Purdy reveals what he told Bell after the 49ers receiver dropped the pass

Purdy reveals what he told Bell after 49ers receiver dropped pass originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Brock Purdy is an accomplished quarterback, but his role with the 49ers extends far beyond his on-field abilities.

The 24-year-old has certainly established himself as a leader in the locker room since San Francisco selected him last overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, and Purdy’s maturity and empathy were on full display after teammate Ronnie Bell’s crucial drop pass in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams.

“Yeah, I told him this is a team sport, dude, so you should hang your hat, it was all my fault. I just sat next to him and was like, ‘Bro, it’s taking everybody four quarters. his moments and play, and that’s why it’s a team sport, man. You’ve got ten other guys on the field with you,” Purdy recalled to reporters on Thursday. “And above all, he’s a brother to all of us, and we stand ​behind him. We make things like this along, and it’s a long season.

“So you need everyone. Everyone is needed. So keep your head up and learn from it. I’m not saying that’s okay. Like, we have the standard here to be great and excellent, and that includes myself. So learn from it. We’ll have your back and keep your heads up. It’s a long season. We love going to war with him, and he’ll be fine.”

In the 49ers’ stunning 27-24 loss to the Rams last Sunday at SoFi Stadium, Bell was in position to catch a deep pass from Purdy that might have put San Francisco within field goal range with just over a minute remaining go into a competition. even game.

But the pass slipped through Bell’s hands and the 49ers ultimately lost the game on a field goal. Despite the critical mistake, Purdy was able to encourage Bell and remind the second-year wide receiver that the loss wasn’t solely on his shoulders.

“I’ll be honest, that was probably the best thing for me the last few days: Purdy came to talk to me and really helped cheer me up, man,” Bell told reporters on Wednesday. “It helps a It’s a lot to have guys behind you like that. And he helped me a lot to get back on my feet so that I can move on, move past it and be ready to keep helping the team win .

The 49ers made blunders in all three phases of the game that led to the embarrassing loss and allowed the Rams to overcome a 14-point deficit in the first quarter. San Francisco fell to 1-2 in the 2024 NFL season with the loss, but as Purdy said, there’s still plenty of football to be played.

And John Lynch, general manager/president of football operations for the 49ers, knows it too.

“When you’re on these teams, you become family. And you know, people have tough days,” Lynch told KNBR’s “Murph & Markus” Friday morning. “I could tell it meant a lot to Ronnie that Brock was one of the first guys to come along and say, ‘Listen, long season.’ And yes, there are people who have had a very harsh, visceral reaction… “Why is he still on your team?” Well, because people make mistakes.

“We know this: You gotta play when your numbers call. [Bell] it didn’t. He’s not the only one who didn’t take action, and that’s why we lost a very tough game – a game that, quite frankly, we should have finished – and you give the Rams credit, but you also go back to the drawing board and know that we have to be better.

“I can tell you that we practiced really well last week. Ronnie practiced well last week. And sometimes it’s more than just practice. It’s about doing it on game day, and you have to play like your number is called. But I think our whole team fell short there.”

It’s clear that the 49ers are putting their loss to the Rams behind them and using it as a valuable learning lesson. And there’s no denying that Purdy played a role in helping Bell put the incident behind her.

“I just think when it’s the right time and the right moment, with anyone, especially with young players, just because I know how it felt and how they feel, because I still go through things now, like when I don’t play my best or I could have done better or I missed a few plays, and you just want it back,” Purdy said.” And it’s nice to have a guy coming to you and a teammate going to war while you can say, ‘ Hey man, it’s okay. Let’s learn from it, but I’ve got your back, buddy. It takes so much to win in this league, and it takes everyone.”

“And so, when I was a rookie, it was really nice to have that [linebacker] Fred [Warner] or [defensive end Nick] Bosa or [linebacker] Dre Greenlaw, like these guys come up to me and just tell me they have my back, and I’m like, damn. It just gives you a perspective of, I don’t have to go out and do it all by myself. I have other guys around me, and I have a team around me that helps me be successful. So it reinforces that over and over again when I see it in some guys.

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