Tuesday was another busy media day for the 49ers in Las Vegas, with head coach Kyle Shanahan, quarterback Brock Purdy, and a number of players speaking to a slew of reporters as Super Bowl LVIII (Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT, CBS) draws near. Despite Shanahan and every other player on the 49ers being made available to reporters during Monday's Super Bowl Opening Night event, there were a variety of interesting topics that came up in Tuesday's sessions.
We have a wrap-up of some of those topics in this version of 49ers Notebook, including what Shanahan and Purdy said about the quarterback's ability to block out the noise, as well as the interesting roads taken to Super Bowl LVIII by 49ers safeties Logan Ryan and Tashaun Gipson. There were also some highly complimentary words for Purdy coming from Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, plus 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir confessed he was once somewhat of a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs. And that's not all, so let's get right into it...
Tunnel vision
It would seem from the outside looking in that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes would have an advantage over Purdy when it comes to blocking out the hype of Super Bowl week due to the fact this will be his fourth Super Bowl in five years. But even though this is Purdy's first Super Bowl rodeo, it sounds like he has what it takes to not get caught up in the bright lights that are shining all over Las Vegas this week.
Purdy told reporters Tuesday he plans on keeping things simple by tuning out social media, focusing on family and teammates, and keeping his mind squarely on the task at hand.
"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. 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."
There hasn't been much (if anything) that has fazed Purdy in his NFL career to this point. Purdy was unflappable when he was unexpectedly thrown into the starting spot during a playoff chase in 2022 and led the 49ers through numerous high-pressure situations before his season came to an end due to an elbow injury in the NFC Championship game. 2023 has brought more of the same, which Shanahan says is as a result of Purdy being as well-grounded and even-keeled of a human being as there is.
"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."
The lights will be brighter than ever for Purdy on Sunday night, but based on what he's been able to do so far in his NFL career, there's plenty of reason to believe he'll handle the pressure just fine.
A famous admirer
No one has drawn more attention over the past two days than Kelce, who is probably the most famous player in the NFL as a result of his relationship with widely beloved pop star Taylor Swift. With plenty of cameras and reporters in Kelce's face on Tuesday, he let it be known he was a big fan of Purdy because of his underdog success story, at least until the Chiefs have to face him on Sunday.
"How can you not cheer for that, man?" Kelce said. "And the way he's done it -- the naysayers, how he's been able to fight through everybody saying what type of quarterback he is. You can't help but root for the guy. I'm going to bite my teeth during the game, but just who he is -- I had him on the New Heights Podcast of mine with my brother (Jason), and he was just a humble, good guy. You can just tell he's in it for the right reasons. You can definitely cheer for him, but I'll be rooting against him on Sunday."
Kelce stopped short of saying he was inspired by Purdy's path of going from the last player selected in the 2022 NFL Draft to being a starting quarterback in the Super Bowl, but there's no question he's happy for Purdy and wants to see him succeed in the long term.
"I don't know if it inspires me, but it definitely gives me a lot of respect for the young man," Kelce said. "I think everybody finds inspiration in their own life but seeing him go through what he had to go through and be where he is, you can appreciate that and respect the hell out of him. And like I said, you can cheer for him and want him to keep having that success. Just maybe not this Sunday."
One last rodeo?
While Purdy has his whole career still ahead of him, two of the players the 49ers will feature at safety in the Super Bowl -- Tashaun Gipson and Logan Ryan -- are in the twilight of their careers and may be in the midst of their final opportunity to play in the game.
Gipson, 33, was nearly retired when the 49ers gave him a call last season to help out when starter Jimmie Ward got hurt, then he considered retirement again after spending a season as an unexpected starter at safety. But Gipson returned for another go-round and is now set to play in his first ever Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Ryan, 32, was heading out on a Disney cruise when the 49ers gave him a call in December of 2023, and now he's aiming for his third Super Bowl ring after winning two with the New England Patriots earlier in his career.
Ryan, who started two games late in the regular season in place of injured rookie Ji'Ayir Brown before being called upon to do the same in the Divisional Playoff round against the Green Bay Packers, told reporter Arash Madani on Monday night that football wasn't in the plans before the 49ers called, but the outcome has been better than cruising with Disney.
"It's been more than I can imagine," Ryan said. "Obviously boarding a cruise, thinking my football career was probably at a good place and I probably wasn't looking to play or anything like that, and to have a team like this call you was a great opportunity and I took it as such. To be able to come in and join the guys, join a great defense and make and impact has been amazing, and it's been a great experience with my family."
Gipson was all smiles Tuesday when speaking about Ryan, whom he's respected over the years and now has a chance to team up with to win a Super Bowl ring.
