Does anybody even know what sort of quarterback Brock Purdy is? Is he the brand new Joe Flacco? Is he Huge Ben redux? Tom Brady 2.0? He’s part-Kirk Cousins, however prompts Russell Wilson when he scrambles out of the pocket. All these guys reached Tremendous Bowls by their second season they usually maintained these lofty requirements. Perhaps he’s on the Wilson arc. They have been each drafted as seniors after the third spherical.
However Mark Sanchez virtually joined this unique membership, too, so it instantly loses a few of its luster. I had this entire Greek lit lede on Purdy as Odysseus telling a cyclops his title was no one earlier than jabbing his eye out. We’re the cyclops who lacks the senses to view this Mr. No one as something greater than a product of the Shanahan system. However Purdy hasn’t finished sufficient to develop a mythology – but. He didn’t attend Michigan or Miami or USC and he’s solely 6-1. Profitable 9 video games as a junior at Iowa State doesn’t encourage the identical inspiration as Colin Kaepernick’s legendary exploits as a 6-5 unicorn at Nevada.
Railing all of the digital podcast denizens of CamNewtonstan for distracting us with some nonsense about recreation changers vs recreation managers looks like the proper tone. It’s been practically two months since Newton’s feedback about Purdy and a slew of fringe top-ten quarterbacks put that class of quarterbacks below extra scrutiny than ever.
“They’re not winning because of him,” Newton opined about Purdy. “He’s managing the game. And if we were to put that in its own right as game managers: Brock Purdy, Tua Tagovailoa. Jared Goff. And really, Dak Prescott. These are game managers. They’re not difference makers.”
Newton mentioned it with some bass, however Purdy proves the road isn’t as distinct as he pretends. A number of the finest are extra dexterous than the typical quarterback. They’ll flip off the daredevil mindset, in contrast to whiplash-inducing passers who throwback breaking picks that change the sport for the more severe, can dial it again or add an additional gear when wanted. Purdy continues to be working these levers. He led the league in big-time throw fee (25+ yard completions) and touchdowns per pass attempt, however can alchemize possessions along with his legs that compensate for his below-average arm power. Opposite to public opinion, Purdy’s percentage of passes thrown at or behind the line of scrimmage ranked close to the underside of the league this season.
He’s additionally not a Nervous Pervis within the postseason like Prescott or Tagovailoa. Not solely is their podcast purge coming, however we’ve already given anybody who buys that simplistic narrative an excessive amount of of our vitality. There are too many podcasts. Newton won’t make the reduce in 2024.
Purdy is extra of a Rubix Dice nonetheless making an attempt to determine his personal ceiling. Typically he’s a contradiction. He often throws proper at defenders, and but he’s turnover-averse more often than not. His throws are by no means going to realize sufficient velocity to whistle by the clouds, however he throws dimes most of the time. His misses get magnified, however that is solely his second season.
It’s a bit early in his profession to start out calling him elite or a product of a system. However does it make any extra sense to check him to Tagovailoa or Prescott? What will get forgotten within the Purdy debate is his exponential development since final season and the leap he took after his partial rookie marketing campaign.
Purdy deserves his due as a result of, at any time when he falls in need of the lofty commonplace, there’s been a booby lure set to discredit his precocious accomplishments. By yr two, late bloomers like Kirk Cousins want they have been this superior. A 3-dimensional perspective of Purdy is that he’s a prism of Cousins, Russ and Brady. He stepped into the gears of a perpetual movement machine and has improved its efficacy. What extra can anybody ask for?
He’s an important cog within the Shanahan machine and he’s raised the bar increased than a 30-year-old Jimmy Garroppolo or Trey Lance. Purdy’s already performed in two NFC Championship Video games and superior to the Tremendous Bowl by his second season. Purdy produced a number of game-changing performs within the greatest recreation of his profession up to now.
We’ve seen Purdy do that earlier than. When the Niners are below fireplace, he’s a pure coolant. He demonstrated it in a loss to the Cleveland Browns back when the Niners were undefeated. He did it once more within the NFC Championship Sport towards longer odds. Trailing by a number of touchdowns, Purdy relied on guile, some luck and shocking foot velocity. Hopefully, we’re finished being shocked.
He’s often extra intelligent scrambling outdoors the pocket than scintillating. His captivating touchdown throw on the run in his playoff debut was a touch of Purdy at his finest. However he’s taken it to a different degree on this playoff run.
Nevertheless, his supporting solid will at all times obtain an outsized share of the credit score. As I mentioned in defense of Purdy after Newton lobbed Mozgov cocktails at Purdy, he’s the Kris Jenner of the Niners’ lineup, managing Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk behind the scenes. Rookie quarterbacks on rookie offers have been the blueprint for quarterbacks lately. Purdy is that dude. Put some respect on his title.
There’s no telling what the Tremendous Bowl holds, however it doesn’t matter what, a big a part of the Niners’ fates rests on Purdy’s shoulders.
Comply with DJ Dunson on X: @cerebralsportex
