Ever since their run to Super Bowl LVIII, Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers have struggled to get much respect from the general populace. Injuries and missed opportunities have been the main talking points whenever the franchise comes up. So even now that they are back to being 12-4 with Purdy leading the league in touchdown percentage, folks are still hesitant to trust them.
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According to the Brockstar himself, you can think whatever you may like of him, just don’t slander his head coach, Kyle Shanahan. “He’s one of the best in terms of play calling and scheming up the X’s and O’s,” Purdy remarked during his latest interview with ESPN.
“He just does a really good job. He’s got a lot of experience and all of us believe in him. He keeps it real, and he goes and coaches his butt off… He holds you accountable, that’s for sure. But more than anything, he’s going to tell you the truth, but also build you up and believe in you. He’s not a guy that says one thing and then does another… He’s earned a lot of guys’ respect over the years because of that.”
Much like last year, the 49ers’ plans have been derailed by injuries, except this time, Shanahan is refusing to take them out. Even when Purdy was forced to miss time throughout the first half of the season, he still managed to come away with 5 wins, showcasing just how good this 49ers team can be when everyone is healthy.
Although he seems to suggest that his job is a bit easier when Purdy is around. “Brock has been playing his ass off,” Shanahan informed ESPN. “He keeps plays alive with his legs and makes some off-schedule plays. He was an assassin on the field.”
Much has been made about the relationship between Shanahan and his quarterback, and how the two of them have seemingly been able to create more with less. For Purdy, however, it’s simply been about developing the ability to understand things on a more personal level. “Understanding of our offense, commanding the huddle. Understanding relationships in the locker room,” Purdy noted. “I know who I am, and I’m confident in who I am, and now I can go out and just have fun with it.”
The 49ers have arguably been the unluckiest team in the NFL in recent times. After years and years of heartbreak, their championship window was seemingly slammed shut by a tidal wave of injuries to some of their most beloved players.
That all alone could be enough to break any franchise, but for as long as they are able to maintain this sense of self that Shanahan seems to have installed into this team, then at least the 49ers can continue to feel that same sense of pride that plagued them throughout the 1980s.
