Recent comments from QB Brock Purdy about losing some of the chip on his shoulder has San Francisco 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan confused.
The 2024 season has, in many ways, been a dud for the Niners. Part of their issues has been regression from Purdy, who acknowledged his struggles and the possibility that he’s lost some of the edge that pushed him to win in his first two seasons.
Shanahan was asked about that comment during his December 20 press conference, and it’s safe to say he doesn’t get it at all.
“I heard about it because I had a radio show yesterday and they asked me about Brock saying he’s going to play with more of a chip on his shoulder. And so, that was the only thing I heard about it. He has as big of a chip on his shoulder as any player I’ve been around, so that throws me off. He’s probably just trying to answer a question and come up with something to say for you guys. But, Brock plays as hard and competitive as anyone I’ve been around,” Shanahan said.
The San Francisco head coach is just trying to back Purdy as much as possible here, but it is interesting that he publicly dismissed what his QB said.
Purdy’s Original Comments
After two exceptional seasons in the NFL, Purdy entered the 2024 campaign with high expectations. The 49ers QB was a major contender for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2022 before making the Pro Bowl in 2023.
When talking about the drop in quality this season, Purdy explained that it could be due to him losing the push that took him from “Mr. Irrelevant” to a Super Bowl starter.
“I need to get better and back to playing with a chip on my shoulder like it was my first two years,” Purdy said. “Every game, every down trying to prove to myself that I’m the guy for this team and I’m capable of doing it. That’s sort of been the case this year in some moments. I got to learn from that.”
Shanahan likely takes issue with that comment because Purdy’s implying that he knows he’s lost that edge. No coach wants to hear that a player is less than 100% locked in, and Shanahan is no different.
49ers QB Down in Important Categories
In some ways, it’s hard to blame Purdy for his regression. The 49ers have been without top offensive weapons like RB Christian McCaffrey and WR Brandon Aiyuk and have been navigating that all season.
However, the numbers show that some blame has to be placed on the QB himself. Purdy’s yards per attempt has dropped from 9.6 to 8.4 in 2024, while his QBR (65.3) is the lowest of his three NFL seasons.
One of the areas of Purdy’s game that has improved has been his rushing ability. The third-year QB has totaled 285 rushing yards through 13 games, scoring four TDs in the process.
That change is also representative of the 49ers’ issues with injuries and general offensive struggles. Purdy is having to improvise, and is finding new ways to pick up big plays by using his legs.
