QB Brock Purdy Press Conference

QB Brock Purdy

Press Conference – December 21, 2022

San Francisco 49ers

Let’s get right to it with the Christmas card, what’s the story behind it? And then the choice to have OL Alfredo Gutierrez in the back with the Mexican flag, what was going on there?

“Yeah, we originally wanted to get all of us roommates in some Christmas sweaters and then get in front of the tree that we have in our apartment and we have lights up and everything, stockings with our initials on them. That’s what I wanted to do, but then I don’t know, they were sort of in a rush to get the card put together, so we just found a picture of Nick and I, and then we had to throw in Alfredo, separately of him holding the Mexican flag, so it was sort of put together last minute, but I’m honestly glad the way they turned out. Yeah, it was great. Great Christmas touch.”

How are you feeling?

“Yeah, I feel a lot better compared to last week going into the game. Just compared to how I felt going into the game and then obviously having a good three days before doing anything of just rest and recovery, I feel a lot better.”

Was there a doubt that you were going to play in that game as you started the warm up even in your mind? Obviously, outwardly you’re going to say you’re going to play, but when you took the field to warmup, were you wondering?

“I knew that I was going to start out the game. I didn’t know if I got hit or if something happened. If things got worse with my oblique and whatnot, if I would have to come out of the game, that kind of thing. I knew that I was going to start the game and roll from there and see how it felt, but there was never a question of if I was going to play or not.”

How much do you rely on your pocket presence and mobility to protect yourself in those situations?

“Yeah, I think it’s nice to be able to use my legs a little bit, get out of the way in certain situations and have a good feel of when the ball needs to get out, that kind of thing, rather than just being a statue and trying to go through my reads, but sort of being elusive in the pocket and getting the ball out to guys like [RB] Christian [McCaffrey] or [TE] George [Kittle] on check downs and whatnot, so I feel like that definitely helped me play throughout that game and play safe.”

You got hit a couple times, I assume that didn’t feel great?

“Honestly, with the adrenaline that I had from the game, I was fine. Even with the sacks or taking a hit off the edge from a safety, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. Just the blood was pumping, I was in game mode, so those kinds of hits were fine, so it was just after the game, the next day, you feel a little sore from those kinds of things, but that’s it’s like every game.”

It seemed like you saw significantly less blitzing than you did the previous two weeks when you went back and watched film. How did you feel in terms of getting through progressions and things like that since you had a chance to sit in the pocket?

“Yeah, I feel like for the most part, we did a solid job across the board making sure that I was able to go from one read to the next and get the ball off on time, so that was positive to see, but there’s also a couple plays that we have out there, that I have out there personally where I could do a better job of getting through the entire progression, so those are things I can continue to chip away at practice and in the meeting room and [quarterbacks coach Brian] Griese, [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan], all those guys, they’re real with me, they’re like, man, you have to get better in this area or that area, so I know I have a lot more room to grow.”

How would you describe QB Jimmy Garoppolo and QB Trey Lance’s contribution to you? I assume they’re in there in the quarterback room with you, going over things. Your skillset is a little bit different than Jimmy’s, which is a little bit different than Trey’s and Kyle kind of tailors the offense to it, but how is it put together?

“Yeah, I think everyone plays the game a little bit differently, but at the core we’re running the same offense with Kyle. His mindset in terms of the progressions and where we need to be and where the ball needs to go, so we all have a different perspective of it, but we know what the main goal is, which is awesome because Jimmy’s been in the offense for a while now. Trey obviously has had a whole year under his belt, so he helps me out with things that he experienced his rookie year and whatnot, but all those guys, man, all the input that they have and it’s been great. I’m very blessed and thankful for their perspectives on things, but at the end of the day when you go out and get the snap, you are your own player, I’m not Trey, I’m not Jimmy, I’m myself and same with them. We all play the game slightly differently, but we play in the same system, so we just trust in Kyle and his progressions and the way he teaches us, so it’s really how we go about things.”

