been

here particularly the young

players is um you don't know which play

is going to make the difference which

one you say that every game but when you

get in there with a you

know a heavyweight like Sam Fran man um

the it is the difference um and

sometimes you can only say so much you

got to live it unfortunately you got to

get your heart ripped out which we did

and it's a lesson learn and look I told

those guys this may have been all shot

do I think that no do I believe that no

however I I know how hard it is to get

here I I'm well aware and it'll be it's

going to be twice as hard to get back to

this point next year than it was this

year that's that's the reality and if we

don't have the same hunger and the same

work which is a whole another thing once

we get the offseason um then we got no

shot of getting back here I don't care

how much better we get or what we add or

what we dra it's irrelevant um it's

going to be tough everybody in our

division is gonna be loaded back up and

uh you know you're not hiding from

anybody anymore everybody's gonna want a

piece of you and uh which is fine you

know which is fine but um so it's hard

you want to make the most of every

opportunity and we we had an opportunity

and we just couldn't close it out it's

it does it stings

stings Dan to to go from that high of

the 24 s halftime lead to to how it

ended um what is your locker room like

right now it it I'm sure you weren't

celebrating at halftime but you

obviously were feeling very good the

level of crushing I guess for your

players yeah it's tough it's tough yeah

I mean nobody's

happy um you know they're they're very

disappointed you know it's disappointing

and I think I said it

pretty pretty vividly it's like getting

your heart ripped out and um it's hard

you know it's hard and no we didn't come

in and half to nobody we were doing back

flips like all right we got this thing

one they know better we all know better

we talked about it we knew they were

going to make a run in the second half

we talked about it we knew we were going

to have to weather a storm in the second

half and uh so when they started to make

a push it no we weren't surprised we

just couldn't counter back and we've

always been able to counter back we just

couldn't quite do it in this

one what is the message um both in the

moment and big picture to a player like

kindall who is you know on the wrong

side of a play like that on the IU

catch Listen what we talked about is man

you just you you fight every play man

and you make them earn um everything

they get he was in phase and uh he

competed and it didn't work out and you

know what that's life of a cornerback

it's life of a quarterback as well those

two positions and uh listen it happens

and you you go back for the next and

long term you know what that that won't

be the next time that happens

unfortunately it's every corner gets put

on an island at different times and uh

and so you just keep going you just keep

fighting and that's what that's what I

want and that's what I'm looking for

what I don't want is a player who looks

scared and doesn't uh get up there and

Challenge and uh but a guy who will go

up there and mix it up and is afraid of

who he's lined up over um you know what

give up play Give Up play nobody feels

good about it sir player done but but I

know I know they're

fighting you mentioned it a little bit

in your opening comments Dan um there's

a lot of emotions at the end of a game

but particularly at the end of the

season can you just expand a little bit

more and just knowing that the locker

room your coaching staff might look you

know quite a bit different that the I

guess the the challenge of the finale of

that yeah I mean it's it's hard um you

know everything that you I I'm a firm

believer in everything's got to be

everything's got to be right and

everybody just thinks that it's just

Talent or it's just coach ability and

you know the more Talent you get and the

just the better coaches or the more

well-known then you're just

automatically going to be good and

that's not the truth at all it's not

does it help yeah it helps as long as

they are compatible and there is a

chemistry and there is teamwork and

there's an unselfishness and there's and

you you leave the egos

at home and uh that's

hard it's hard to do that and so you set

it up well now it's just going to look

different and it's got to be right again

it's got to be right some of the players

potentially some of the

coaches man we got to start over and we

got to find the right mix the right

balance and uh it's got to be right

because otherwise you don't I I just I'm

a firm believer you don't have a chance

if it's not you'll become average

quickly it's

probably it's probably too early in the

uh you know the moment right after a

game like this but at what point do you

think if at all you'll be able to

appreciate what you guys accomplished

this season getting here the the amount

of success you had leading up to tonight

that's tough um and I I've said that

word a lot tonight

um and I just I hate it I should not you

know you're asking me right now and I

feel like we're no different any body

else you know and that's what unless

you're the Super Bowl winner that's what

this feels like it's

hard and uh we did accomplish a lot but

there's just you know there's a piece in

me that I just feel like

we're you

know a little bit like every everybody

else who didn't make it you know and

everybody else who lost unless you're

San Francisco and who won the other one

I don't even know KC then you you got a

pretty bad taste in your

mouth and um it's what's great about

this sport what's great about the game

it's what's great about the tournament

and it's also what just crushes

you Dan the coming out halftime you get

the a catch and the fumble that like a

double gut punch you could never see

coming no I mean look we knew they were

going to make a play I mean you'd like

to believe that it's not going to be

that but you know I

don't um we knew they were going to make

some plays you know it was it was just a

matter of time and I don't care how good

you're playing you know auk's a good

player and pretty does a good job of

giving those guys a chance to make plays

KD's a good player Debo's a good play so

at some point you knew something was

going to happen you just you got to be

able to answer back and you got to be

able to contain it and and we weren't

able to do

that Dan uh you mentioned the

heavyweights like San Francisco you

referred to them that way do you think

in the second half the fact that they

have been there before they played there

before and your team as a team even

though you had some guys who been there

before as a team had not did that start

to come into play especially when things

start swirling around and going against

you look I you know it's hard to I can't

dispute that but it's hard for me to

believe that because we've been in

really big games all year and I know

it's not the NFC championship game but

we've been in two playoff games we've

been in plenty of Prime Time games Big

Time opponents where we've been able to

you know we're I just we're always able

to get the momentum back and and we just

we couldn't do it today you know and

that's what it so I I don't want to

believe that but the same token it's

there and we just didn't quite make

those

plays