The San Francisco 49ers are coming off a disappointing 2024 campaign, but fans should be heartened by quarterback Brock Purdy's recent comments on he and head coach Kyle Shanahan's desire to turn things around in 2025.
Appearing on reporter Tim Kawakami's podcast, Purdy said that he and Shanahan both feel like they still have a lot to prove.
"Kyle and I have a chip on our shoulder," the quarterback said. "We’re still trying to prove ourselves every single day. We are going to give everything that we have to this organization."
That should be music to the ears of Niner fans everywhere.
San Francisco locked Purdy up with a five-year contract extension because it believes he is the guy who can get the team to the promised land and deliver the franchise's sixth Lombardi Trophy.
Shanahan clearly trusts Purdy more than any other quarterback he has coached since he took over as head coach in 2017. He asks more from Purdy and allows him to throw the ball more than he ever did when Jimmy Garoppolo was the man behind center.
Similarly, Purdy trusts Shanahan. He now fully understands Shanahan's complex system of offense and knows that he does not need to be a hero. When Purdy is at his best, he views himself as a point guard distributing the ball to his playmakers, but we know that when things break down he can make off-schedule plays as well.
It is understandable that both men, and the team at large, would have a chip on their shoulder given how close they came to winning the Super Bowl in February of 2024. Had just one or two plays gone differently, they may already be working on a statue of the two of them at Levi's Stadium.
The team has all of the requisite pieces in place to make it happen this season. The NFC West seems very winnable given San Francisco's schedule, and Shanahan himself has said the vibes seem to be much better entering this season than they were last season.
If San Francisco is going to make it back to the playoffs and make another Super Bowl run, Purdy and Shanahan may very well be the two biggest factors. Shanahan has to somehow overcome all of the demons he has accrued over the course of his career, and Purdy may have to be able to make just one more big play to get San Francisco over the top.
One thing that is for sure is that Shanahan and Purdy are completely in lockstep and are intent on doing everything in their power to win a ring.
If that doesn't get Niners fans at least a little pumped up, there is not much that will.
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