Former 49ers Pro Bowl quarterback Jeff Garcia spoke with KHTK 1140AM in Sacramento recently about what he sees from the young 49ers quarterback.
"The thing about Brock Purdy, he knew where to go with the football. He didn't take a lot of sacks. He didn't make a lot of mistakes. When things broke down around him, he lengthened the field with his feet," said Garcia. "He became a threat as a runner. I'm not going to say those were certain things that reminded him of me, but there were things out there like that. Hey, he's a smaller stature guy but that doesn't matter. He understands the game. He understood the defensive coverages. He understood what was going on offensively and where to go with the football and that was impressive."
When discussing the 49ers current options at quarterback, the weapons at Purdy's disposal during his eight-game win streak are often brought up. Garcia sees the way Purdy took advantage of the talent around him as a positive, again drawing parallels to his own situation when taking over for Steve Young.
"You know, up until the point when Brock Purdy stepped on the field, even with Jimmy (Garpppolo) out there, why was George Kittle not being targeted," asked Garcia. "If I had George Kittle on my team, I'm trying to get him the ball. Just like a T.O. (Terrell Owens), you're trying to get him the ball 10 times a game because when he gets the ball in his hands great things happen. Whether it's catching the ball in the flat, a 10-yard hook over the middle. That's one of your most dangerous weapons on the field and you're not utilizing him."
"The competition is going to be good with Trey Lance. Hey, you can't eliminate anybody. I think that's the unfortunate part of the quarterback position in the National Football League," said Garcia. "Organizations do not want to ruffle feathers. They're too concerned about 'oh he's our starter. We don't want to make him worry about his job." But every other position is open to the best talent available to the best talent available. Why isn't the quarterback position like that? You've got to have the best guy on the field."
You start the guy who's going to take you down the field, put points on the board, eliminate mistakes, do the right things for your team, get your athletes involved and be a leader in the locker room. And right now, Brock Purdy is that guy."
[ Edited by tankle104 on Jun 2, 2023 at 5:03 PM ]