Brock Purdy gives 49ers haters ammo with one of the worst practices you will ever see
By John Buhler
Brock Purdy is not for everyone. That is fine. While I tend to think he is an exceptional quarterback in the right situation, I can also see why so many detract from the San Francisco 49ers starter. Purdy was the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Iowa State. Although he was probably underdrafted to the point of almost going undrafted, it is hard to imagine that he is the best quarterback in his class.
Through two seasons, it is hard to argue in the contrary. What isn't hard to argue against is Purdy apparently had one of the worst practices you will ever seen on Tuesday. He could not stop throwing picks. Apparently, four of his final five passes were intercepted. It may have been part of the 49ers' practice plan to have him throw balls into tight coverage or whatnot, but no, this is way less than ideal.
Again, I have liked what I have seen for the most part out of Purdy's game dating back to his earliest of starts collegiately at Iowa State. With the help of having Breece Hall in the backfield, Purdy guided Matt Campbell's Cyclones to new and unprecedented heights. When does Iowa State ever play in the Fiesta Bowl? It may have been a COVID year, but that era of Cyclones was special ... against not Iowa.
Since Purdy does not have a howitzer of a right arm, accuracy shall be what he lives and dies by.
Let's just hope that Kyle Shanahan and the rest of his staff can help Purdy make some corrections.
Brock Purdy has one of the worst practices you will ever see from a QB
The good news is this is practice. The bad news is people in attendance saw what happened. With more and more wins surely coming this fall in games that matter, we can only hope that it will help erase this bad memory Purdy may have etched into the brains of those watching him emulate Nathan Peterman. It has been years since Peterman made a name for himself in Pick City, but I still remember!
Overall, this doesn't change my opinion on the 49ers all that much. They are one of six-to-eight teams I think has a real shot at winning the Super Bowl. For Kyle Shanahan reasons, I am skeptical if they win it all this year. More importantly, I feel they got lucky vs. both the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round and definitely vs. the Detroit Lions in the NFC title bout. Home-field advantage is everything.
Ultimately, for as long as Purdy has Shanahan in his ear, he will play well under center for the 49ers. He may not be the most physically gifted or impressive quarterback Shanahan has ever worked with, but Purdy has proven to be the right kind of steady that the 49ers can build a consistent winner around. He has obvious limitations, but he has quarterbacked a top-four team over the last two years.
Then again, there was a time where Matt Schaub was a Pro Bowler before the pick addiction set in...