Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan faced significant criticism for his decision to not only play
Brock Purdy against the New Orleans Saints but to keep him in the game for three series, even after the quarterback took several big hits.
Purdy was one of the few starters who played in the preseason game, with a mix of starters and backups on the offensive line. He also had several key playmakers missing, as
Deebo Samuel,
Jauan Jennings,
George Kittle, and
Christian McCaffrey were sidelined for the contest.
Speaking on Bay Area radio station KNBR on Wednesday, Shanahan responded to the critics with a clear message.
"I might get what people say but I think sometimes people are just trying to be a little bit dramatic with it," Shanahan said. "If I obviously thought it was something that he couldn't protect himself or the guys couldn't match up at all, then we wouldn't do it at all. But we didn't feel that way.
"We liked the reps that Brock got. He was excited to play. He was in there with possibly our two starting tackles, our starting center, our starting right guard."
The 49ers were also without guard
Aaron Banks, who broke his pinky leading up to the game. Shanahan mentioned that if the contract negotiations with tackle
Trent Williams fall through, the offensive line seen against the Saints could very well be the starting lineup for Week 1.
While this may raise concerns among fans, Shanahan was not entirely displeased with the performance.
"That's part of football, and they're guys that are NFL players," Shanahan continued. "So I didn't see it as anything wrong with the offensive line, and I actually thought the offensive line matched up pretty well and did a pretty good job in that game."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy's stats from Monday night's win over the New York Jets might not stand out at first glance—he finished 19 of 29 for 231 yards without a touchdown. However, this was not for lack of impressive throws. You might recall that Purdy...
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan provided an encouraging update on Christian McCaffrey during an appearance on Bay Area radio station KNBR on Friday. The star running back has been limited in practice for two consecutive days as he recovers from calf and Achilles...
Troy Aikman has never hesitated to praise San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. The Dallas Cowboys legend remains puzzled by much of the criticism surrounding Purdy, as some prefer to credit the playmakers around him or head coach Kyle Shanahan's offensive system for his...
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has yet to reach his full potential, which should excite fans about the future of the franchise. Despite an impressive 2023 season, where he set a single-season franchise record with 4,280 passing yards, Purdy is still developing. His...