Brock Purdy Proves Merit for 49ers

Sports Illustrated

Brock Purdy is going to the Super Bowl, and in the process, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback has made a lot of criticism look silly.

Transcript

00:00 Mr. Irrelevant is heading to the Super Bowl.

00:02 Dakota, you know, Brock Purdy at this point,

00:04 I know he's like the most polarizing player in the NFL,

00:07 but I think his critics kind of have to shut up.

00:10 You know, you don't have to say he's the best QB

00:12 in the league or anything like that,

00:14 but to deny that he's very good,

00:16 given what he's accomplished with the 49ers,

00:18 I think is almost insane.

00:20 And he's more than a game manager in the sense that

00:22 he's extending plays and making things happen

00:25 outside of the pocket and on the run.

00:28 And to me, that's what separates the guys

00:30 who sort of just are along for the ride

00:33 with the guys who are helping pilot shit.

00:35 - Yeah, but to me, it's bigger than that.

00:39 If you look at what happened in that Ravens game,

00:42 you have a guy who's probably gonna win the MVP,

00:45 and it's just like, I just needed you to be yourself.

00:48 Like, don't let the moment be too big.

00:50 Just do your job.

00:52 And I think with Brock, he often just does his job,

00:56 whatever that entails, if he needs to just stay in the pocket,

00:59 if he needs to scramble for maybe once or twice a game

01:02 to get a first down, he just does what's necessary to win.

01:06 And what it's worth, for that team,

01:09 that's all they need him to do.

01:10 He's surrounded by playmakers.

01:11 He doesn't try to overcomplicate it.

01:13 I'm gonna give the ball to the guys that make plays.

01:16 And if it's required of me to think outside the box

01:19 and make something happen, I will.

01:21 But you're not a game manager, and he deserves his props.

01:25 And I think he is a playmaker, though.

01:27 That's where I'll even say, Brock Purdy needs to be considered

01:29 amongst their playmakers.

01:31 Yes, he can get the ball to Debo Samuel.

01:33 Yes, he can get the ball to Christian McCaffrey.

01:35 Yes, he has Iyuk and Kittle.

01:37 No one's taking away from that.

01:38 And obviously, you know, the offensive line as well.

01:41 But if it wasn't for him making those plays himself

01:46 with his legs and with his scrambling ability

01:49 to extend the plays,

01:50 then the 49ers aren't where they are right now.

01:53 So that's where I guess, you know, I push back on any notion

01:56 he's a product as much as, you know,

01:58 a part of the overall product.

02:02 But I think him being a product is not a bad thing.

02:06 I think, like, it's okay for him not to be seen as

02:11 in the realm of a Mahomes or an Allen or Lamar,

02:15 where it's like, I'm gonna figure something out.

02:19 I'm gonna make it happen.

02:20 Like, it's all on me.

02:21 And that's okay.

02:22 Like, it's good for him to be like,

02:24 "Look, I have all these playmakers.

02:25 My job is to just not mess it up.

02:27 And then every once, every now and then,

02:30 I'll improvise and make something happen."

02:32 And that's okay to me.

02:33 Like, he doesn't have to be seen as just

02:35 this extreme talented guy.

02:37 Like, he's just, "No, let me just do my job."

02:39 I think his biggest pro is the fact that

02:43 he's allowing himself to be that

02:45 and not letting his ego get the best of him

02:47 to say, "I need to do more."

02:49 He's like, "No, I have the guys around me.

02:50 I don't need to do anything more than that."

02:53 - Well, you know, he may not be Mahomes,

02:54 but when you take that very top level,

02:56 I think he's the next guy up right after that.

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