49ers mailbag: Where does Brock Purdy rank among Kyle Shanahan QB favorites?

The day seems brighter. The air seems sweeter. The birds are chirping a little louder. For 49ers fans, everything seems to have an after-Cowboys-win-like glow following Sunday’s rout of those dastardly Philadelphia Eagles and their fans (see below).

Thanks for all the great questions this week, including the latest transactions and queries on Brock Purdy and Danny Gray and many players in between. As usual, questions have been slightly modified for content (usually adding a player’s first or last name).

It seems to me that Kyle Shanahan has never been happier with a QB than he is with Brock Purdy. Not even with Kirk Cousins or Matt Ryan in his MVP season. Do you get that same feeling from talking to him? – Allan B.

Yes. Do you remember the episode of “Seinfeld” in which Jerry, who’s had no long-term success with any of the women he dates, meets someone exactly 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’ve been waiting for me to come along. And now I’ve swept myself off my feet!”

GO DEEPER

The Kyle Shanahan Vibes are very, very good right now for the 49ers

That’s Shanahan, except he’s known for a while now that he’s been waiting for a version of himself — someone who’s in sync with his brain, who can see things precisely the way he does, who can carry out his vision for the offense — to come along at quarterback. And now that Purdy’s here, he’s totally swept Shanahan off his feet!

Why doesn’t Purdy get more buzz (or any) for Comeback Player of the Year? I prefer MVP but he should get both. — Michael M.

It’s a great point. The determined, measured approach that Purdy took in his rehabilitation is quintessentially Purdy. And a major injury — to his throwing arm no less — that threatened to bleed into the 2023 season has been a non-issue.

He’s got some good competition for that honor, however, including Damar Hamlin, Lamar Jackson and Tua Tagovailoa.

Do you see a possibility for a change at safety if Ji’Ayir Brown keeps struggling with open-field tackling? If so, who is the next man up? — Asaf N.

No, I think the 49ers will let him develop. It’s not as if he’s been out of position. And his speed and athleticism are apparent. He merely needs to wrap up, which seems like an easy fix.

The next guy up is now Logan Ryan. The 49ers signed him on Tuesday following a morning workout. Ryan, 32, has started 121 games for the Patriots, Titans, Giants and Buccaneers, including six games at free safety last season for Tampa Bay. That’s where 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 opening 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 third-round running back the year after he was drafted. They did the same with Trey Sermon last year.

Maybe I’m just a bad judge, but it seems like a lot of the snaps to Purdy are low or just generally off-target. I know Jake Brendel is our guy for this year, but how warm does his seat feel going into the offseason? — Joey C.

I think it’s as cool as a cucumber. Yes, there have been some errant shotgun snaps the last two weeks. And Purdy, standing in the shadow of his own end zone, snagged a bad snap out of the air with his right hand Sunday, a potential miscue that could have been disastrous.

But otherwise, Brendel has been solid. He certainly seems to have the respect of players and coaches. Brendel was in ninth place among centers as far as the fan-based portion of Pro Bowl voting last season. He was named an alternate after coaches and players got involved.

Brendel also is signed for three more seasons at relatively reasonable rates (between $4 million and $4.9 million cap hits).

I listened to “49ers plus/minus” and I am curious to know what Matt Maiocco did when Eagles fans opened the window to the press room? – David P.

How soon did the Niners really quiet down that stadium and Niners fans start to take over? Could you feel the groans and moans of Philly fans? – John L.

Some background 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 the visiting media in every NFL press box, was crowded because it was such a big game. (I was next to Marcus Thompson, and Lord knows that guy is annoying.) The second row was reserved for Paraag Marathe and a host of other 49ers front office officials. I knew they had a suite somewhere and would be no-shows in the press box. That is, there’d be ample space.

The second row also is away from the glass and not as cold, and it provides a much better view of the television monitors so you can see replays better. The second row is usually the better row to be in.

But by far the biggest reason was that the second row provides some distance from Eagles fans, who are — and this is fairly unique in NFL among press boxes — at eye-level on the other side of the press-box glass. And the Eagles fans absolutely crave eye contact from the visiting media. They live for it. They turn around, bang on the glass with their fists, flash you the bird, put their mouths against the glass, etc., etc. I’m not exaggerating when I say that some fans spend as much time turned around and taunting the visiting media as they do watching the game.

During the NFC Championship Game in January, I made the colossal mistake of meeting their gaze early. And from that point, a foursome of lovely people — two men, two women — became obsessed with me. I was far more interesting to them than the blowout on the field. And when that happens, you can’t see out the window. Again, they’re at eye level.

So on Sunday, I moved to row 2.

Maiocco? The poor bastard wasn’t as savvy.

He happened to be situated in front of the leader of the goon squad, this game’s version of the person who is looking at us as much as he’s watching the game. This guy reached his zenith of crude behavior after Jalen Hurts’ brotherly shove touchdown in the third quarter. You’ll recall that this happened after the fracas involving Dre Greenlaw and Dom DiSandro. That incident was like manna to the crowd. They loved it. It woke them up. When Hurts scored, the stadium exploded and the fan in question started pounding on the glass like a madman. He pounded so hard that the clasp holding two panels of glass together slid open and suddenly there was no barrier between the fans and reporters. It was like being at the zoo and seeing the cages abruptly open.

