Golden Nuggets: Happy Friday y’all

Why Brock Purdy wore Iowa mascot head against his will

“Whoever lost the game had to wear the other team’s mascot helmet up here,” Purdy said. “So here we are.”

Impacts of 49ers’ Arik Armstead and George Kittle were easy to miss (paywall)

“Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks invoked Hall of Fame point guards Magic Johnson and John Stockton while discussing Armstead’s impact that wasn’t reflected in the box score in a 30-7 win at Pittsburgh.

“Arik didn’t show up in the stat sheet,” Wilks said. “But you can watch that game and see that he was a factor time and time again where someone else made the play.”

Brock Purdy excited for first taste of 49ers-Rams rivalry as starter

“He prepared to face the Rams in those games, going through the game-planning process. But he never got off the sideline in the 49ers’ two victories.

“This is my third time doing it,” Purdy said. “So it feels like I have played against them, but I haven’t. I’m excited to.”

‘Wow, this kid’s special’: 49ers’ Brock Purdy surprised his surgeon (paywall)

Despite the potentially career-altering uncertainty, however, Purdy, 23, was a portrait of poise. Meister termed him an “exceptional individual” who is grounded and humble.

“What I saw is what everybody sees,” Meister said. “He’s not a guy that gets excited about things. I don’t mean that in a negative way. He’s got a very calm and even demeanor. And he had that the entire time.”

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Purdy had severe swelling and inflammation after he was drilled in mid-throw by Eagles pass rusher Haason Reddick in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 29.

The ongoing inflammation in the area is why Meister delayed Purdy’s surgery, which was originally scheduled for Feb. 22, for more than two weeks. Both general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have acknowledged that the postponement added stress: The new date presumably lessened the chances Purdy would be available in Week 1.

Did Meister have any sense of the organizational angst his decision inspired? He didn’t — not that it would have mattered.

“To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t give a s—,” said Meister, a native New Yorker. “It’s my patient. They walk in my office, it’s my patient and you have one duty to these individuals. And that’s to take care of them the best way possible. I’ll always say, ‘If this was my kid, what would I do?’ And that makes the decisions very easy.”

Brock Purdy, Steve Wilks, Chris Foerster preview 49ers-Rams Week 2 matchup

“San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, and offensive line coach and run game coordinator Chris Foerster spoke with reporters after Thurday’s practice, as the team prepares for its Week 2 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Here is everything they had to say.”

Kyle Shanahan provides Dre Greenlaw update as another defensive player hits injury report

“If Womack can’t go, Qwuantrezz Knight, Tre Swilling and Shemar Jean-Charles are three practice squad corner options the 49ers have available.”