49ers - Brock Purdy - Still and Always #1

[Gonzo]

I think there are a few things that make Purdy a target for doubters. You could use any of these as evidence either way in a rational discussion.

1 - He fits perfectly into the scheme he's playing in so it's hard to tell how much he's managing vs the team putting him in the right position to be successful.

2 - They have a lot of offensive weapons that can bail him out.

3 - He's had a ton of missed picks over the 8 games and people still count those against him.

4 - He doesn't have the biggest arm.

5 - He doesn't have the physical traits or play style you would typically associate with a star QB.

In the end, he's managing the game very well, making some good reads, and doing enough to keep their offense moving. He's never going to look like the most natural QB and he'll have some games where he probably doesn't look like he belongs, but he did a lot last night against 87% blitz rate to show he can still be successful even under a ton of pressure.

I wouldn't say they've been "bailing him out" but there's no denying that offense is absolutely stacked with playmakers.... McCaffery, Kittle, Deebo, Aiyuk, etc. Purdy has been ridiculously efficient at putting those guys in a position to do what they do best, which is make defenses look silly. He's had the poise, accuracy, and ability to avoid mistakes and make good things happen when plays break down. There were a few throws last night that should've been picked, but if they stay healthy I have a hard time seeing any team in the NFC or AFC figuring out how to stop the SF offense.

 

[jsb]

I think there are a few things that make Purdy a target for doubters. You could use any of these as evidence either way in a rational discussion.

1 - He fits perfectly into the scheme he's playing in so it's hard to tell how much he's managing vs the team putting him in the right position to be successful.

2 - They have a lot of offensive weapons that can bail him out.

3 - He's had a ton of missed picks over the 8 games and people still count those against him.

4 - He doesn't have the biggest arm.

5 - He doesn't have the physical traits or play style you would typically associate with a star QB.

In the end, he's managing the game very well, making some good reads, and doing enough to keep their offense moving. He's never going to look like the most natural QB and he'll have some games where he probably doesn't look like he belongs, but he did a lot last night against 87% blitz rate to show he can still be successful even under a ton of pressure.

Those might all be valid. I just find it weird that the doubters are so loud after he’s WON EVERY GAME. I fully expected the skeptics to be out in full force once they lost a few games. Or once he threw a few interceptions. Or once he had a legit bad game. But that hasn’t happened yet. And there is a pretty good number of people that are ready to toss him out.

I honestly thought last year might have been it. I thought he might come out and look pretty bad after the surgery.

But at WORST he’s looked like an average nfl qb. And honestly he’s looked better than average. Plenty of teams would take an average qb.

 

[AuH2O]

If you like to listen to discussion on Brock, the Locked on 49ers podcast was good today. Towards the end they were talking about how they thought Brock and some other players (Kittle) are better NFL players than college players due to the coaching staff. The sideline shots show a lot of Griese and Brock.

I think this overlooks the obvious that NFL talking heads don't get. Guys that are really good players like Kittle and Purdy that play at programs like Iowa State and Iowa are good players that are otherwise at a talent disadvantage. Even in a year where we had Purdy, Hall and Co., a lot of games top to bottom ISU was still at a talent deficit. If you look at NFL rosters, you could make a case that ISU is almost always at a talent deficit.

The Ohio State QBs aren't crap in the NFL and great in college because Day is some genius and the NFL coaches suck. They are successful in college because pretty much every week the rest of their team has a talent advantage that dwarfs the talent difference between the best and worst NFL teams.

The talent gap between college teams varies widely. I remember some discussion about Michigan and it's recruiting. They have been in the top 8-15 or so for the last several years, but if you look at the gap in average player ratings between them and Alabama or Georgia, the difference is similar to Michigan and SunBelt teams.

Also, Brock went to that QB guru before the draft, and his mechanics drastically improved. He's a much better thrower than he was at ISU.

 

[MugNight]

Herbstreit even made a comment in middle of game when Brock was getting a bit more settled about he’s a good fit running the 9er’s O, but if you put him in another offense we just don’t know how good he’d be. He kind of trailed off.

That’s a great question, but it goes the other way too… would Mahomes make the Texans world beaters? Would Joe Burrow fix the Cardinals? Who knows. But the QB doesn’t win games on his own. It’s always a matter of circumstance. Look at all the talented 1st Rd QBs the past 20 years who ended up in career hell when Cleveland drafted them.

To me, the stats under pressure from last night tell me the story: Brock sees the field exceptionally well and he’s clutch. His best receiver last night was arguably rookie 7th rounder Ronnie Bell.

 

[tim_redd]

Herbstreit even made a comment in middle of game when Brock was getting a bit more settled about he’s a good fit running the 9er’s O, but if you put him in another offense we just don’t know how good he’d be. He kind of trailed off.

