The day seems brighter. The air seems sweeter. The birds chirp a little louder. For 49ers fans, after Sunday’s defeat by the treacherous Philadelphia Eagles and their fans, everything seems to shine with a glow reminiscent of the Cowboys’ victory (see below).
Thanks for all of the great questions this week, including the latest transactions and inquiries on Brock Purdy and Danny Gray and many players in between. As usual, the questions have had their content slightly changed (usually a player’s first or last name has been added).
It seems to me that Kyle Shanahan has never been happier with a QB than Brock Purdy. Not even with Kirk Cousins or Matt Ryan in his MVP season. Do you have the same feeling when you talk to him? – Allan B.
Yes. Remember the episode of “Seinfeld” where Jerry, who hasn’t had long-term success with any of the women he dates, meets someone who is just like him – they even have the same initials! – and ends up getting engaged?
Jerry: “Now I know what I’ve been looking for all these years – myself! I was waiting to come with you. And now I’ve been blown away!”
GO DEEPER
The Kyle Shanahan vibes are very, very good for the 49ers right now
This is Shanahan, but he’s known for some time that he’s been waiting for a version of himself to come along – someone who is in tune with his brain, who can see things exactly the way he sees them, who has his vision can be put into action for the offense along with the quarterback. And now that Purdy is here, he’s completely blown Shanahan away!
Why doesn’t Purdy get more attention (or any) as Comeback Player of the Year? I prefer MVP, but he should get both. —Michael M.
That’s a great point. The determined, measured approach Purdy took to his rehabilitation is Purdy through and through. And a serious injury – to his throwing arm, no less – that threatened to bleed into the 2023 season wasn’t a problem.
However, he has some good competition for that honor, including Damar Hamlin, Lamar Jackson and Tua Tagovailoa.
Do you see an opportunity for a change at safety if Ji’Ayir Brown continues to have issues tackling in the open field? If so, who is next man up? —Asaf N.
No, I think the 49ers will let him continue to develop. It’s not like he’s out of position. And his speed and athleticism are evident. All he has to do is complete what seems like a simple solution.
Next man up is now Logan Ryan. The 49ers signed him on Tuesday after a morning practice. Ryan, 32, has started 121 games for the Patriots, Titans, Giants and Buccaneers, including six games at free safety for Tampa Bay last season. Here, the 49ers have depth issues after losing Talanoa Hufanga (knee) and George Odum (biceps) to likely season-ending injuries. The 49ers’ top backup at free safety on Sunday was nickel cornerback Isaiah Oliver. He ended up playing three snaps on the first drive when Tashaun Gipson Sr. had to go to the sideline.
To make room on the active roster, the 49ers cut running back Tyrion Davis-Price, a third-round pick in 2022 who was behind Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason in the running back pecking order. And yes, this is the second straight year the team has released a running back in the third round a year after drafting him. They did the same thing with Trey Sermon last year.
Ji’Ayir Brown lines up against running back Zach Charbonnet in the 49ers’ Week 12 win over the Seahawks. (Joe Nicholson/USA Today)
Maybe I’m just poor judgement, but it seems like a lot of Purdy’s snaps are too low or just miss the mark entirely. I know Jake Brendel is our guy this year, but how warm does his spot feel in the offseason? —Joey C.
I think it’s as cool as a cucumber. Yes, there have been some erroneous shotgun snaps in the last two weeks. And Purdy, standing in the shadow of his own end zone, snatched a bad snap out of the air with his right hand on Sunday, a potential mistake that could have been disastrous.
But otherwise Brendel was solid. He certainly seems to have the respect of players and coaches. Brendel ranked ninth among centers in the fan portion of Pro Bowl voting last season. He was named deputy after coaches and players got involved.
Brendel is also signed for three more seasons at relatively cheap terms (between $4 million and $4.9 million in cap hits).
I heard “49ers plus/minus” and I’m curious what Matt Maiocco was doing when the Eagles fans opened the press room window? – David P.
