On whether he has any birthday plans:
"No. I was telling somebody earlier, every day for me is like my birthday. I'm the most blessed man in the world. If you can come out here and work with these guys every day, get to go home to my family, it can't get much better than that. So, I'm good."
On when WR Michael Crabtree will have the tape removed from his helmet and the logo put on:
"It really wasn't on purpose. It just kind of happened that way because you didn't know what he was going to do. It's just one of those things that we'll work on. The most important thing is he knows he's a 49er. It doesn't have to be on his helmet. That will take care of itself. It's a very minor thing – unintentional."
On whether he has a feel for Crabtree's physical condition:
"I just feel like this: It's great to have him in, watch him run some routes and kind of get acclimated. I'll tell something a little funny. The other day, when he first got here, he went out and he ran a route, and he really put a lot into the route, great moves, excellent route. At this level, the cornerbacks sometimes read the quarterbacks and they know what the route is. So, [CB] Nate [Clements] just let him go ahead and do all that stuff, and the next thing you know, he turns around for the ball and Nate was catching the ball. So, Crabtree turned around and said, 'How did that happen? I know that was a great move.' In college, it worked. That was funny to see that. He knows that this is another level, and it is different."
On whether he has any sense of Crabtree's speed:
"I don't really care about how fast a guy is. I really don't. You've got some fast guys that can run by you and catch a cold, but they have no heart. I look at a Hines Ward. I don't know how fast Hines Ward is, but I know that every team in the NFL would love to have him. To me, it just comes down to, how quality of a receiver are you? Do you have to be fast to be great? I don't think so. I think you have to be very, very proficient, seeking excellence in everything you do. That's what's going to produce for him and make him a great football player, as well as the other receivers we have. So, I don't."
On how his team has done focusing on the Atlanta Falcons this week during the Crabtree signing:
"I've got to be very honest with you. I think that's been very – it's kind of been its own side show. We anticipated that coming in. I think our team is very focused, very mature, and at this point we're not going to let anything take our attention off of what's important. Crabtree is in here, fantastic, great. I'm glad we got him, but we've got Atlanta this weekend, and that's been the focus all week. So, I'm very thankful that our guys see it that way as well."
On whether anyone else other than RB Frank Gore, S Reggie Smith and LB Jeff Ulbrich will be out on Sunday:
"No, not that I can think of off the top of my head, no."
On the reason for having LB Scott McKillop in for LB Joe Staley in practice:
"He's a little sore from yesterday, a little abdominal deal. We just took him out because we didn't want him – he's taken every rep this week, so we just wanted to take him out and rest him the way he's works all the time. So, he's good."
On whether KR Allen Rossum will be up:
"That's going to be a game-time deal. We'll make a decision on that then."
On LB Marques Harris' status:
"Now, that's another one. Because it's a hamstring and the nature of it, we just have to wait and see."
On whether S Curtis Taylor will be up this week:
"Good chance, a good chance. That's a game time as well."
On what he means by the defense being unselfish:
"What I mean about that is there are a couple of things. I've been a part of some great defenses, and too often, what happens is this guy is, 'Wait a minute, I got that sack,' or, 'Why did you set him up for this,' or 'Give me a chance to make a sack,' or 'How about bringing' – none of these guys ever talk about that. They always talk about what is the best way to get to the quarterback. Who's supposed to be here? We don't ever talk about that, and to me, that's truly amazing to me – and I think that's one of the No. 1 reasons we've been effective against the run. That's something that we have to continue to do because week-in and week-out, it's all about those gaps. It's all about gap integrity. If you're doing your job, forget about everything else. Just make sure you do your job first, and then go ahead and do something extra. That's what I mean with these guys."
On the season NT Aubrayo Franklin is having so far:
"Aubrayo, the last couple of years, has just really taken his play to a whole other level. He's a guy that's constantly asking, 'Coach, I want to be great. How do I be great?' OK, maybe you watch more film. 'OK, I'm doing that. How do I be great?' Well, maybe the offseason program. 'OK, I'm doing that. I'm going to Atlanta. I'm working my tail off in the offseason. It's like I'm in two-a-days in the offseason.' When you get a guy that's willing to pay the price and sacrifice as much as he does during the offseason, chances are, you're going to get a very good football player. He's doing great, and it makes a tremendous difference in the running game."
On whether the offensive line has stepped up this week in practice:
"I think with the o-line, the more they play, the better it's going to get. I had a conversation with them this morning, just letting them know how much I appreciate their ability to continue to work at it. They're trying to get where they need to go. It's a great thing to see, and it's going to pay huge dividends down the road. I'm just excited about their perseverance. They've been through a lot, learning this system, learning that system, learning this technique. So, I have to remember that at times and make sure that I let them know that I appreciate the small things they're trying to do to get big results."
On the challenge the offensive line faces this weekend with Atlanta:
"Just do your job, nothing more than that. Just do your job, and we'll be fine."
On whether he's worried that the team will think it's too good if they win going into the bye week:
"No. 1, I'm not worried about anything. I'm never worried about anything. That's No. 1. No. 2 is our guys understand where we are, and they understand that we are not where we need to be. We don't even have time to begin to think about anyone saying how great we are because we know that week-in and week-out, it's going to take everything we have to win. It's not even a conversation that I would have with them. I know they're beyond that."
On the schedule for the bye week:
"I don't know. I've got a couple of surprises up for that one, but don't know just yet. We'll talk more about it after the game."
On what K Joe Nedney was doing after practice:
"I have no idea. I didn't see him."
On whether he will have the same five wide receivers active that he did last week:
"Maybe more than that. Don't know yet. We have to kind of wait and see this game because we've got some little injuries here and there, Marques Harris – don't know yet. Just kind of have to work some guys out on Sunday before the game, see how guys feel tomorrow and how close they are. We'll just have to see."
