QB Brock Purdy Press Conference

QB Brock Purdy

Press Conference – November 14, 2024

San Francisco 49ers

You’re 5-0 against the Seahawks, and I know it’s obviously a team sport and stuff, but how much pride do you take in having beaten a division rival that well?

“They’re a great organization, great team, got really good players, and so it’s never easy. I’ll tell you that, it’s not. I think we’ve had some success going against them, but it’s always been a dogfight and it’s never just been given to us or anything, and we know that. We feel like that’s the case with our whole division, especially this year. So, great team. And there’s never a moment where we walk into this game going it’s going to be given to us or anything. We know the history of the 49ers and the Seahawks and you have to have the right mindset going into this game or else you can get exposed.”

You’re 4-0 this year when you don’t fumble the ball or throw an interception. I think you’re 16-0 since you’ve been here, in those situations. When you hear those numbers, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

“It makes sense. If you win the turnover battle, I forgot what the stat is, but it’s almost an automatic win. And so for me, that’s my job and I take pride in that, in those games where you don’t turn the ball over or anything like that and you’re protecting the team, you’re protecting the offense and your defense can then go out and create turnovers and you can feed off each other. That’s a huge part of the game. And so, it makes sense. And that’s probably the case with a lot of teams around the league. The quarterbacks that play smart and do their job and put up points without turning the ball over, you’re going to have a really, really high chance of winning. That’s the goal every week.”

A new regime they brought in, you’ve played them one time. And then you played the other regime before. Was is it like preparing for an entirely new defense, or was there some carryover?

“It was, the scheme was different for sure. But going against the players and stuff, we sort of knew how some guys were, but in the NFL, the scheme is a really big deal with how they play certain coverages, leverages, how their run defense is and how they’re filling in gaps. All that stuff is slightly different. So that was a new challenge for us in studying them and trying to scheme up them compared to the years past. But going back and watching some stuff from Baltimore and stuff, sort of just trying to put it all together. And then obviously, all the games that they’ve played this year so far, we have some good tape on and everything. But it was a challenge, especially going on a Thursday night game. But this time around, hopefully we can just build off of the game plan from last time and have a feel for them. But it’s our second time going against them in this scheme, so it’s still a challenge for us, as always.”

The redzone production hasn’t been where you want it, but TE George Kittle has kind of been a constant for you this year, and even when you took over, he scored a lot more touchdowns than he did previously. How were you guys able to kind of develop that connection that you have and where is your trust level in terms of, George specifically?

“I think when you go down there, man, just the tight end, his frame and everything, and how explosive he is, his hands, he’s a really good matchup against guys down there, especially when it’s tighter and in the redzone. You don’t have a lot of room for error or anything and so when you have a guy that is a good mismatch, as a quarterback, it makes you comfortable and knowing that, alright, I have an outlet with Kittle. And so it’s been, really just going through my progressions and trusting in [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and trying to get George in the right matchups in getting him the ball and giving him an opportunity. He’s come down with some crazy catches. And so for me, it’s almost like I have my tight end as my checkdown down there, knowing that George is going to find a way and give me a chance. It’s, obviously, really nice and hopefully we can continue our connection and growth together.”

You mentioned the crazy catches. You see toe taps, things like that, for a lot of receivers, you don’t necessarily see tight ends doing that. How unusual is it to have somebody who is making plays like that in those situations?

“For a tight end, for how big he is and the run blocking and all this stuff you have to do as a gritty tight end, to then go and toe tap on the sidelines and jump up and make acrobatic catches and stuff, that’s unheard of. And he does that on a weekly basis it seems like. George is a future Hall of Famer, man, so I’m very thankful to be playing with him. And like I said, I hope I can continue to feed him and continue to grow together.”

George is sometimes silly, but obviously there has to be a serious side. What have you learned from him, whether it’s just the business of the NFL or just the wisdom he’s been able to impart to you?