How quickly did that stadium really quiet down about the Niners and Niners fans started to take control? Could you feel the moans and groans from the Philly fans? – John L.
Some background information for the uninitiated. Shortly before kickoff on Sunday, I made the smartest decision in my 21 years of sports reporting: I moved to the second row of the press box.
I had several reasons. The front row, reserved for visiting media in every NFL press box, was packed because it was such a big game. (I sat next to Marcus Thompson, and God knows that guy is annoying.) The second row was reserved for Paraag Marathe and a number of other 49ers front office officials. I knew they had a suite somewhere and wouldn’t show up in the press box. That means there would be enough space.
The second row is also away from the glass and not as cold and offers a much better view of the TV monitors so you can watch replays better. Usually the second row is better.
But by far the most important reason was that the second row provides some distance from the Eagles fans, who – and this is quite unique among press boxes in the NFL – are at eye level on the other side of the press box. And Eagles fans are desperate for eye contact with visiting media. They live for it. They turn around, bang their fists on the glass, flip the bird, put their mouths against the glass, etc. etc. I’m not exaggerating when I say that some fans spend just as much time turning around and facing the visitor taunt media while watching the game.
During the NFC Championship game in January, I made the colossal mistake of meeting her eye early. And from that point on, four nice people – two men and two women – became obsessed with me. I was far more interesting to them than the collapse on the field. And when that happens, you can’t see out the window. Here too, they are on equal terms.
So on Sunday I moved to row 2.
Maiocco? The poor bastard wasn’t that smart.
He happened to be in front of the leader of the thugs, this game’s version of the person who looks at us the same way the game does. This guy reached his peak of rude behavior after Jalen Hurts’ brotherly touchdown in the third quarter. You’ll remember that this came after the altercation between Dre Greenlaw and Dom DiSandro. This incident was like manna to the crowd. They loved it. It woke her up. When Hurts scored, the stadium exploded and the fan in question began banging on the glass like a madman. He pounded so hard that the shutter holding two panes of glass together opened and suddenly there was no longer a barrier between fans and reporters. It was like being at the zoo and seeing the cages suddenly open.
If I had sat in the front row, I would undoubtedly have been snatched overboard and never heard from again. It would have been like an emergency exit opening in the middle of a flight: I might have been able to hold on for a few seconds, but I would have quickly disappeared. To his credit, Maiocco kept his cool, closed the jar and then kept it closed. Then a stadium worker finally came with a bunch of keys and locked the partition again.
At this point, the 49ers had regained control of the game. And after Deebo Samuel’s 48-yard score on the ensuing possession, the stadium fell silent. Mr. Philadelphia and the rest of the fans in that area got up from their seats and went home.
It seems like every other game Dre Greenlaw gets cautioned for a late hit. A big part of his game is playing with an edge, but at what point does the team need to ask him to rein it in a bit before it really costs them? – Tristan C.
This is not the first time this question has been asked. Greenlaw assessed a key unnecessary roughness penalty against Kyler Murray in the opening game of 2020 and two major penalties in last year’s opening game against the Bears, including a unnecessary roughness penalty against Justin Fields. Both were narrow defeats.
The 49ers have largely defended Greenlaw and it’s clear they’re willing to trade his fire and intensity for the off-the-line moves he’s become known for.
“Whenever you play like Dre, he doesn’t hesitate in anything he does, so he jumps off the screen at people,” Shanahan said in September after unnecessarily harshly attacking Greenlaw, which Shanahan found questionable. “But you still have to call it right. It’s harder when people are like that. But he plays in a way, and if he ever plays in a way that is illegal or not allowed, we will change that quickly. But Dre is a very talented athlete and very physical and violent player who can play so fast and stay out of trouble for the most part. And I think he’s done that very well over the course of his career.”
What happened to Danny Gray? I thought he could at least contribute on special teams – Lorenzo Y.
