San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has already proven he’s elite. Here’s why.
By Ryan Rudnansky
I got you with the word “elite,” didn’t I?
At this point, you are either frothing at the mouth with rage or giving a standing ovation and clapping furiously while throwing roses on the stage.
This is a tired argument, I know (see: Manning, Eli or Flacco, Joe from the past). And I know – based on scientific historical data – if your mind is already made up on Brock Purdy, this article has roughly a 1 percent chance of changing your view. But, if you’re one of those “haters,” as they say, I’m going to try to change your mind, anyway. So, here it goes.
First of all, know that I’m a San Francisco 49ers fan. I won’t pretend I’m not. This site is largely focused on Bay Area sports, after all. But you also know that if you’re a fan of a team, this can work both ways – sometimes you are more critical of your team than other fans are. And, as a proud journalist by trade, it is my credo – my credo, I say – to be objective. And that’s why I’m first going to go over Purdy’s weaknesses before going over his strengths.
THE CASE AGAINST BROCK PURDY
System Quarterback/Game Manager
You can’t start Brock Purdy slander without the term “game manager.” This term alone gets the blood boiling.
Before we get started, let me be clear: “game manager,” indeed, is a slight. I’m tired of people calling Purdy – or anyone for that matter – a game manager only to retract when they feel they were wrong and say, “Well, he is a great game manager. I wasn’t being negative. After all, managing the game is a big part of the quarterback’s job.”
Dude, c’mon, we know what you were saying before.
So let’s discuss the argument that Purdy is purely a game manager, as a negative connotation.
Should we blame a quarterback if he is in good offensive system? I don’t believe we should. Look at any great quarterback who has had success and chances are he’s operated in a strong offensive system. Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning – the list goes on. I’m not saying Purdy is in the same category, but the point is – even when looking at today’s quarterbacks – we immediately point to Purdy being in Kyle Shanahan’s system and gloss over the fact that the other top quarterbacks we fawn over are in a good offensive system, too. For whatever reason, this seems like clear bias.
Physicals
Purdy does not have a cannon for an arm – that’s clear.
He’s not going to throw the ball 70 yards downfield like Josh Allen.
Purdy’s long passing plays generally involve getting the ball out quick or hitting receivers in stride. He can stretch the defense, but not by throwing a bomb.
There are, indeed, limitations to this.
Safeties can inch closer to the line of scrimmage. They don’t have to cover as much ground and they don’t need as much range. This allows them to hone in on more specific parts of the field, and it can narrow the window Purdy has to fit the ball into. Purdy’s interception against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5 – a throw to the sidelines with not nearly enough zip – is an example of this. This is a fair point and one of the biggest arguments against Purdy as an elite quarterback.
On top of that, Purdy’s height makes things more difficult in the pocket. He’s no Kyler Murray, but he stands 6’1″ upright, and that is considered a shorter quarterback by NFL standards.
This allows big defensive linemen to block his vision, as well as bat down passes when he’s throwing line drives or short passes to receivers.
Decision Making/Daring Style of Play
To make up for having less arm strength than some of the top gunslingers in the NFL, Purdy often relies on threading the needle or getting the ball out quickly.
This, consequently, can lead to interceptions or miscommunication with his receivers.
There have been several throws this season where mere inches were the difference between a completion and a pass deflection or interception. And there have been several throws that indeed led to a pick or a pass breakup.
The Week 1 interception against the Los Angeles Rams was an example of Purdy being more focused on getting the ball out quickly to one of his trusted receivers than thinking it through completely. As much as the “game manager” tag is thrown around, Purdy can be more of a gunslinger at times, firing first and asking questions later, especially when it comes to defenses (and opposing crowds) that can create a lot of pressure. It’s no coincidence that both of his interceptions have come against the Seahawks and Rams, both very talented defenses. Purdy’s confidence in himself can sometimes bite back.
THE CASE FOR BROCK PURDY
Accuracy
Among quarterbacks with at least 98 pass attempts this season (excluding Lamar Jackson and Caleb Williams, who missed some games due to injury), Purdy has the highest completion percentage at 69 percent.
