NFC Notes: 49ers, Rams, Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, Seahawks

49ers

Regarding the 49ers being set to start seventh-round QB Brock Purdy going forward, an anonymous NFC quarterbacks coach is curious to see how Purdy plays after being confirmed as the starter instead of coming off of the bench in a pinch. 

“It will be interesting to see how Purdy plays this week,” said the coach, via Matt Lombardo of Heavy.com. “I’ve always believed it’s easier to just come off the bench when you don’t know when you are going to play, than having a full week to think about it mentally and get nervous about the opportunity.”

An AFC offensive coach pointed out that Purdy has less mobility to operate bootlegs and has less arm strength than Jimmy Garoppolo. 

“Brock has less mobility to operate the boot game,” said the coach. “His arm is much less than Jimmy’s to attack the field deep and sideline to sideline, and defenses will now be able to sit a little tighter on their passing game.”

NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger doesn’t think anything changed with the 49ers’ offense in Week 13 under Purdy. 

“Nothing changed about the offense on Sunday against Miami,” Baldinger said. “Brock had no fear of throwing the ball into the middle of the field. It seemed they really emphasized running the ball, which they need to do. It’s not an easy offense to operate; it has lots of movement, lots of motion, and they space the field really well. The biggest thing for Brock is to not try to do too much.”

Rams

Rams HC Sean McVay gave an update on QB Matthew Stafford, saying that the veteran won’t require an offseason surgery in order to recover from his spinal cord contusion.

“No, he’ll be good,” McVay told reporters, via Pro Football Talk. “To my knowledge, there’s nothing like that’s going to be required or necessary. I think it’ll be great for Matthew to be able to have a healthy offseason and do a lot of the things that I think he’ll feel good about being able to do.”

“Really, what’s so impressive about Matthew is just being able to contribute and connect with his teammates, stay connected with his teammates in any way that he can,” McVay added. “He was even on the headset on the last drive and making sure that he was able to add in a couple of things that would be helpful to kind of relay specific information to Baker [Mayfield]. That tells you everything that you need to know about Matthew and who he is. So, I think sometimes being able to get a different perspective can be beneficial. Obviously, he would be better equipped to answer it, but his vantage point, his understanding, his ability to still be able to contribute in spite of I know he wants to be out there competing with his teammates. [He] has just continued to impress me with the man he is.”

• Jason Cole said the following on Fox Sports Radio of McVay and Stafford: “The rumor is and it’s getting stronger by the week – (Matthew) Stafford and (Sean) McVay are going to retire at the end of this year…that is the rumor that’s floating out there.” (Jason Smith)

Seahawks

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said that S Jamal Adams is making good progress in rehab after only getting to play 15 snaps this season before being injured.

“We saw Jamal out here for the first time in a bit,” Carroll said, via John Boyle of Seahawks.com. “It was great to see him. He’s back here to check in with the trainers and make sure everything’s on track, which we know it is. It’s just good to see him back, and having that spirit around that building is great. We miss him.”

“It’s been a while [since his injury],” Carroll added. “This is a hard recovery. It’s really taxing. He’s been through a lot. He’d tell you. It’s been rigorous to get back where he’s really walking and he’s up on it and going and all that. He’s got a big old zipper on his knee and all that. This injury in particular is a difficult one. It’s a challenging one. But he’s doing great, and he’s happy about it now. He’s finally going and really can feel the progress and start getting strong again and all that.”

• Carroll also noted that QB Geno Smith felt something in his shoulder and was listed on the injury report. However, Smith is now feeling fine and is ready to go for the team’s upcoming game. (Bob Condotta)