QB Brock Purdy Thread

Originally posted by tankle104:
I'll try to find it but I'm at an airport, so might not. As a whole, having a massive arm helps but isn't neccessary. It's really the velocity that matters, IMO. How quick can you get it somewhere vs throwing super far - Allen and mahommes have great velocity on their throws - they also have strong arms but I've always been impressed in the windows they can create with their great velocity.

That's because you're needlessly splitting hairs. That "great velocity" is directly linked to having a "strong" or "massive" arm.

Somehwere along the lines, Deep ball passing and the frequency of doing it became the definition of "arm strength" and the need of it at the QB position, but that's pure lunacy.

Angle any projectile upwards at the appropriate angle and the more velocity you can get behind it, the further it will go. Having a "massive arm" and being able to generate "velocity" aren't 2 different issues. They're essentially the same thing.

btw,...for posters that "HATE" the subject of arm strength in sports,....I cant help but wonder if you're tuning in on the wrong channel?

Perhaps get the actual guys that play and experience the game at the highest level to ignore it, and you'll progress on this gooal?

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"Yeah. I do feel like just my pre and post routine of throwing has allowed my arm to get stronger just in general. Obviously, after the surgery it was recovered, but just my habits and stuff of what I've done in the NFL compared to college, it's a night and day difference and I feel like it has helped my arm get stronger," Purdy said.

"Then obviously with the Bye Week too, that was huge, just to let my arm rest up and feel fresh again. So, all of those components added in, I feel like my arm has gotten stronger," he added.

If it weren't important, he wouldn't work on it so profusely in preparation for the season.

Originally posted by SmokeyJoe:

Originally posted by Chance:
His velocity was slightly above league average in the lead up to the draft. In 2023, after a major elbow injury, no one was calling his arm less than average. Whatever happened last year, he lost some zip. It's a bit premature to say he has the weakest arm given we don't have a full understanding of what was going on with his arm last year. Let's hope he's back to his 2023 self.

A mph reading in a workout environment really isn't a great measure of arm strength, and there were certainly people mentioning it being below average prior to and during 2023. I'm not sure how this isn't obvious by simply watching teams play around the league.

Any meaningful debate isn't whether he has an arm strength limitation. He does. It's whether we can do everything we need to do with his skillset including this and any other limitation. It looked like it through the bulk of '23 and I think there are some more questions after last year.

He has less margin for error than more talented QBs, but that doesn't mean the job can't be done.

Yeah, I don't put too much stock on velocity in a workout, but it is a data point where few exist, and it's one that has comparisons to his peers.

My memory was there was a lot of talk about his arm being below average until he racked up a season's worth of games and proved he could hit all the throws asked of an NFL QB. In which case, his average arm was not an issue to anyone other than media who had a tired narrative they were stuck on. Average, below average, above average—who gives a s**t when you're slinging it around to all parts of the field and getting MVP talk.

Last year was the first time his arm strength seemed a liability in some games. It was the only time in his career that I would describe him as having insufficient zip on some of his throws. That maybe speaks to an injury, but I personally won't throw any labels at him, or prematurely crown him king of the weak arms unless it becomes the norm.

Originally posted by Chance:
In which case, his average arm was not an issue to anyone other than media who had a tired narrative they were stuck on. Average, below average, above average—who gives a s**t when you're slinging it around to all parts of the field and getting MVP talk.

Last year was the first time his arm strength seemed a liability in some games. It was the only time in his career that I would describe him as having insufficient zip on some of his throws. That maybe speaks to an injury, but I personally won't throw any labels at him, or prematurely crown him king of the weak arms unless it becomes the norm.

Again,...I think it'd be best to ask the actual player himself why he gives a s**t? He's not tried at all to hide from the possibility that arm strength is important to a QB,...lol. I think that's an avid fan thing.

"I feel pretty good," Purdy shared Tuesday on Bay Area radio station KNBR. "You know, getting through a whole year of throwing and then an actual offseason to work on my arm and everything, it feels really good. It feels strong. It feels back to normal, everything just like how I felt before surgery. And so I feel really good with it.

"Always working on little things with arm strength and arm maintenance and all that kind of stuff, especially for the amount of throwing that we do as NFL quarterbacks. And so that's always going to be an emphasis for me and my career, but it feels 100% healthy."