That’s a great question, but it goes the other way too… would Mahomes make the Texans world beaters? Would Joe Burrow fix the Cardinals? Who knows. But the QB doesn’t win games on his own. It’s always a matter of circumstance. Look at all the talented 1st Rd QBs the past 20 years who ended up in career hell when Cleveland drafted them.

To me, the stats under pressure from last night tell me the story: Brock sees the field exceptionally well and he’s clutch. His best receiver last night was arguably rookie 7th rounder Ronnie Bell.

Imagine if the Bears drafted Mahomes and the Chiefs got Trubisky.

 

[bozclone]

I understand that Brock has some physical limitations and he is in a great situation, but what he has done it truly remarkable. What QB from 2021, 20222, and 2023 draft classes would you rather have leading your team? Who of those guys have been more successful than Brock?

 

[burn587]

Some Qbs and their coaches belong together. Mahomes and Reid, Wilson and the one in Seattle, Brady and Billicheck, etc Brock and Shanahan hopefully can be one of those.

Pete Carroll should only be called “the one in Seattle” from now on.

 

[AuH2O]

I wouldn't say they've been "bailing him out" but there's no denying that offense is absolutely stacked with playmakers.... McCaffery, Kittle, Deebo, Aiyuk, etc. Purdy has been ridiculously efficient at putting those guys in a position to do what they do best, which is make defenses look silly. He's had the poise, accuracy, and ability to avoid mistakes and make good things happen when plays break down. There were a few throws last night that should've been picked, but if they stay healthy I have a hard time seeing any team in the NFC or AFC figuring out how to stop the SF offense.

Aiyuk doesn't belong in that conversation. He's a nice #2 that is in as favorable a spot as receiver can be in the league. He has all the makings of a guy that has solid production in a great situation as a #2 then goes and flames out because he goes to be a #1 somewhere for a big contract.

But the other three plus that OL... If I was Brock when my contract was up I'd be taking a team friendly deal and be an endorsement machine. Keep that roster loaded!

 

[SolterraCyclone]

Those might all be valid. I just find it weird that the doubters are so loud after he’s WON EVERY GAME. I fully expected the skeptics to be out in full force once they lost a few games. Or once he threw a few interceptions. Or once he had a legit bad game. But that hasn’t happened yet. And there is a pretty good number of people that are ready to toss him out.

I honestly thought last year might have been it. I thought he might come out and look pretty bad after the surgery.

But at WORST he’s looked like an average nfl qb. And honestly he’s looked better than average. Plenty of teams would take an average qb.

It’s insane to me that some people were calling for them to trade for Cousins last night. By some people I mean idiot Gottlieb and is trolls.

1.) With Cousins price tag they couldn’t afford half of the excellent cast around Purdy. I realize this is the last year of Cousins’ deal, but if you trade for him what do you do at QB next year? Cause you can’t resign him and keep all these other players.

2.) Cousins has pretty freakin good weapons too (Jefferson, prime Thielen, Addison, Cook before this year, did he play with Diggs?) and still has never won a playoff game, had the 4th-most turnovers of any QB in 2022, has roughly half the TO/turnover ratio that Purdy has, and has a 13-basis point worse QBR than Purdy. Even if you think he’s a better QB than Purdy (which I don’t), he doesn’t objectively manage the game better then Purdy and wouldn’t give SF a better chance to win.

I’ll also say McCaffrey was a huge addition to SF. Huge, no doubt. But Deebo, Kittle, Aiyuk, the OL, Bosa, Greenlaw, etc were all still there with Lance and Jimmy G at the helm. And they were 3-4 before Brock took over. They lost to my freakin Broncos and the Bears for God sakes. So he’s also objectively doing more with almost all the same weapons than other starting QBs have done

 

[MugNight]

Here’s the draft profile for Drew Brees. Interesting parallels.

 

[Jeremy]

One thing that really sucks is Brock is paid peanuts for his position and has no ability to negotiate anything differently for a couple years. While the 49ers get to use that money on other positions, it's so unfair that a douche like Watson can get $230 million guaranteed and suck ass while Brock plays his ass off and is a standup citizen.

 

[ScottyP]

One thing that really sucks is Brock is paid peanuts for his position and has no ability to negotiate anything differently for a couple years. While the 49ers get to use that money on other positions, it's so unfair that a douche like Watson can get $230 million guaranteed and suck ass while Brock plays his ass off and is a standup citizen.

Also, Watson had a few plays in the Steelers game Monday night that were borderline dirty. He purposely grabbed a couple face masks out of frustration and pushed a ref.