If I had been in the front row, there’s no doubt in my mind that I would have been snatched over the side, never to be heard from again. It would have been like an emergency exit opening mid-flight: I might have been able to hold on for a few seconds, but I quickly would have vanished. To his credit, Maiocco kept his cool, closed the glass and then kept it closed. Then a stadium worker eventually arrived with a set of keys and relocked the partition.

By that point, the 49ers had reestablished control of the game. And after Deebo Samuel’s 48-yard score on the ensuing possession, the stadium grew quiet. Mr. Philadelphia and the rest of the fans in that section got up out of their seats and went home.

It seems like every other game Dre Greenlaw is getting flagged for a late hit. Playing with an edge is a big part of his game, 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 isn’t the first time this has been asked. Greenlaw had a critical unnecessary roughness penalty on Kyler Murray in the 2020 opener and two big penalties, including an unnecessary roughness call against Justin Fields, in last year’s opener against the Bears. Both were close losses.

The 49ers have largely defended Greenlaw and it’s obvious that they’re willing to trade his fire and intensity for the over-the-line actions he’s become known for.

“Anytime you play like Dre, he doesn’t hesitate in anything he does, so he jumps off the screen to people,” Shanahan said in September following an unnecessary roughness call on Greenlaw that Shanahan felt was dubious. “But you’ve still got to call it right. It’s harder when people are like that. But he plays one way and if he is ever playing a way that’s illegal or anything that’s not allowed, we will change that fast. But Dre is a very talented athlete and very physical and a violent player who can play that fast and keep himself out of trouble for the most part. And I think he’s done a very good job of that throughout his career.”

Whatever happened to Danny Gray? I thought he’d at least be able to contribute on special teams – Lorenzo Y.

Gray, who’s been on injured reserve since Aug. 30, has been healthy enough to play for a while now. But it seems like the 49ers would need to have a long-term injury at receiver — one that would require a receiver going on IR — 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 during the period in which Gray could have been added. That seems to underscore 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.

It’s a terrific question, one that we’ll ask defensive coordinator Steve Wilks this week. The approach effectively kept Hurts hemmed in the pocket, but Shanahan did note after the game how incongruous — how un-49ers-like — the patient approach was for the defensive line.

GO DEEPER

Nick Bosa and the 49ers executed a team-first defensive game plan in Philadelphia

Why isn’t Shanahan giving more reps to Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason? They got a combined eight snaps in Philadelphia vs. 52 for Christian McCaffrey (shoutout Minutia Minute!). I know it’s hard to sub McCaffrey out given what a stud he is, but are you worried about his legs in the playoffs? — Brett B.

First, thanks for being a MM (Minutia Minute, not Matt Maiocco) fan. Second, this has been a question I’ve been getting since the start of the season: Is McCaffrey being overworked? Here we are in December and there’s been no indication that his workload has taken a toll. McCaffrey is hyper-professional when it comes to conditioning and body maintenance. It certainly seems as if he can continue to handle the load.

Here’s where McCaffrey stands 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 midst of Joe Montana-like streak

Everyone is talking about the No. 1 seed, but the remaining schedule is not easy. What game(s) do you see as potential hazards? — Brent G.

Yes.

Arik Armstead’s foot is flaring up, Javon Hargrave is solid, Kevin Givens is a good rotational piece, Kalia Davis flashed last week, but I think the 49ers need more girth in the middle. Ndamukong Suh is lingering as a free agent and always looking to chase another championship. Any chance the 49ers sign Suh? — Maleake H.

They were in the top two to sign him last year, but he chose the Eagles instead. He didn’t sign with them until mid-November, so we know he: A.) doesn’t mind signing late and B.) wants to sign with a contender. He also spent five years in Detroit with then-Lions defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, which means he should be a quick study in San Francisco. That means there could be interest.

(If Armstead’s foot and knee issues are long-term, the Suh question will be raised on Wednesday).

Do you think the team will now feel comfortable with their corners under contract for 2024 (Charvarius Ward, Ambry Thomas, Deommodore Lenoir, Womack, Luter) or could you see them using a first-rounder on a cornerback? — Mike D.

You can’t rule out any position (except maybe punter). But I agree with you. The 49ers seem to like Lenoir as their nickel of the future and they are quite high 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 those at cornerback.

What’s going on at the right guard position? Is it Spencer Burford’s or will Jon Feliciano be rotated in? — Steve J.

It almost feels like the 49ers are using the threat of a Feliciano rotation to motivate Burford. If so, it appeared to work. Burford wasn’t perfect against the Eagles, but his effort and hustle were hard to miss, especially on down-the-field blocks.

He has a new knee injury this week. That could end up determining whether he or Feliciano plays against the Seahawks.

When’s the last time the 49ers won a huge game and then blew it the next week to an inferior opponent? — Chris C.

Well done, Chris C. Your check is in the mail.

(Top photo: Tony Avelar / Associated Press)

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