"I think it's just another component the defense has to be aware about and respect in a sense," Purdy explained. "You can obviously open up a lot of other things when there's a threat of going deep. And that's just what it is. We have a personnel where we can go deep and we have some speed.

"There's opportunities when the defense gives the right look for us, and when we have the right play on, let's let it rip and let's take a shot, let's take an opportunity. Even if it's not a completion, it's showing them we can stretch the ball down field."

Originally posted by random49er:

Originally posted by Chance:
In which case, his average arm was not an issue to anyone other than media who had a tired narrative they were stuck on. Average, below average, above average—who gives a s**t when you're slinging it around to all parts of the field and getting MVP talk.

Last year was the first time his arm strength seemed a liability in some games. It was the only time in his career that I would describe him as having insufficient zip on some of his throws. That maybe speaks to an injury, but I personally won't throw any labels at him, or prematurely crown him king of the weak arms unless it becomes the norm.

Again,...I think it'd be best to ask the actual player himself why he gives a s**t? He's not tried at all to hide from the possibility that arm strength is important to a QB,...lol. I think that's an avid fan thing.

"I feel pretty good," Purdy shared Tuesday on Bay Area radio station KNBR. "You know, getting through a whole year of throwing and then an actual offseason to work on my arm and everything, it feels really good. It feels strong. It feels back to normal, everything just like how I felt before surgery. And so I feel really good with it.

"Always working on little things with arm strength and arm maintenance and all that kind of stuff, especially for the amount of throwing that we do as NFL quarterbacks. And so that's always going to be an emphasis for me and my career, but it feels 100% healthy."

"I think it's just another component the defense has to be aware about and respect in a sense," Purdy explained. "You can obviously open up a lot of other things when there's a threat of going deep. And that's just what it is. We have a personnel where we can go deep and we have some speed.

"There's opportunities when the defense gives the right look for us, and when we have the right play on, let's let it rip and let's take a shot, let's take an opportunity. Even if it's not a completion, it's showing them we can stretch the ball down field."

You must confuse me for someone that argued arm strength isn't important, or that Brock should not try and improve. Take your straw man elsewhere.

Originally posted by Chance:
You must confuse me for someone that argued arm strength isn't important, or that Brock should not try and improve. Take your straw man elsewhere.

Ok. More directly, then, as I'm really only commenting on the one-liner with words from the players themselves:

Originally posted by Chance:
Average, below average, above average—who gives a s**t when you're slinging it around to all parts of the field and getting MVP talk.

17 games and the preparation for it can be grueling. There are a multitude of reasons for why they give a s**t and obsess about their arm strength when it's naturally on the mediocre spectrum without great preparation. This comment I'm responding to contradicts itself and really doesn't make sense. But yea, the player himself cares more than the pundits, even.

Originally posted by random49er:

Originally posted by Chance:
You must confuse me for someone that argued arm strength isn't important, or that Brock should not try and improve. Take your straw man elsewhere.

Ok. More directly, then, as I'm really only commenting on the one-liner with words from the players themselves:

Originally posted by Chance:
Average, below average, above average—who gives a s**t when you're slinging it around to all parts of the field and getting MVP talk.

17 games and the preparation for it can be grueling. There are a multitude of reasons for why they give a s**t and obsess about their arm strength when it's naturally on the mediocre spectrum without great preparation. This comment I'm responding to contradicts itself and really doesn't make sense. But yea, the player himself cares more than the pundits, even.

No, you're just grossly misinterpreting my point because maybe you just really want someone to argue with. My point is about how we the fans and media label a player. Run along and find someone else to humor your straw man.

Originally posted by Chance:
No, you're just grossly misinterpreting my point because maybe you just really want someone to argue with. My point is about how we the fans and media label a player. Run along and find someone else to humor your straw man.

Fans (us) and the media?? Uhmmm,...Okay. I mean it is a message board. It's kinda what we've signed up for when game 1 is months away, the draft's over, and we're here anyway.

So long as you get why pitchers and QBs give a sh** about their arm strength,...all is fine.

Originally posted by random49er:

Originally posted by Chance:
No, you're just grossly misinterpreting my point because maybe you just really want someone to argue with. My point is about how we the fans and media label a player. Run along and find someone else to humor your straw man.

