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Will Brock Purdy Miss Former 49ers Quarterbacks Coach Brian Griese?

Griese unexpectedly quit this offseason so he could spend more time with his family.
Grant Cohn|
Sep 9, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Brian Griese watches the action from the sideline in the third quarter against the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images
Sep 9, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Brian Griese watches the action from the sideline in the third quarter against the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

We know the 49ers lost almost a dozen starting players this offseason. But they also lost someone under the radar -- former quarterbacks coach Brian Griese.

Griese unexpectedly quit this offseason so he could spend more time with his family. He never had been a coach before the 49ers hired him and it's possible the time commitment was too much. Position coaches routinely get to the facility before the sun rises and leave after the sun has gone down, which means they're practically vampires for half the year. It's a tough job.

In his place, the 49ers promoted Mick Lombardi, who essentially is the antithesis of Griese. Griese is 50, he was a starting quarterback in the NFL and he had no coaching experience before he came to the 49ers. But he had playing experience and could relate to the quarterbacks and the stress they often feel.

In addition, three years ago, Griese famously ranked Purdy as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft. He was a big reason the 49ers drafted him. And then he coached Purdy for three years.

Meanwhile, Lombardi is 36, he didn't play quarterback in the NFL or college, but he has coached multiple positions during the past decade and has been an NFL offensive coordinator. He might just be better suited to help Purdy improve in the next chapter of his career.

Keep in mind, Purdy regressed significantly last season under Griese. Maybe Purdy needs a new voice in his ear.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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