NFC Notes: Brock Purdy, 49ers, Cardinals, Rams

49ers

49ers QBs coach Brian Griese said QB Brock Purdy has taken a step up in leadership and is using his voice more often this season. 

“Brock’s a reserved guy, which … the team appreciates about him,” Griese said, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN. “But then there’s also times where you need to push the issue a little bit. You need to be accountable to yourself, but also hold others accountable during the course of an individual period. A practice, a game, a low point in the season where you lose back-to-back games. I mean, that’s a skill that you need as a leader of a team. And for a young quarterback, sometimes that’s difficult.”

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan thinks Purdy deserved to be voted team captain and has earned his teammates’ respect. 

“I just think when you’ve done what you’ve done on the field, it’s always easier,” Shanahan said. “I don’t care how you are, no matter what type of leader or how you want to command or demand things from people, if you haven’t had much success on the field, that doesn’t last very long … The team, based off of what he’s done, he’s earned their respect on the field, and they know him as a guy inside and out and no one respects anyone more as a person than how much they respect Brock.”

49ers TE George Kittle mentioned Purdy commands the attention of the locker room. 

“When he speaks, guys listen,” Kittle said. “And that’s what you want from your quarterback. You want him to be the leader and none of it’s fake either. He’s earned it and he’s worked through it and now he has his voice.”

Cardinals

Cardinals RB James Conner said his body feels good after carrying the rushing workload for Arizona the past couple of weeks.

“I don’t feel too bad,” Conner said, via the team’s website. “I left State Farm (Sunday) night and came straight here. Sauna, cold tub, all that kind of stuff. Just to get a jump ahead on it.”

Conner said that he’s keeping himself healthy and is ready to continue carrying the full workload out of the backfield.

“At this point I know what it takes,” Conner said. “I know what’s expected, I know what type of player I am, I know what kind of team we want to be. We preach physicality so you have to be able to do it week after week.”

Rams

Rams sixth-round WR Jordan Whittington is ready to step up and take the reigns as a starting wide receiver after injuries have left the team decimated.

“I feel very prepared,” he said, via Rams Wire. “And I think the reason for that is the guys we had in that room, and the guys that we do have in the room. Just Cooper and Puka, just how they instill certain type of things – a mentality in me that just gave me the ability to be able to step up, and I appreciate them for that. But, you know, it really is unfortunate when you lose two of your leaders like that, but that’s kind of how football goes sometimes, so we got the other guys that are still there, we just gotta be able to do what we need to do.”