Since being asked to take over as the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers in place of the injured Jimmy Garoppolo, Brock Purdy’s career has taken off.https:
Despite being the final player selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, he has amassed stats that are comparable to any quarterback in the league.
However, many have minimized or even attacked his accomplishment, saying he’s just a “game manager” or a “system quarterback” who has only produced impressive numbers because of outstanding skill players and an outstanding head coach in Kyle Shanahan.
One of the Niners’ most important skill players, Deebo Samuel, recently used social media to defend Purdy from his critics while highlighting the fact that Purdy has led the league in numerous categories (via Dov Kleiman).
Purdy led the league in touchdown percentage, air yards per attempt, passer rating, yards per pass attempt, and QBR at the end of the regular season.
That final measure, air yards per attempt, shows that, in contrast to what his detractors constantly saying, he does not throw a lot of check-down passes and does take many shots downfield that reach over 10-15 yards.
Although he didn’t play his finest game against the Green Bay Packers in Saturday’s playoff game, he nevertheless delivered a clutch performance, something that even some of his fans were unsure he could accomplish.
Late in the third quarter, with San Francisco down 21–14, he set up rookie Jake Moody for a 52-yard field goal. Then, halfway through the fourth quarter, he started from his own 31-yard line with four points behind him.
During that drive, he was outstanding. He ran for nine yards when he couldn’t locate a target, and running back Christian McCaffrey used that run to set up the game-winning touchdown.
Purdy will now have another opportunity to put naysayers to rest this weekend when he plays the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship Game, continuing his incredible Cinderella narrative.