This isn’t anything new. He was tied with Josh Allen for the third-highest completion percentage among regular starters last season (69.4 percent).
Purdy’s accuracy is a big reason why he’s had so much success at the NFL level, and why he’s been able to thread the ball through such tight windows.
Because he doesn’t have the arm strength to stretch the defense to its limit, he relies on getting the ball to his receivers in space, oftentimes floating the ball over linebackers’ outstretched fingers and into his receivers’ hands in front of opposing defensive backs. It’s those narrow gaps, particularly in zone coverage, where Purdy excels.
Anticipation
It would be great if every play a quarterback had enough time to wait for a receiver to get out of his break and execute a perfectly timed pass.
But this is the NFL. Oftentimes a quarterback may not be able to wait for the route to develop and has to throw the ball sooner than preferred.
That’s where anticipation comes in.
Anticipation – and how Purdy leads his receivers with his throws – are critical components of No. 13’s success in the league. He’s able to throw the ball exactly where the receiver is supposed to end up before the receiver even breaks. You see this time and time again, and he’s been doing this for years.
This helps on two fronts. One, you don’t have to have the best offensive line in the league if you can get the ball out quicker. Two, provided you are on the same page as your receivers, you don’t give the secondary much time to react or recover from a receiver’s move. It’s hard enough to play defensive back in the NFL – if you have a fraction of a second to react, it makes it almost impossible sometimes.
Below is an older clip (per JT O’Sullivan’s The QB School), backed up by a newer clip this season against the Miami Dolphins:
Processing Speed
If you can only dial in on your No. 1 receiving option on each route, you aren’t going to last very long in the NFL.
With all the talk of Purdy being in a great offensive system, we somehow forget to mention that Purdy hasn’t had a true No. 1 wide receiver to throw to until this season. You could maybe say he had a No. 1 receiver with Brandon Aiyuk for one season, and Deebo Samuel – as good as he is – is more of a gadget player. Mike Evans is the first receiver who you can just throw the ball up to and he can pluck it over a defender’s head.
But what happens when the read to Evans breaks down?
Well, fortunately for the 49ers, Purdy has made his career on how he processes his reads from receiver to receiver.
It’s not a mystery why some of the best quarterbacks in history spread the ball around. You aren’t going to be able to target your No. 1 guy time and time again, especially with how advanced defensive schemes have gotten these days.
Ironically, despite Evans being 33 years old, he’s been one of the healthiest receivers for the 49ers this season. Dating back to the start of the offseason, Purdy has seen his receiving options dwindle, from Ricky Pearsall to De’Zhaun Stribling to Demarcus Robinson to – recently – Samuel. He’s being forced to throw to players like Brandin Cooks now, a 33-year-old veteran who hadn’t played a snap of football since Jan. 17 before being signed and playing in Week 4.
Watch Purdy closely as he shifts his feet and processes from receiver to receiver next game you see him play. He has elite processing speed, and it’s one of the many reasons why he continues to succeed no matter what the defense throws at him.
CONCLUSION
Beyond all of this, Purdy can still throw enough of a deep ball to stretch the defense, as highlighted below in Week 1 against the Rams. He may not be able to throw like Josh Allen, but he can still throw far enough to sneak the pigskin past the defense.
Put all of Purdy’s strengths together and it’s no wonder why he will officially secure the best quarterback rating in NFL history once he qualifies with 1,500 career pass attempts on Monday night against the Washington Commanders. He’s ranked second overall among quarterbacks by Pro Football Focus this season, and he’s ranked sixth against the blitz.
We are enamored with measurables such as arm strength, speed and elusiveness, but we’ve forgotten what really matters for a quarterback: accuracy, anticipation, processing speed and how a signal caller moves in the pocket to buy himself time.
Sure, there’s a lot of football yet to be played, but it’s only a matter of time before you can’t ignore Mr. Irrelevant.
He’s more than relevant.
He’s elite.
And he’s an MVP candidate this season.
Leave a Reply