San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy carries a chip on his shoulder, a trait admired by future Hall of Famer Tom Brady.
"I think the more you have that chip on your shoulder like he does, and there were not quite the expectations, it's nice to go out there and continue to prove people wrong," Brady said this week while praising Purdy on his "Let's Go!" podcast.
Purdy has not lost a regular-season game since becoming the 49ers' starting quarterback in December of last season. He is a perfect 10-0 heading into this weekend's clash with the Cleveland Browns.
The second-year quarterback is coming off an impressive four-touchdown performance against the Dallas Cowboys, boasting a league-leading 123.1 passer rating this season.
Purdy spoke to reporters on Thursday and was asked how he maintains a competitive edge amidst so much early success.
"There's little things, just even more in meetings, [quarterbacks] coach [Brian] Griese or [assistant quarterbacks coach Klay] Kubiak and [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] saying, 'You've got to do this, you've got to do this, you've got to do this.' So there's always something that's, like, 'Man, I could be better.'"
The 49ers are 5-0 this season with Purdy helming the offense. The young quarterback has completed 72.1 percent of his passes for 1,271 yards with nine touchdowns and zero interceptions. He's even entered some NFL MVP discussions.
While the outside attention makes for great headlines, for Purdy, it's about meeting his own expectations.
"And so, when I step out in the field, it's still trying to prove to myself that I haven't reached my full potential yet," Purdy said. "And so that's that chip that I always have on my shoulder, and no matter what everyone else is saying, I know that there's another level that I can get to.
"And so, that's where I'm trying to get and taking it one day at a time, but never being comfortable with where I'm at."
Purdy believes he hasn't reached his full potential yet and still has a chip on his shoulder 😤 pic.twitter.com/GpIwzWlIR6
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) October 12, 2023
