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Second-year quarterback
Brock Purdy continues to help the San Francisco 49ers rack up wins. While he has yet to lose a regular-season game in his pro career, there are still those who doubt the 23-year-old, saying that he is a product of a quarterback-friendly system or looks better than he is because of the plethora of playmakers around him.
On Thursday, one of Purdy's teammates was asked about the debate surrounding the quarterback's legitimacy.
"
All Brock's done is gone out there and win," tight end
George Kittle responded. "He does a great job with that. You can watch the tape from this last game against the Giants when he was pressured, like, 31 or however many snaps that was, and he did a really good job on almost all those.
"He does a good job on, hey, if there's not a play there and he knows he's going to get sacked, he tucks the ball, he tries to fall forward. He's been great with the football. He doesn't turn it over."
Purdy has passed for 736 yards and four touchdowns in his three games this season. He has yet to toss an interception this season and is on pace to become the first quarterback since Jeff Garcia in 2000 to surpass 4,000 passing yards in a single season.
A reporter shared with Purdy that he hasn't thrown an interception in his last 190 passes. While that is an excellent achievement, the quarterback continues to look at the big picture.
"Yeah, I want to help my team win at the end of the day, and that comes down to the decisions that I make," Purdy said. "I get the ball every single play, whether I'm handing it off or throwing it, but anytime I'm dropping back, and I have to make a decision with the ball in my hands, of course, I pride myself on not harming our team.
"And so, that just comes down to trying to be selfless, making the right decisions, being prepared for situations and scenarios, and obviously giving our guys on offense a shot to catch the ball and obviously run to put up points. And then being smart for our defense, not putting them in a bad situation with anything like that, making the wrong decision."
Kittle isn't the only one who believes Purdy is more than a system quarterback. One of his defensive teammates is also impressed with the second-year player. Safety
Talanoa Hufanga joined NFL Network's "The NFL Report" this week with Steve Wyche and James Palmer and was asked what makes Purdy such a good quarterback.
"
I think first and foremost is his prep," Hufanga responded. "I'm a guy that, I'm two lockers down from him, so I see what he does on a daily basis in terms of his prep. A guy that shows up each and every day, and I think he commands the huddle. Anybody can be plugged into a system and have a bunch of weapons, but it's how can you command the guys, earn the respect, and on top of that, perform when needed to. And a guy like him, he's shown that each and every week, last year, and so far this year.
"So obviously, he's a top quarterback in this league, and for me, just getting to go against him, it helps our game, the competition. So from that safety perspective, very blessed just to go against him, for sure."
Purdy is playing efficient football for the 49ers, which head coach Kyle Shanahan and the other players on the roster appreciate.
"He's doing everything that we need to do to win a football game," Kittle added. "And so if they want to rate him as the 20th best quarterback, they want to rate him in the top 10, I don't think he really cares. And I think that as long as he shows up every single day and he's playing the best of his ability, that's good enough for us, and we're just loving every second of it."
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Brock Purdy was perfect on Sunday during the San Francisco 49ers' 27-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—at least regarding passer rating. The quarterback completed 21 of his 25 passing attempts for 333 yards and three touchdowns, earning a perfect passer rating of 158.3.
Steve Young, the former ESPN analyst and Hall of Fame player, believes there remains room for improvement. He emphasized that Purdy, drafted as the final overall pick last year, doesn't fit the prototype of quarterbacks selected higher in the draft, such as Jalen Hurts and C.J. Stroud, who possess different physical qualities.
"He's not the prototype,"
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has showcased elite-level performances this season. Nevertheless, some seem reluctant to give the second-year player the respect that many 49ers fans believe he deserves.
NFL Network reporter Omar Ruiz joined KNBR on Monday morning and was asked if he senses a reluctance among the media to categorize Purdy among the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks.
"Yeah, and I think as long as he has a loaded Forty-Niner team around him, it'll probably always be like that unless he wins a Super Bowl," Ruiz responded on the "Murph and Mac" show.
Ruiz drew parallels to former Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson's journey to being considered among the league's best. Initially, the team's outstanding defensive play
Heading into last year's draft, doubts swirled around Brock Purdy's arm strength, with heightened concern following surgery this past offseason to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his throwing arm.
Would Purdy be ready for the start of the regular season? Would he be able to get the football downfield to his receivers?
Those questions were answered, punctuated on Sunday by Purdy's 76-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, marking the longest throw of the quarterback's career.
PURDY TO AIYUK. 76-YARD TOUCHDOWN.📺:
Joe Shasky from 95.7 The Game expressed his bewilderment on Tuesday morning, questioning why San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy doesn't receive the respect he deserves. The second-year player is coming off a phenomenal game, completing 21 of his 25 passing attempts for 333 yards and three touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, earning a perfect passer rating of 158.3.
Analysts quickly criticized Purdy during the 49ers' three-game losing streak, but the quarterback has played impressive football since then. In a conversation with respected NFL analyst Brian Baldinger, Shasky commended Purdy's ability to recognize what is developing on the field before and after the ball is snapped.
"He does so many things so well, and I'm just blown away at the way
