Before the San Francisco 49ers prepare to compete in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs, the team should be in good position for the big game with a loaded roster. Especially since their lineup has two players in quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey who are finalists for league MVP as head coach Kyle Shanahan gives his two cents about it.
According to 49erswebzone.com, the 49ers head coach said bluntly that it is “unusual” to have two players who are in the running for NFL MVP. It is always a rarity to have two players on the team in some ways “competing” for an individual award, but the main prize is this Sunday where they are trying to capture a Super Bowl title for San Francisco.
“It is unusual,” Shanahan said Tuesday. “I think to get to where we have been, to where we've gotten and to do it at the level we've had, you should have some players. I know we've got some defensive guys up for some awards too, but having both of those guys in the run and the pass game where Christian does them both — and really Brock's done them both — they've both been unbelievable and the biggest parts of our offense.”
Purdy compliments McCaffrey before Super Bowl
While some might say the two are competing as mentioned before, there is no love lost with the players and Purdy spoke to the media before the monumental game and said McCaffrey is “one of the most respectable guys” that he has ever played with. Purdy should know as both are instrumental pieces in the efficient offense of the 49ers.
“That's one of the most respectable guys I've ever played with,” Purdy said. “The way he rehabs, the way he recovers after games, what he eats and his training sessions, he goes hard in everything that he does. He's very intentful with everything that he does throughout his day, his schedule. He's a true professional, and if there's a guy that you want to model it's that guy. For me, coming in, obviously we traded for him halfway thorough the season last year, but still, Day 1 when he got here, I was like, ‘Okay, this guy's different.' He's fighting and clawing, he can do everything — run the ball, catch the ball.”
“And more than anything, his mindset — he's not all about himself. He's about the team,” Purdy continued. “He obviously stands for good things in life and has got great morals, but that's the kind of guy you want to go to war with, and he's got your back.”
Purdy's goal before competing in Super Bowl
In the regular season, Purdy has thrown 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions and that doesn't include his big, clutch performances in the playoffs against the likes of the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. The former very last pick of the NFL Draft said that the main goal for the 49ers is focusing on the team and not too much on the outside world as it can be easy to get locked into it.
“For me, I understand what I'm trying to do — what our main goal is for this team,” Purdy said. “It comes down to three hours of football that we play — eleven-on-eleven on the field. It's not about the media and getting wrapped up in the whole world has to say. People can enjoy those things off the field, but as players, especially being the quarterback, it comes down to ‘Alright, how do I do my job really well for three hours against the Kansas City Chiefs defense?' That's where my mindset's at.”
“I want to do everything I can to help my team win, and that's what I do,” Purdy continued. “I'm focusing on the plays, I'm focusing on what we're trying to do for this week, not getting caught up in all the paparazzi and all that kind of stuff outside.”
Shanahan talks about Purdy's “special thing”
Shanahan would talk highly about his quarterback who has had a very exceptional year for the team. The head coach not only speaks highly of what Purdy can do for the team on the field where it will be most important come Sunday, but also how “humble” he is off the field per 49erswebzone.com.
“That's I think the most special thing about Brock,” Shanahan said. “He doesn't have to change much because that's really who he is. Brock is as humble of a person as I've ever been around. I talk about him having just a strong foundation on who he is. It's rare, I think, people have that. Coming out of high school, I bet he had it. Just looking at what he did in college and how people speak of him, I know when he came to the league, you could see it on him right away. You see it through everything — the third-string quarterback, the starting quarterback, what he's done this year, he's still the same guy he was the first day. You can ask him — I think it has a lot to do with his faith, how he leads his life, but it carries in everything that he does.”
There is no doubt that Purdy's job Sunday is simple, feed the ball to his multitude of weapons, one being McCaffrey who has been on a tear as in the regular season, he rushed for 1,459 yards and 14 touchdowns while having 564 yards and seven scores through the air. The 49ers look to take down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Las Vegas to win the first Super Bowl for the franchise since 1994.
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