San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy caused significant buzz last week when he threw seven interceptions over two consecutive practices, four of which occurred in a series of five throws.
While the national media scrutinized the miscues, Purdy, his coaches, and teammates remained unconcerned and confident in their young quarterback.
There was drama last year surrounding Purdy's training camp interceptions, yet the quarterback went on to set a single-season franchise record with 4,280 passing yards.
Purdy addressed reporters after Sunday's practice, discussing his practice interceptions and how he evaluates such mistakes.
"It depends on what kind of pick it is, if I'm trying to fit in a window and trying to just be aggressive, or I just couldn't see a guy," Purdy shared. "Those are the questions you got to ask yourself, and that's what I do ask myself. Obviously, I get pretty mad at myself in terms of, dude, you turned the ball over and you can't do that.
"So, it's finding a way to grow mentally for myself in terms of, dude, you can't do that, or, hey, I was being aggressive here, and we're just trying it out, and I'm seeing if I can do it with this guy and that kind of window or that kind of look. But at the end of the day, I'm not just out there trying to just throw the ball up and act like it's camp, and I don't care because I do."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan recently defended Purdy, explaining that he knows exactly what kind of quarterback he is. Therefore, occasional mistakes in practice aren't reasons to sound the alarm.
"I know, always, stats are made a big deal in practice and I know that'll stick out, too," Shanahan said. "And we never want a lot of picks in practice, regardless of who it is, but Brock's never really had an interception problem. He's protected the ball pretty well in this league for his two years. He also isn't scared to let it rip, too."
Whether in games or practice, Purdy takes pride in his performance. However, practice is the time to test your limits since you can't do so in games.
"I take pride in protecting the ball for our offense and our team, so obviously, I'm mad when I'm not completing the ball to our guys, and it's going to the defense," Purdy admitted. "And I'm hard on myself, and the coaches are, too. We have a standard here, so it's not like we're just going out, and just because it's practice, it's okay to throw picks. No, there's still a standard here.
"But with that, I know you guys have heard me say this all over the media: now's the time to be trying out some stuff in terms of throwing [in] some windows and some tight coverages and whatnot. But I still gotta grow. I still gotta be better, and I'm hard on myself with it, but now's the time to do it."
Purdy reflected on training camp last year, coming off surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his throwing arm, and tossing several passes that ended up in the hands of the defense.
"I remember last year, coming off my UCL at practice, I was throwing some stuff, and I threw multiple days of picks," Purdy said. "But you get into the season, and you're ready for those moments, and you're ready to execute and protect the ball. So that's where we're at in the time of the year."