Gray, who has been on injured reserve since August 30, has been healthy enough to play for some time now. But it looks like the 49ers would have to suffer a long-term injury at receiver — one that would require a receiver to go on IR — in order for Gray to be activated. The team has added two cornerbacks (Samuel Womack and Darrell Luter Jr.), a defensive end (Robert Beal Jr.), an offensive lineman (Ben Bartch) and a safety (Ryan) to the active roster in the time Gray has been able to added was added. That seems to underline where he stands in the pecking order.
Do you see the 49ers using the same pass rush strategy with Kyler Murray and Lamar Jackson as they did with Hurts? – JR W.
That’s a great question that we’ll be asking defensive coordinator Steve Wilks this week. That approach effectively kept Hurts at bay, but Shanahan noted after the game how incongruous — how uncharacteristic of the 49ers — the patient approach was for the defensive line.
GO DEEPER
Nick Bosa and the 49ers implemented a team-first defensive game plan in Philadelphia
Why doesn’t Shanahan give Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason more reps? They totaled eight snaps in Philadelphia vs. 52 for Christian McCaffrey (kudos to Minutia Minute!). I know it’s hard to replace McCaffrey given the type of guy he is, but are you worried about his playoff ranking? — Brett B.
First of all, thank you for being an MM fan (Minutia Minute, not Matt Maiocco). Second, this question has been one since the beginning of the season: Is McCaffrey overworked? We are in December and there is no sign that his workload has taken its toll. McCaffrey is hyper-professional when it comes to conditioning and grooming. It certainly looks like he can continue to handle the load.
Here’s where McCaffrey ranks among other running backs in terms of total offensive snaps this season:
1. Travis Etienne, JAX: 620
2. Rachaad White: TB: 615
3, McCaffrey: 613
4. Tony Pollard, DAL: 594
5. Josh Jacobs, LV: 566
GO DEEPER
49ers Minutia Minute: Brock Purdy in the midst of a Joe Montana-esque streak
Everyone is talking about number 1, but the future schedule is not easy. Which games do you see as a potential threat? — Brent G.
Yes.
Arik Armstead’s foot is blossoming, Javon Hargrave is solid, Kevin Givens is a good rotation player, Kalia Davis flashed last week, but I think the 49ers need more depth up the middle. Ndamukong Suh remains a free agent and is always looking for another championship. Is there a chance the 49ers will sign Suh? —Maleake H.
They were in the top two to sign him last year, but he chose the Eagles instead. He just signed with them in mid-November, so we know he A.) doesn’t mind signing late and B.) wants to sign with a competitor. He also spent five years in Detroit with then-Lions defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, meaning he should learn quickly in San Francisco. That means there could be interest.
(If Armstead’s foot and knee problems are long-term, the Suh question will be raised on Wednesday).
Do you think the team will now be comfortable with their cornerbacks under contract for 2024 (Charvarius Ward, Ambry Thomas, Deommodore Lenoir, Womack, Luter) or could you see them using a first-rounder at cornerback? —Mike D.
You can’t rule out any position (except perhaps the punter). But I agree with you. The 49ers seem to like Lenoir as their nickel of the future, and they have quite a bit of value on Luter, who will be a quasi-rookie next year after missing half of his true rookie season this year.
The needs at offensive tackle and defensive end seem to outweigh the needs at cornerback.
What’s going on at the correct guard position? Does it belong to Spencer Burford or will Jon Feliciano be rotated? —Steve J.
It almost feels like the 49ers are using the threat of a Feliciano rotation to motivate Burford. If so, it seemed to work. Burford wasn’t perfect against the Eagles, but his effort and hustle were hard to miss, especially on the blocks downfield.
He has a new knee injury this week. That could ultimately determine whether he or Feliciano plays against the Seahawks.
When was the last time the 49ers won a big game and then lost it to an inferior opponent the next week? —Chris C.
Well done, Chris C. Your check is in the mail.
(Top photo: Tony Avelar / Associated Press)
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