Purdy calls 49ers rallying together a testament to team’s culture originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Behind a convincing 32-19 drubbing of the New York Jets on Monday night at Levi’s Stadium, the 49ers managed to put to rest what once seemed to be a never-ending nightmare offseason.
And while doing so, San Francisco’s all-around impressive victory served as a testament of the organization’s culture, which was tested more than once this offseason.
At least that’s the message quarterback Brock Purdy was able to communicate to reporters postgame.
“I think it’s good for us,” Purdy said of San Francisco’s ability to rally around each other. “We’ve been through a lot as a team just with signing guys, trying to get guys back, Ricky [Pearsall’s] situation and Christian [McCaffrey’s injury]. There’s a lot that goes on. It’s the NFL, some crazy stuff can go on, but our culture, our team, what we stand for and how we all come together and find ways to win and rally around each other. We do it right here.
“That’s something that I stand on and firmly believe in, and we all do. I’m very proud of the guys to be able to fight through all of the adversity and stuff that we’ve been going through over the last however many months. We’re just going to keep pushing.”
The 49ers’ offseason was, in fact, a whirlwind.
From Brandon Aiyuk‘s lengthy, sticky contract saga to Pearsall being shot in an attempted armed robbery to McCaffrey’s last-minute injury absence against the Jets, the locker room’s spirits and camaraderie was pushed like never before.
And even then, San Francisco was able to come together and showcase grit, visible through all four quarters of Monday night’s season-opening win.
It’s the type of character fullback Kyle Juszczyk always expected from his team.
“I don’t like to use the word surprise because I expect our guys to do so well,” Juszczyk told reporters. “But I was definitely happy with the maturity of this team.
“Like you said, with what people perceive as distractions and noise, for us to go out there and show that it didn’t really bother us. I felt like we did a really good job on offense; just being physical and establishing our dominance on [the] offensive line. I always love to see that.”
Now, the 49ers certainly hope to keep that momentum — and positivity — rolling through the rest of the 2024 NFL season.
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