Fans (us) and the media?? Uhmmm,...Okay. I mean it is a message board. It's kinda what we've signed up for when game 1 is months away, the draft's over, and we're here anyway.

So long as you get why pitchers and QBs give a sh** about their arm strength,...all is fine.

I think you don't understand my post. The quote you pulled and mischaracterized had context from the sentence before. Essentially, who cares if the media labels him as having a below average arm when he's making all the throws he needs to. It really has nothing to do with what you're talking about which is the importance of arm strength. Can we move on?

Originally posted by Chance:
I think you don't understand my post. The quote you pulled and mischaracterized had context from the sentence before. Essentially, who cares if the media labels him as having a below average arm when he's making all the throws he needs to. It really has nothing to do with what you're talking about which is the importance of arm strength. Can we move on?

You're taking the quoting too personally, lol. I said in the post right before that it's a collective message for the many that keep trying to tell us to not talk about arm strength. It's important on multiple levels and there's no sense in wishing it would just go away.

No,...that comment is not just for you, it's for everyone, since this isin't DMs. It's for everyone to read in interpret.

Originally posted by Since07:

Originally posted by SmokeyJoe:

Originally posted by Since07:
I don't think its weak but average, think the farthest I've seen him throw is 60 yards. The average is 60-70 yards for a nfl qb 80 yards is elite arm strength. So yeah you want to see a bit more strength. Hes got good enough velocity he just plays with touch and anticipation a lot which is fine but being able to push the ball deep down field is where you want a little more

He might legitimately have the weakest arm of any starter in the league. It's definitely not average. It's one of the key physical limitations that had him so low in the draft. I think the longest pass he's thrown was the tipped completion to Aiyuk against Detroit, and that was about 50 yards in the air from the spot he threw, and 45 'air yards' (counting from the LoS). That seems to be about his max.

Obviously we were very successful working around this limitation in 23 especially.

The longest throw I could find was a 53 yard pass which yeah is below average

Meh, damn near all these NFL QBs can throw a deep ball, they can get it there…if they couldn't throw it, they wouldn't be in the league.

arm strength is more about velocity and the proper accuracy with that velocity imo. He lacks there and you can see it with those tight window throws, it's serviceable, but it's not a positive attribute to his game.

he's got other qualities thats helped him get to where he's at. Processing and anticipation are a big plus. I wish he would use his legs more than he does, bro has tree trunks and can move. Use that s**t now that you got paid!

Originally posted by Chance:
Honestly, he wasn't that bad last year. He still managed to have an overall decent year. Not to say he didn't struggle at times, especially in situations where he was trying to do too much, but he mostly had a positive individual season.

Of course we want to see the guy improve every year, but young QBs certainly have up and down years, even the great ones. I still think the things that Purdy does well, like elite anticipation and timing keeps his ceiling relatively high. A somewhat down year coming off an MVP caliber season is a not something that worries me greatly.

But like you, I'd like to see Purdy improve in late game situations. He's still such a young guy, that I'm not too worried in his development here. I'd also like to see him figure out his grip in the rain better. This worries me a bit more since it seems to be a physical issue. But other than that, just keep improving and go out a prove that 2023 is what we should expect from a maturing QB.

Originally posted by 49ers808:
You guys are arguing the wrong thing. Arm strength as far as "distance" thrown is not that big a deal. What IS a problem is arm strength lacking that "zip" as faithful6 was getting crap for. He was right. Everyone can see Purdy lacks in comparison with the rest of the league. It's why timing is more important for him than others and he NEEDS to throw it before the route breaks. I hold my breath admittedly on out routes due to his weak arm; those are easy pick sixes if not timed perfectly by Brock.

Bingo. That's what arm strength is and why he relies on anticipation and timing a little more than others. If him and the player aren't on the same page or if he a little off, like you said pick six.

He doesn't get the luxury of waiting to see someone open and slinging it like Allen or Mahomes. I think part of his issue there is he does have that gunslinger mindset, he just doesn't have the proper gun lol.

Originally posted by eastie:
A question... How many passes of 50 yds or more does the average NFL QB throw in a game? What's the completion percentage on those throws?

I would say around 1 to 3 a game maybe. completion maybe 20%

Originally posted by DRCHOWDER:

Is this good? pic.twitter.com/UmyOVJd3u4

— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) May 19, 2025

WTH does EPA even mean? Seriously do not know.