You mentioned Griese, there’s also assistant quarterbacks coach Klay Kubiak, there’s offensive passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik, it seems that Kyle has built quite a robust room of coaches to work with the QBs. How well do they work together? Obviously, three different starters this year, you and Jimmy have both been playing really well. How much do you kind of attribute that to the coaching room that Kyle’s built for the quarterbacks?

“Yeah, honestly the foundation that they have in terms of the system, the way they coach, the things that they believe within the offense, they don’t waver in it. They stay true to themselves and they stay true to how they coach and that’s honestly helped all of us. Trey was doing great all throughout camp and the first couple games and then Jimmy came in and then myself, so definitely a credit to those guys in terms of preaching and coaching the same things and honestly, they all help each other out with things. It’s not just one guy in there preaching the same thing. They all get each other’s opinion on things and there’s no ego. All those guys, they want to win and at the end of the day, they do what’s best for the team, so definitely thankful for all the guys in the room. It’s not just one guy.”

It’s Griese’s first year as a coach, so I’m kind of curious how you’ve seen him grow as a coach, and aside from his ability to relate from his past experiences, does he go over fundamentals and the landmarks with you on what you need to do?

“Yeah, Griese is awesome in terms of footwork and rhythm and seeing safeties, structure, just all that stuff. He obviously played the position and he can relate to us, which is great, but I think even from the day I got here until now, him speaking the terminology of which Kyle teaches and everything, you could see him like even growing as a coach and he loves it, man, you could just tell every single week is a challenge for him and he loves it, so he’s done a great job as a coach and we’ve all seen him get better as a coach, so I’m excited for him moving forward.”

You mentioned no ego of the quarterback coaches, but there also seems to be not a lot of ego in the locker room, which is filled with a lot of stars. Is that something you guys talk about that there’s a goal in mind and personal goals maybe take a backseat?

“Yeah, 100%. Like you said, we have all these Pro Bowl caliber players and at the end of the day it’s not all about the stats and the receptions and touchdowns and sacks or whatever. Those things come and go. At the end of the day, this team we have the goal of winning the whole thing and so, all those guys are doing what it takes in terms of they may not get a lot of catches this game, but they’re going to block their butt off for the guy running the ball and things like that, so definitely no ego and that’s across the board. It’s rare when you get a team like this with the amount of talent that we have and so you only get so many opportunities to win the whole thing and I think the guys in the locker room understand that.”

When you got here, how much did you kind of sense the sense of urgency of a team that’s in a window and has guys who have been close and haven’t got over the hump?

“Yeah, I feel like I sort of sensed it just from the jump. The way meetings were run, the way we went through OTAs and the structure of it and the intensity from guys like [LB] Fred Warner and [DL] Nick Bosa and then obviously the older guys, like even [OL] Trent [Williams] when he got back. All those guys man like, they’ve got paid, they’ve done it all, and them coming in and the fire and the drive that they had in their eyes, I was like, ‘man, there’s something different about this place.’ I could tell they have one mission, everyone’s hungry to win the whole thing and, it hasn’t changed.”

I have a couple more Christmas questions for you. What are your favorite holiday traditions and what’s your favorite Christmas song?

“I would say Silver Bells is my favorite song by Dean Martin. I love that song. And then some favorite movies I do like the Grinch, I like the Family Stone and one more would probably be Home Alone. It’s a classic.”

It seems like taking command of the locker room and the team comes extremely naturally to you. Has that ever awkward here though, given the fact that you’re a rookie and you’re not like the franchise guy yet? How do you balance that?

“Yeah, I feel like one, my goal coming in was to earn the respect of the guys that have been here and as a rookie, you can’t just come in and be a rah-rah guy and try to act like you’re the guy already, so I just try to do my part, pay my dues and earn my stripes. And that still hasn’t changed. I still have to do that kind of stuff as a rookie now, but my whole thing was man, I’m going to go in and support the quarterbacks, compete and push them to make them better. And if my opportunity comes, then obviously make the most of it. And I feel like the guys have seen that, the older guys have seen that, and they respect that. And so, I appreciate them for that. And honestly, we all want to win and if that takes a rookie quarterback, so be it. You know that kind of thing.”