SANTA CLARA – Offensive coordinator Geep Chryst did not pretend to ignore what Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine said on Wednesday about the 49ers’ performance three days earlier.
But Chryst intimated the Browns’ less-than-perfect performance should not have given Pettine much reason to crow.
Pettine compared his team with the 49ers as teams in “very similar situations" entering last Sunday's game in Cleveland.
He added, “I thought you saw one team that wanted to be out there and wanted to compete and wanted to win a football game, and I don't know if I sensed that same attitude from the other side.”
[RELATED: Browns' Pettine questions 49ers' fight in Week 14]
Chryst alluded to those comments before being asked directly if he was offended by what he heard from the second-year coach of the Browns, who improved to 3-10 with a 24-10 victory over the 49ers.
“Well, he’s shining his star, saying that, ‘Even though we lost seven in a row, look how we showed up. We’re a team that fights and does not quit,’ ” Chryst said.
“I do know if they had 10’s across the board on all the things he cited, and we were at 1 across the board, then I don’t think they would’ve had a field goal blocked. I don’t think they would’ve had (an interception), which is critical to the game. I don’t think they would’ve had a fumble. I don’t think they would’ve allowed a punt to come back (36 yards).”
Chryst pointed out the Browns led 10-3 midway through the third quarter when Quinton Patton caught a 35-yard pass to the Cleveland 23-yard line. However, the play was nullified because Patton was flagged for illegal motion.
“He was leaning forward in his motion,” Chryst said. “We’ve gone in motion a thousand times. Why did he on that one play do that? Is it a lack of experience of going in motion? Was he excited about making the play?
“We could tie that game up right there. Instead, that’s a penalty and the next two plays are sacks. And it materially effects how you think about the game. I know it affected me, how I felt about the game.”
The 49ers own the league’s No. 32-ranked offense after 13 games. When asked about the team’s lack of success and his role in the problems Chryst pointed to the upheaval on the roster since the start of the regular season. The 49ers have had 19 different players catch passes this season.
“I’m proud of that stat because that means there are a lot of people we’ve had to quickly fold into and ramp up for games,” Chryst said.
Chryst said he felt as if the 49ers’ offense had been making strides in the previous four games with Blaine Gabbert at quarterback with the only losses coming to Arizona and Seattle.
“And this was a step back,” he said of the 49ers' loss to the Browns.
He added, “We would love to pour experience or playmaking ability, all of that, into every player that’s out there. We want them to be successful. We want to put them in a position to be successful. But at the end of the day, you either make a play at that point in time or you don’t. And that’s football.”
