Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk recently attracted criticism for bizarrely questioning San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy's worthiness of the "franchise quarterback" label because his name resembled "Turdy."
"I think people have a hard time looking at that name and saying that's a franchise quarterback," Florio noted.
The Pro Football Talk writer joined 95.7 The Game on Wednesday morning and explained the comments, noting that they were part of a broader conversation about why some are reluctant to embrace the 49ers' second-year player as a franchise quarterback.
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"I had given various other reasons, including, for example, last player taken in the draft, QB3, who got thrust into service, suffered the elbow injury in the NFC Championship game," Florio shared on "The Morning Roast" show. "So it dusts off this chronic concern that 49ers quarterbacks are cursed. So we went through all those reasons, and I threw that one on there at the end.
"And look, when I first saw his name, I did think that's not really a quarterback name. But when you play well, all of a sudden, what doesn't look like a quarterback name becomes a quarterback name."
However, the "Turdy" comment garnered the most attention because of its ridiculousness, which podcast co-host Peter King immediately pointed out as "one of the silliest things I've ever heard."
While Florio admits that he was just having fun with King on the podcast, Purdy has earned the writer's respect. Florio offered high praise for the young quarterback on Wednesday.
"Based upon what they've (the 49ers) done so far this year, he's (Purdy) checking those boxes," Florio said. "And if there's a team of destiny in the NFC, it feels like the 49ers. And if there's a team of destiny in the AFC, it feels like the Dolphins.
"Now, if it comes down to those two teams as the one seed[s], Tua [Tagovailoa] is probably the MVP. But there's still a chance that Brock Purdy is going to get some serious consideration if he presides over this team, has good numbers, and the 49ers end up the one seed in the NFC. And right now, I would say they're the most likely team in the NFC to be the one seed."
There has been some criticism surrounding Purdy's accuracy on deep throws, something that his predecessor, Jimmy Garoppolo, had to deal with, too. However, Florio believes the Niners will go far this season if that can be overcome. That would be significant for head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, who have struggled to identify a franchise quarterback.
"If they could just stabilize the quarterback position and have that quarterback step up and make a big throw in a big spot, it's a Super Bowl championship for the San Francisco 49ers, and it could come as soon as this year," Florio added.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Florio below.
