QB Brock Purdy Press Conference

QB Brock Purdy

Press Conference – September 6, 2024

San Francisco 49ers

Their corners, what do they look like on film when you watch them?

“Obviously, I just feel like they have a lot of experience and they have a good natural feel for the game and sort of understanding concepts that offenses are running. They’re smart, and obviously they’re very athletic. [CB] Sauce Gardner’s got some great length. [CB] D.J. Reed is really quick, smart, gritty. So for us, it’s going to be a great challenge. And anytime we’re going to push the ball outside the numbers or anything like that, it just has to be smart and aware of those guys because they’re really, really good corners.”

When you watch the Jets defense on film, how similar, schematically, is it to what you’re facing in training camp every day?

“Yeah, I would say pretty similar. You could just tell their mindset of playing fast and physical, just like our guys. They fly around. You could just tell, it branches back to when [New York Jets head coach Robert] Saleh was here. The scheme as well, just how they run their defense and stuff is very similar. But we have to be ready for just, any other kind of different looks and stuff. And going into it, they know that we’re familiar with their defense and stuff, but we just have to be ready for anything else that they can throw our way. But I’m excited, just in the fact that I’ve gone against this defense for a while. All of our guys have. But they’re different players. We haven’t gone up against their guys yet, so that’s the challenge.”

For a team that puts so much emphasis on practice reps, head coach Kyle Shanahan talks about it all the time, RB Christian McCaffrey talks about it all the time, you’ve had some pretty key guys that have not had a ton of practice reps. Between WR Brandon Aiyuk, T Trent Williams and Christian. Do you still feel confident you can just hit the ground Monday night without all those reps and still be sharp?

“I feel like we’ve all had so many game reps and just experience together that we understand, just from watching our film, and then obviously, being back together with the time that we’ve had so far. We all understand how we move, how we operate and how we need to play within this system and with each other. Trent was gone for a little bit obviously, but when he’s come back in, it feels good. It feels natural again back in the huddle and when I’m dropping back with him there. And same with BA and his routes throwing to him for the last week or so. It all just feels pretty normal. But I could say all that now, when the bullets are flying, we’re going to find out. And then obviously, same with Christian too, his reps and stuff. It goes for everybody. But we’re all going to have to adjust and adapt on the fly. That’s just how it is with live bullets and the live action in-game. So like I said, we’ll find out.”

At Iowa State, New York Jets DL Will McDonald was supposedly a terror on the practice field. Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell said they had to yank him out of some two-minute stuff to let the offense operate. What was that rivalry on the practice field like? And how fun is it going to be to be able to see that guy in an NFL game on the other side now?

“At practice, Will was so twitchy and bendy around the corners and stuff. It was very hard for our offensive line to block him at practice. And so, for me, like going up against him at practice at Iowa State, it was always like, ‘Dang man, this guy is just a freak and it’s hard for me to go through my progressions.’ But we’re on another level now in the NFL. But he’s still that same twitchy, fast, quick, explosive player. So anytime he’s on the field, I definitely have to be aware of him. But I’m excited to go against him, both of us being from Iowa State, with the guys that we have in the league and stuff, anytime we’re playing against one of my guys from Iowa State, I always get excited. Really happy for them, that they’re at this level, exceeding. But obviously when we step on the field, I’m competing and I want to beat them. But I’m happy for Will.”

You mentioned that things feel normal, but has there been some kind of a reclamation process of going with Brandon out there on the field? Have there been any miscommunications in practices?

“It’s hard to tell, just because, this is a game week. So, we’re putting in new plays and things for the Jets defense and everything. So, it’s just like any other game week, to be honest, where we have new plays in and everyone is sort of feeling it out. I guess there’s that kind of stuff with Brandon. But when it comes to our base route trees, our concepts and him running and me throwing him out of his breaks, I’m not going to lie, it feels pretty normal. It feels pretty good. And obviously I remember him a lot, just how he runs and how he moves compared to [WR] Jauan [Jennings] and [WR] Deebo [Samuel Sr.], they’re all different. But I just, I remember how BA moves and if you ask me, I feel like we’ve been connecting pretty well.”

You guys got together last weekend. Which day was that?

“I think that was Friday morning or Saturday morning.”

Is that helpful in terms of kind of just having that specific time for just the two of

You to get back on the same page?

“Yeah, it was huge. Just he and I out in the field and like I said, just getting back into our base fundamental like routes and everything. He was working on his conditioning and stuff as well. But more than anything, like I said, just him getting in and out of cuts, like BA does it very quickly compared to some other guys. He’s a lot more explosive, I would say. And his hips are more mobile. He can break down and get in and out in any direction. That was a good day for me to just get back into sync of seeing how he moves and feeling it out again. This week at practice we sort of picked up where we left off.”

RB Breece Hall said that he obviously moved in the year after you guys were roommates. He’s credited a lot of that to his development. What did he Breece bring to you living in with him for those two years at Iowa State?

“One of the most talented football players that I’ve ever shared the field with or just seen play football live. Breece is one of the most talented guys. So, seeing his development from, when he got there as a freshman to then us, like pushing each other in the weight room and getting on the field and the relationship that we had like he was a brother to me, like a little brother, bringing him under my wing and just trying to push him and want to see him be his best. To see his mentality flip and to go get after it, it was pretty sweet to see. We pushed each other in everything that we did. Obviously, you hear the stories of us, like competing in Madden and stuff, and that’s all true. We were so competitive with each other and just like offseason stuff, in the weight room, like just pushing each other with stuff where it was basically like you’d try to go for time and length and then you’d fail or whatever, whether it was a core workout or a leg workout or whatever. We were just pushing each other all the time. But to see his development over the three years that he was there and that we were there together was pretty cool. And obviously him being in the NFL, he is very talented. He’s a freak athlete. I want nothing but the best for Breece. Love him.”

Do you see similarities in the way that he’s wired competitively as a running back, preparation, as you see now with RB Christian McCaffrey because you get to kind of see behind the scenes with both of those guys?

“I think they both just have that mentality of when they step on the field, they want to show the world what’s up like who they are and what they’re about. And obviously the way they prepare and everything is a credit to that. So that when they do step on the field they’re the best they can be. And seeing how Christian prepares, I haven’t seen anything like that. He does it better than anybody if you ask me. I learned from him. We all learn from him in the locker room. Just to see how he goes about taking care of his body, his mentality, getting ready for games, like all of it, it’s on another level. But to see those two backs, I’ve been very fortunate to play with some really good running backs so far in my career and I think that’s sort of how they compare.”

I assume you moved on from last season, a long time ago, but symbolically you really are turning the page here. I mean, it’ll be weird for us to ask Super Bowl questions after Week One or whatever. Is it nice it begins again in some ways? Maybe it’s just symbolic, but now you’re moving on from whatever last year?

“We’ve done so much. I feel like, as a team, whether it was guys leaving, guys joining our team and growing together with the squad that we have this year, and that’s where our mindset is at. It’s about 2024. We just played. We played that game in February and now it’s already a new season. For us it is. And it’s been like that since we got back for OTAs and camp just in terms of flipping the page and getting after it for this year. It’s a long season. It’s a marathon. But we know what it takes and Monday night for us, it’s the start of a whole new journey. Excited for it.”