George Kittle Sizes Up Brock Purdy
SANTA CLARA -- George Kittle was asked to size up rookie quarterback Brock Purdy today in the 49ers locker room. Here's what Kittle said.
Q: What has it been like this week with Brock as your quarterback?
KITTLE: "He knows the offense really well. He has adjusted to taking all the starting reps. He's slinging it. Gets us in the right calls. Not really any mistakes. I think he's feeling really good, and that gives us confidence in him."
Q: He seems extremely serious. What is he like behind the scenes?
KITTLE: "We've seen that since Day 1. Definitely serious, but he has a playful side to him. He demands attention in the huddle, too. But he vibes well with everybody here. We enjoy his presence."
Q: Has he gotten on you yet?
KITTLE: "On mine? No, but he did yell at someone for talking in the huddle yesterday and I was laughing so hard. It was incredible. I was like, dude, quiet! The quarterback is talking!"
Q: Where do you think that confidence comes from?
KITTLE: "Probably having 60 career starts in college. He played a lot of ball. One of my favorite things about Brock is in college he won big games but he also lost big games, and so he has had to pick himself up and go through adversity, and he always has come back and performed at a high level. There are a lot of guys who spent their whole college careers winning and not really losing, but when you've lost a couple big ones, it teaches you a lot about yourself. For Brock to come from Iowa State where they won, they lost, and then to be able to perform in the NFL and win a game and play at a high level, that speaks to who he has become as a person."
Q: What surprised you most about him?
KITTLE: "His command of the huddle as a rookie is pleasantly surprising. He came right in there on one of his first snaps and said listen listen listen listen. Way to grab everyone's attention. We really appreciate that. But I'm not really surprised. You see the way he goes against our defense the past 13 weeks, how he was in training camp, preseason games -- we've all known what Brock is and who he is, but seeing him perform last Sunday reestablishes that."
Q: How much work had you gotten with him before Sunday?
KITTLE: "About four reps total. Maybe four. He threw me a lot more today, though."
ME: What's it like catching a pass from Purdy? What's it look like? What's it feel like?
KITTLE: "He throws a really good ball. He has nice touch on it. Today was our third-down day, and just seeing the different types of throws he makes on the run, side arm, he knows how to zip it, he knows how to layer it -- he throws a really good ball."
Q: Is there anything you have to do extra to build chemistry with him?
KITTLE: "Honestly, in a game week, it's hard to do that. There are only so many extra reps you can take. We're in Week 15, so I'm not going to go out there and take 10 extra reps. I played 81 snaps on Sunday. But it's just getting used to him in the huddle is the biggest thing. He kind of has a similar touch as Jimmy Garoppolo, so we're not reinventing the wheel. He throws the ball right handed. Thank God he's not lefty. Nothing against Tua, I'm just used to a right handed quarterback."
