San Francisco 49ers offensive line, quarterbacks guests of honor at House of Prime Rib dinner
The 49ers offensive line doesn't get a lot of attention but Friday night, they were the guests of honor at a special dinner.
It's the annual linemen dinner at the House of Prime Rib, a tradition that's been running for roughly 40 years.
The players get to pick one position group to invite to this dinner every year. This time, the quarterbacks were invited, which meant Brock Purdy enjoyed a nice prime rib dinner knowing he wasn't playing this Sunday.
It's truly a special occasion when the o-line and the quarterbacks get to sit down and break bread during the middle of a busy football season. With the 49ers already clinching the top seed in the NFC, some players were able to splurge a bit.
Quarterback Brock Purdy said, "I think I have some room to eat. But more than anything, we're here to support our offensive linemen and all they've done for us. For them to invite the quarterbacks this year, it was really special so we love these guys."
Around offensive linemen, Purdy's not going to do the most damage. Center Jake Brendel knows exactly who will order the largest cut.
He said, "Colton McKivitz can definitely eat the most, but I don't think he's setting any records tonight. We'll see."
McKivitz was raised in the Midwest. While it may not be exactly House of Prime Rib style, this is the kind of meal he's used to.
McKivitz said, "Back home you get your own half a cow and a whole pig. It does kind of remind you of home that there are some meat and potato places like that."
The 49ers facility has some awesome cooks as well, but pregame meals don't usually look like this.
Mckivitz said, "I do two filet mignons and a big pile of pasta. That's about it. In my four years of coming here, the cream of corn is my favorite besides the prime rib."
Purdy added, "I'll usually have a steak and some pasta, broccoli and stuff. So, tonight I might get a little of that, but tonight it's prime rib so that's going to be a good change up."
This tradition started because of House of Prime Rib owner Joe Betz. The offensive line has always had a special place in his heart dating back to the relationship he formed with Randy Cross in the 1980s. Over the years, he's noticed something about the way the linemen eat.
Betz said, "Some of them have good appetites, but they're very careful about what they eat. Oh no, they're very careful."
With House of Prime Rib, for most folks there will be leftovers. Which means Purdy and his roommate, 49ers offensive linemen Nick Zakelj, will have goodies in their fridge to share.
Zakelj said, "It's kind of a free for all really. It's kind of understood boundaries, I'm not going to go out of my way to eat his food and he won't eat my food, but it's not many boundaries."
Purdy added, "Usually, he's got the right side of the fridge, I've got the left side. We might get some left overs and take it home and eat well this week."
