Kyle Shanahan spoke with QB coach Brian Gries and had conversations with Brock Purdy.NFL head coaches have to put out fires every now and then, and San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has put out recent flames over his quarterback and quarterback coaches.When a reporter commented that 49ers quarterbacks coach Brian Griese admitted to heated discussions with quarterback Brock Purdy, Shanahan dismissed it. Still, Shanahan expects some intensity at Thursday’s press conference ahead of Saturday’s divisional round game against the Green Bay Packers.”I don’t know exactly how it’s going to go,” Shanahan told reporters of discussions between Griese and Purdy.
“Normally they sit down and talk, but I get pretty hot. Griese can handle me pretty well.””So I don’t think he’s out of control or anything. If he was, I’d definitely push that button a few times. Brock has it in him,” added Shanahan. “Brock is a competitive guy. He just won’t sit there. I think we’re all a little alike.”Brien Griese and Brock Purdy both joined the 49ers in 2022.Griese played quarterback in the NFL and worked with ESPN before his coaching stint with the 49ers, which began in 2022. Purdy joined the 49ers at the same time as the previous draft. But he also became a rookie and an MVP candidate after his opportunity opened amid injuries to former Niners quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance. time, it’s amazing. You wait to get it.” Shanahan said of Griese and Purdy. “If you ever work with someone you don’t discuss things like that with, it’s usually not that genuine of a relationship.”“I like the relationships between these men. I think they had a great time together. I think when you’re like that and you’re like that all the time, I think guys really appreciate that because that’s how I want people to be with me, to get the most out of me,” Shanahan concluded.Griese and Purdy will team up again Saturday as the 49ers try to beat a high-flying Packers offense that scored 48 points against the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round.Brock Purdy: “We want to win”Purdy talked about side conversations with Gries earlier and played it down as well.”At the end of the day, we want to win and we’re basically competitors,” Purdy told reporters Wednesday. “He played the position, played it well, and that’s how he’s going to get it.””Obviously we’re very hard on ourselves at quarterback and the standard we have here. If I’m not playing at the level I should be, he’s the first one to tell me, which I love,” added Purday. – As a quarterback, I want a coach who is genuine and follows the standard, leaves no room for mistakes and has nothing to lose.”If that was the case, I don’t think I’d be playing good football,” Purdy continued. “I couldn’t play to my full potential.”Purdy’s potential peaked in the 2023 regular season when he threw for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns while completing 69.4% of his passes. On Saturday, he can end the storybook season with another win.Matthew Davis covers the NFL for Heavy.com, focusing on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers. As a writer for the StarTribune, he has also covered Minnesota prep sports since 2016. More about Matthew DavisRead more.