“He’s done a lot, sort of just taken me under his wing, be like an older brother and just sort of give me the layout of everything, of what this business is and what it looks like. Obviously how to treat people, what to do, what not to do, off-the-field stuff and how to handle just the spotlight and everything and what he does that helps him center back in to what matters most with his family, friends and football. He’s given me some really good advice and continues to. It wasn’t just a one-time thing when I was a rookie. He continues to do that. I’m very appreciative of that. And obviously he’s got the fun, charismatic personality, which we all love. But he also knows what it takes to be great at this level. And he does what’s best for obviously the team and himself and his family. And so I respect how he goes about what he does. Obviously, the treatment on his body, studying, performing, all of it, man, you see it. And so, I’m extremely blessed to be a teammate of his and for him to teach me the ropes.”

Having RB Christian McCaffrey back at practice now for a second week, do you see a difference in what it does for everybody else? Does it elevate everybody else? What does that bring just to every practice day?

“Yeah, he goes hard, every rep, he does everything right. He doesn’t mess up or anything. And so, when we see the standard that he’s playing at, for all of us, we’re like, ‘alright man, Christian’s back’ and we’ve just got to do our job really well and when we get him the ball let’s make sure the blocking’s right. For me, it’s how can I give him an accurate ball and transition so that he can get the most YAC as possible? It’s like all those little things that you sort of start to see everybody elevate their game with. And so, it’s crazy when a person comes back of his caliber what it does to our team and everybody elevating their game. So obviously extremely happy to have him back for everything that he does for us. But more than anything, we’ve just got so much respect for how he goes about his business and being such a great teammate that he is.”

When you and your wives and George went on a vacation during the Bye week, was there any football? Did you guys throw patterns or talk ball or did you kind of agree ahead of time we’re not doing that?

“We both brought a football without telling each other. He was like, ‘hey, I brought a football.’ And I was like, ‘so did I’ just in case. But we flew in together, we golfed together one day, but outside of that we were just away with our wives on our own and just getting away from football. But, we obviously just brought a football to hold and touch and not forget what it feels like. But that was about it. We didn’t throw or anything. So we got away.”

Going back to your chemistry with Christian McCaffrey. The throw to the right sideline that you kind of arced over. He said that it was halfway there before he looked when he looked back to catch it. Is it just your trust in him that you’ve already had built up from the past that you knew he was going to be there? Is that part of it?

“For sure. Yeah. We’ve ran that route so many times from camp to games in the past. And obviously, like it’s just a testament to his detail. I know where he is going to be because every time he runs it at practice on air or against a defender, he gives me an indicator or there’s like subtle movements because he does it constantly. And so, for me in that moment, it was just all about trust because I knew where he was supposed to be and how he runs the route. And that’s the kind of guy he is. He has set those kinds of plays up for me so if it is off-schedule or anything, I know where he’s supposed to be. And so, that’s just the chemistry and trust that we’ve built and hopefully we can continue to have that going forward.”

Was that last week because he obviously hasn’t practiced much in the last couple months?

“Yeah. We ran it last week at practice. But going back to watching last year and then the reps that he did have at camp early on, those were all reps that we’ve gotten together. So once he came back we’re like, ‘alright, this play is back up’ and we’re like, ‘alright sweet.’”

WR Ricky Pearsall has talked a little bit about his faith and how certain things have happened to him since the shooting or with the shooting that he just doesn’t think are coincidences. Has he talked to you about that at all? If not, do you kind of feel the same way when you look at his story?

“Yeah 100-percent. He’s talked about it to me and I totally agree with him. Obviously, I’m a believer in God and to see him go through that and then to get back and just the story that he has, there’s no way that’s just a coincidence. That’s just my firm belief and I know he’s told me that and he’s told all the guys that. And to see him back playing and his story, it’s something bigger than football. It’s bigger than what we’re doing here right now. It’s way bigger than that. We’re still sort of trying to figure it out. We’ll see what happens with it all. But yeah, if you ask us, it was God.”