The 49ers seemed to be cursed at the quarterback position, given the inability of the team’s quarterbacks to consistently stay healthy. So it would be natural for coach Kyle Shanahan to be bracing for the latest incident that wipes out his QB1 for weeks, months, or the full season.
A recent hit by defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell on the arm of current starter Brock Purdy got the attention of coach Kyle Shanahan. According to Purdy, however, the hit did not register for him.
“I feel like as a coach, a teammate watching, yeah, they might be scared about that, especially how things ended last year with my arm,” Purdy told reporters on Friday. “But, honestly for myself, it’s just football. I wasn’t even thinking about it. He hit the ball out of my hand and I was going through to finish the throw and the ball ended up being on the ground. It’s football, you know?
“And so, was I mad at Clelin or anything like that? I told him, ‘Dude, it’s football. I get it. We’re in a competing environment. Things happen.’ But for myself, was I scared about it? Was I timid after that? No.”
Even with quarterbacks wearing a no-contact jersey in practice, fluke accidents happen. For the players, there’s no point in being skittish.
But it’s understandable for Shanahan. He has seen a revolving door of injured quarterbacks during his time with the 49ers. Absent the inability of players at one of the most protected positions to stay healthy, Shanahan might already have a Super Bowl win, or two.
Indeed, they might have won the most recent Super Bowl. Purdy suffered a serious elbow injury on a hit to his arm early in the NFC Championship, derailing what could have been a win over the Eagles.