"It was almost like last night was like Christmas," Brock Purdy told reporters on Thursday.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback was excited, knowing that he was about to suit up in his uniform (practice one, at least) for the first time since January. There is rust, which should not surprise anyone. But the quarterback looked right at home on the practice field again.
Purdy's second pass was intercepted by safety Tashaun Gipson. There were some overthrows and other miscues. However, for the most part, the quarterback's arm looked good.
"Obviously, just felt great," Purdy said. "Getting in the team, setting plays in the huddle, breaking a huddle, get my eyes on the defense, and then just playing. So it felt really good."
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area noted that Purdy displayed "no ill-effects" from his March 10 surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, adding that the quarterback was unleashing 45-yard spirals downfield.
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Purdy notes that he doesn't feel limited on the practice field.
"I feel like I'm good enough to play in 11-on-11 football," Purdy shared. "And so, we talked about that when I got back here with [head coach Kyle] Shanahan, and basically I told him, 'Hey, I feel good enough and confident enough that if I got into an 11-on-11 situation, I can make every throw.'
"So that's the conversation that we had, and they gave me the green light to go out there and go. And obviously, the medical staff told them—and they've been with me this whole time, throwing in the offseason—they gave Shanahan the green light. They said, 'Hey, he's good enough to do it.' And they've seen me throw, so we've all been on the same page the whole time.
"But yeah, I feel good enough to play football. Right now, I can't, [so it will be] 11-on-11. Still got to work up the volume and just continue to get better every day."
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The 49ers will continue to be careful with Purdy, giving the recovering quarterback days off when needed. Watching Purdy throw on July 27, when most didn't expect him back until the second half of next month, is a fantastic sign for everyone within the organization.
"Just looking at the reps, compared to last year, I had basically two reps at the end of each period, so I didn't have that many reps," Purdy said. "And then I was able to go into preseason and get some reps. But now, coming in, being able to get a lot more looks on the defense and sort of take command of the huddle and stuff, like for me, it feels a lot better.
"I feel more comfortable with the playbook and everything, but being away, not getting the offseason reps and OTAs, I just got to get back into that kind of state of mind where bullets are flying."
While Purdy noted that he hadn't had any conversations with Shanahan about the regular-season plan, the second-year player appears to be on track to be the 49ers' Week 1 starter.