"Somebody said (during) the Packers week that both of the starting safeties have been playing since Obama was in office," Gipson said "...It's actually kind of cool for us to be able to get together at this point in our career, and be on this stage right here is just a super surreal feeling".
Do the 49ers have what it takes to win Sunday night? If anyone on the team would know, it's Ryan, based on his experience with the Patriots. Ryan said the answer to that question was made evident the moment he walked in the door in San Francisco.
"I get the question a lot being a two-time Super Bowl champ: 'What does a Super Bowl team look like? What does it take? What do we do?' I'm like, we're already doing it guys," Ryan said. "You're already doing it. For me to come in on an off day and sign a contract and the entire weight room be packed with stars and guys working on their off time, that's exactly what a Super Bowl team's made of."
Gipson and Ryan will have their hands full against Mahomes Sunday night, but Gipson isn't too intimidated. After all, he's gotten his hands on a couple of Mahomes passes in the past, and he hopes he'll be able to do so again in the Super Bowl.
"Probably the best player in the National Football League, if not top five year in and year out," Gipson said. "So it's always tough to go against a guy like that. I must add though I picked him off multiple times. Multiple times -- not just once. It makes it a little easier. But no, he's a heck of a player. I hope he gives me another one Sunday."
Learning how to lead
On a 49ers team full of alpha dogs, the leader of the pack may be linebacker Fred Warner, who is often the one who fires up the team with his speaking. Tight end George Kittle might not be far behind, as he is a vocal presence of his own with an upbeat personality.
It would seem like Warner and Kittle are natural leaders, but that wasn't the case, according to Shanahan. He said Tuesday Kittle in particular was a little awkward when he entered the league in 2017, but it didn't take him long to round into the rough and rowdy George Kittle everyone knows today.
"I think they developed it the more they played," Shanahan said. "They weren't like that right away. They came in and they were both pretty quiet, but they both worked as hard as anyone. They were the same every single day -- offseason, regular season. I always mess with George -- you go back and watch him his first year, he didn't have wristbands on, wore his socks real weird, had a clean-cut haircut. Then his second year he was the WWE champ."
Warner and Kittle solidified themselves early in their careers as elite players at their positions, which helped them gain the confidence needed to lead the team. Now, when they talk, their teammates listen.
"Once those guys start playing and they play at a high level, you kind of get comfortable in your own skin," Shanahan said. "When you play that well and you work that hard and you're that consistent, it makes it pretty easy to be a leader."
More Trent tales
While Warner and Kittle are among the team's biggest vocal leaders, it's likely the one player on the 49ers that they (or anyone else for that matter) want to cross is left tackle Trent Williams. It's always fun to hear stories about Williams' freakish physical exploits, and on Tuesday linebacker Dre Greenlaw shared another one.
"He's a different dude," Greenlaw said. "I don't even thinks Trent stretches before he works out or practices. He comes out and stretches calf muscles and he's ready to go."
Greenlaw usually backs away from no man on the football field, but he's had to ask Williams to go easy on him in the past.
"I've gone up against Trent and I have to tell Trent 'Don't go that hard no more' because he for some reason wants to go hard against me," Greenlaw said. "He has to tone it down in practice because he will hurt the other guys if he really tried to go hard. He's just one of those guys that's played in the league for a long time, that you've got the utmost respect for, that still comes to work every day and still gives you everything he's got and still can do it at a high level as one of the best."
Co-MVP candidates
When the 2023 MVP award is handed out at the annual NFL Honors ceremony on February 8, the trophy will most likely go to Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. But the 49ers have two finalists in the mix in Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey, and it's no coincidence the team has been able to ride them to where they are now.
"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."
Both Purdy and McCaffrey have been effusive of their praise towards each other in the past. In an interview with Sirius XM Radio on Tuesday, Purdy may have given his highest praise for McCaffrey yet.
"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. 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."
Chiefs fan no more
When the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers played in Super Bowl LIV in February 2020, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir was still a college player at the University of Oregon. And in most likelihood, he was cheering for the Chiefs to win.
"It's actually crazy. I was probably -- I don't even want to say this, but I was like a Chiefs fan," Lenoir said Tuesday.
What made Lenoir like the Chiefs? Sometimes all it takes to become a fan of a team is when they bring you success in a game of Madden.
"On Madden, (Tyreek Hill) was the fastest player in the game, and Mahomes was able to throw the ball the farthest, so I would just send him on streak routes and nobody could beat me," Lenoir said. "So I was kind of like a Chiefs fan."
Lenoir fortunately won't have to worry about Hill on Sunday night after the lightning-fast receiver was traded from the Chiefs in 2022. But he'll have his work cut out for him nonetheless, facing the guy who he once used to win games of Madden.