Robert Saleh, Klay Kubiak, Brock Purdy preview 49ers-Titans Week 15 matchup
“I think Friday’s nice just in terms of having just about everything in when it comes to like our game plan. Obviously, we’ll have first, second down, third down, red zone, everything. And so, Friday being able to compartmentalize everything and go over everything mentally and it’s a day for me in the evening where it’s like, all right, I can breathe a little bit to sort of see the big picture and then dial back into my little details from there. So, Friday is probably one of my favorite days.” – Brock Purdy.
49ers’ Christian McCaffrey limited by illness, but expected to play Sunday vs. Titans (paywall)
“[Trent] Williams said. “He’s a transcendent talent. We’re lucky to be around him, lucky to have him.”
49ers teammate on Brandon Aiyuk: ‘It doesn’t seem like he’s coming back’
“At this point, it doesn’t seem like he’s coming back,” Kittle said on Thursday. “I try my best not to even think about it because I love Brandon. He’s one of my favorite teammates I’ve played with. We have a lot of moments together, from his rookie year, every year we played together, we have a ton of memories together. That’s the Brandon I remember, and if I think about I wish he’d be here and stuff like that, it kind of just makes me sad, so I just kind of push it to the side.
“I’ve got to admit, we’ve got to make do with what we’ve got in the locker room, and the guys that are here want to be here. I don’t know what that relationship is like right now, and it is what it is. So, I just got to focus on this team. I wish I could focus on that, but I just can’t.”
For quarterback Brock Purdy, losing Aiyuk would mean continuing to move forward without one of his favorite, and historically, most reliable receiving targets.
“Aiyuk, he’s a baller, he makes plays,” Purdy said. “In man-to-man matchups, he does a great job of creating separation, and he’s an explosive player. You get the ball in his hands, and he can go get YAC (yards after catch) and bring juice to the offense when he is in and run-blocking….Kittle also highlighted what makes Aiyuk a unique weapon in the 49ers’ offense, and why the receiver has been missed.
“Aiyuk is an absolute freak of nature, I think, is the number one thing,” Kittle said. “He’s a guy who can run 22 miles an hour, and then stop on a dime, and then jump 40 inches with a freakishly long wingspan and catch any ball you throw to him. That by itself puts him in a class of his own. That’s why you paid him $30 million [per year].”
49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk has presented problems. His exit could create even more (paywall)
“Kittle and quarterback Brock Purdy both discussed, without prompting, how Aiyuk turned himself into a run-blocking force.
“He’s got so many clips of getting in and blocking linebackers and safeties and corners,” Purdy said. “And running downfield with a running back and blocking guys. He did it all at receiver.”
Said Kittle: “When you have wide receivers that want to block downfield, that’s when your run game gets really, really good. I mean, just the mindset he had when he was playing for us was elite. It was like no one can mess with him. … He just had that mindset, like he was better than everybody else on the field, which you have to have if you want to be an elite player. He’s everything you want in an NFL player.”
Rested and recovered, 49ers prepare for playoff push after ‘blessing’ of late-season bye (paywall)
“When you look at the bye early in the year, you’re kind of dreading it,” said McCaffrey, who is on pace for 1,000-yard seasons rushing and receiving. “You know you got to play 13 straight (games) or whatever it is. But now that it’s done and it’s happened at the end of the year and we’re getting some guys back and getting healthy again, it’s a blessing in disguise.”
McCaffrey said the best part of his bye was playing with his five-month-old daughter, Colette, but he also rested and recovered after 322 combined rushes and receptions in the first 13 games. With five catches against the Titans on Sunday, McCaffrey would become the first running back in NFL history with at least 90 receptions in three seasons.
One of his blockers, right guard Dominick Puni, said he would vote for the late bye every season.
“It gives you something to look forward to at the end of the year,” he said. “And then after this, it’s only a four-game stretch to push into the playoffs.”