SANTA CLARA — After a heartbreaking loss in Super Bowl LVIII, the 49ers' superstars have the exact mentality Brock Purdy believes they should — hungry.
“We've all just been there, we’ve tasted it,” Purdy said Wednesday after training camp practice. “Obviously, the Super Bowl, it's a couple plays away from literally being Super Bowl champions. The year before that, NFC Championship. The year before that, NFC Championship. So we have guys in this locker room that tasted it and they want it.”
So many devastating losses without a Super Bowl victory understandably could cause a hopeless approach to the beginning of a new season, but Purdy believes that is not the case with his team.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
But before he entered the locker room for his third NFL campaign, Purdy did wonder what his teammates' psyche would be. It’s a newer situation for the young signal-caller than for players like George Kittle, who is entering his eighth year in the league.
“I walked in, I'm like, ‘How are these guys going to seem or feel?’ ” Purdy said. “You can feel it; they're hungry for it, and we're ready to do it for this organization and the fan base.”
Purdy is one of the youngsters on the team at 24 years old, while Kittle is nearly 31. Kyle Juszczyk is heading into his 12th season at 33 years of age and 28-year-old Fred Warner is entering his seventh season.
“Coming back from OTAs, and then obviously now with camp,” Purdy said. “With having all the guys back, just the way Fred is acting, George, Juice -- these guys that have been in the league for a while, they're back ready, hungry. And I'm going into my Year 3, so I'm hungry.”
San Francisco 49ers
Purdy admits there are a few plays from that devastating Super Bowl loss that haunt him, but he has a positive outlook on the season. It's a long mountain to climb, but the Pro Bowl quarterback believes he has the right group of men around him to make the journey back.
“Coming back, it was a heartbreak,” Purdy said. “Losing that Super Bowl and the way we did it, the overtime, all that. How badly we want it for this fan base and this organization, we want it.”