Kyle Shanahan says 49ers QB Brock Purdy is Being too Hard on Himself

Brock Purdy treats press conferences almost like they're confessions.

Dec 12, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) walks towards the sidelines after throwing an incomplete pass against the Los Angeles Rams in the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Brock Purdy treats press conferences almost like they're confessions.

He's painfully honest. So when a reporter asked him this week to assess his performance from this season, Purdy said unprompted that he needs to start playing with the chip that he used to have on his shoulder. As if he doesn't have one anymore. You almost never hear professional athletes say something like that.

On Friday this week, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about Purdy's harsh self-assessment.

"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," Shanahan said. "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."

I appreciate Shanahan sticking up for Purdy. Shanahan absolutely said the right thing. But I disagree with his official interpretation of Purdy's comments.

I think Purdy was talking about how his mindset has changed since he made his NFL debut in 2022. Back then, he simply was trying to prove to his teammates that belonged on the 53-man roster and not the practice squad. Now, he's trying to prove to the world that he's worth $60 million per season, so he's trying to be perfect and do too much.

Purdy doesn't need to be perfect. He just needs to be good. That's what he was saying.

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