49ers QB Brock Purdy happy with progress, but status remains ‘day to day’ (paywall)
“I went back and watched film and saw how explosive you really need to be at quarterback,” Purdy said. “You don’t really think about it, but getting back from the line of scrimmage in your drops, your handoffs, carrying out fakes, bootlegs, scrambling. Obviously, you need your toes to be able to go in and out of your cuts. It’s something you can’t really mask. You’ve got to be all in and healthy to be able to play the position of quarterback. Now I realize that.”
49ers’ deep rookie class keeps getting better, as Connor Colby steps into starting role (paywall)
““I didn’t think he was a guard when he first came. I thought he’d play tackle,” left tackle Trent Williams said. “He’s what I would call a ‘tweener — in a good way. He has the size and length to play tackle but has the strength to play guard.”
That strength was evident right away, both in the team’s weight room and when he was asked to take on the 49ers’ defensive tackles. Center Jake Brendel called Colby’s power “applicable strength.”
“He moves a lot of weight in the weight room,” Brendel said. “That’s not always 100 percent what this game is. But it can definitely help you. And he also shows that strength if you watch the one-on-one reps and stuff. He has a decent anchor and some decent hands, and he can lock people out, which is always a question for a younger guy. Does he have the ability to stop a bull rush, to stop a guy from pushing the pocket back?”
Colby also took a lot of repetitions during the spring and summer. Like Dominick Puni last year, he didn’t miss any OTA and training camp practices, which allowed him to get progressively better and gain the coaches’ trust. When Puni went down with a knee injury this preseason, Colby replaced him at right guard. And with Bartch now on injured reserve, Colby will make his first NFL start Sunday at left guard against the Arizona Cardinals.
“We all have a ton of confidence in the kid,” Brendel said. “It kind of looks like he’s played a lot more ball than what a normal rookie has played.”
“I think it’s his demeanor,” Williams added. “Just the way he handles himself, the way you come to work, him being coachable, his willingness to learn.
“If he continues on his trajectory, I think he’ll be a really, really good player. I have been super proud of him — he’s been a huge addition for us.”
49ers’ demoted safety Ji’Ayir Brown vows to rise again: ‘I’m top five in this league’ (paywall)
““I think most of my pro approach and humility to the situation, whatever you want to draw it up as, most of it is because I know who I am as a player,” Brown said. “I know for sure I’m one of the best safeties in the league. Top five, if anything, in the league. This has nothing to do with me being moved from safety. This is just me being a football player, and moving down to big nickel is a showcase of my many talents….“I also play the post (at safety) better than anybody in the league. I also do a lot of great things in the run game. This is just me being a versatile football player and showcasing my talents in many different ways. Y’all will see me back at safety again. This is not a permanent move for me. This is just how I can help the team out best. And help myself out best and put me on the field…”
“…Y’all have seen that plenty of times,” Brown said. “These are not new plays that I’m making. You’ve seen me go sideline to sideline (for) interceptions. You’ve seen me shoot (run) gaps. You’ve seen me do a lot. What y’all have seen is some of my bad plays, which is unfortunate.
“But we all have bad plays in this league. There’s no DB in this league that doesn’t have a bad play on tape. But for some reason mine have been misconstrued in a way that’s attacking my talents. It’s a bit unfair. But I have more good plays than I have bad plays.”
Asked if he was pissed off at his situation, Brown smiled and laughed. He said he was “always pissed about my respect” but he was in “great spirits” with his coaches and teammates and wasn’t “acting (stupid)” because of his demotion.“
49ers linebacker Dee Winters shares what motivated him to seize starting job
““I think it’s just the consistency of Dre and Fred, how they showed up to work every week, just the intent and how they worked,” Winters said on “49ers Talk.” “I think that was huge. And that’s what I’m trying to implement in my game going on Year 3 and moving forward….“From the first time I met him, he told me what he wanted to do with me and how he was going to allow me to play faster, and I was all-in from that day forward,” Winters said of Saleh.
“He’s done a great job with game-planning, coming in, letting us know how it is, and allowing me to be one on one with the running backs and making a defense for me that’s simplistic.”
Brock Purdy, Mac Jones, Robert Saleh, Klay Kubiak preview 49ers-Cardinals Week 3 matchup
“San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak, and quarterbacks Brock Purdy and Mac Jones addressed reporters following Thursday’s practice as the team prepares for its Week 3 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. Here’s everything they said.”
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