 

[FerShizzle]

One thing that really sucks is Brock is paid peanuts for his position and has no ability to negotiate anything differently for a couple years. While the 49ers get to use that money on other positions, it's so unfair that a douche like Watson can get $230 million guaranteed and suck ass while Brock plays his ass off and is a standup citizen.

personally, i love it when teams i dont root for overpay grossly for low integrity players and do so for long term, franchise crippling contracts.

 

[Sousaclone]

One thing that really sucks is Brock is paid peanuts for his position and has no ability to negotiate anything differently for a couple years. While the 49ers get to use that money on other positions, it's so unfair that a douche like Watson can get $230 million guaranteed and suck ass while Brock plays his ass off and is a standup citizen.

Yep, but I also agree with why he NFL did what they did to rookie contracts in terms of max salary. Hopefully BP can get some more nice easy endorsement deals and cash in.


I saw a headline that stated that one of the reasons so many people are "down" on Purdy is that they are simply jealous. You've got a good system, a good team, a good coach, and a good QB. Through them all together and you get a damn good team. So many other organizations are missing one or more of those aspects.

While from an ego standpoint it would be cool to be the #1 pick in the draft, it also means you are going to a team that sucks. Would be especially rough to be a QB simply due to the amount of pressure that comes in.

 

[Clark]

It’s insane to me that some people were calling for them to trade for Cousins last night. By some people I mean idiot Gottlieb and is trolls.

1.) With Cousins price tag they couldn’t afford half of the excellent cast around Purdy. I realize this is the last year of Cousins’ deal, but if you trade for him what do you do at QB next year? Cause you can’t resign him and keep all these other players.

2.) Cousins has pretty freakin good weapons too (Jefferson, prime Thielen, Addison, Cook before this year, did he play with Diggs?) and still has never won a playoff game, had the 4th-most turnovers of any QB in 2022, has roughly half the TO/turnover ratio that Purdy has, and has a 13-basis point worse QBR than Purdy. Even if you think he’s a better QB than Purdy (which I don’t), he doesn’t objectively manage the game better then Purdy and wouldn’t give SF a better chance to win.

I’ll also say McCaffrey was a huge addition to SF. Huge, no doubt. But Deebo, Kittle, Aiyuk, the OL, Bosa, Greenlaw, etc were all still there with Lance and Jimmy G at the helm. And they were 3-4 before Brock took over. They lost to my freakin Broncos and the Bears for God sakes. So he’s also objectively doing more with almost all the same weapons than other starting QBs have done

Cousins probably is a better QB right now than Purdy is but the difference in their contract values is larger than the difference in their playing ability.

 

[MugNight]

Yep, but I also agree with why he NFL did what they did to rookie contracts in terms of max salary. Hopefully BP can get some more nice easy endorsement deals and cash in.


I saw a headline that stated that one of the reasons so many people are "down" on Purdy is that they are simply jealous. You've got a good system, a good team, a good coach, and a good QB. Through them all together and you get a damn good team. So many other organizations are missing one or more of those aspects.

While from an ego standpoint it would be cool to be the #1 pick in the draft, it also means you are going to a team that sucks. Would be especially rough to be a QB simply due to the amount of pressure that comes in.

I’m generalizing here, but NFL fandom seems to attract some of the worst of the worst. There’s some awful college fans out there, don’t get me wrong. Just seems the NFL touches every corner of society and the loudest are often the most seen.

Whereas college fans have some lens through higher education and some skin in the game with a diploma, NFL teams are open to fans purely seeking entertainment or tribal loyalty to the city/state they live in. It gets to be toxic when things aren’t going well.

 

[Clark]

I understand that Brock has some physical limitations and he is in a great situation, but what he has done it truly remarkable. What QB from 2021, 20222, and 2023 draft classes would you rather have leading your team? Who of those guys have been more successful than Brock?

View attachment 117095

Trevor Lawrence is better than Purdy. A lot better.

 

[Clark]

Herbstreit even made a comment in middle of game when Brock was getting a bit more settled about he’s a good fit running the 9er’s O, but if you put him in another offense we just don’t know how good he’d be. He kind of trailed off.

That’s a great question, but it goes the other way too… would Mahomes make the Texans world beaters? Would Joe Burrow fix the Cardinals? Who knows. But the QB doesn’t win games on his own. It’s always a matter of circumstance. Look at all the talented 1st Rd QBs the past 20 years who ended up in career hell when Cleveland drafted them.

To me, the stats under pressure from last night tell me the story: Brock sees the field exceptionally well and he’s clutch. His best receiver last night was arguably rookie 7th rounder Ronnie Bell.

were we watching the same game? His best receiver last night inarguably was Deebo.

 

[FerShizzle]

Trevor Lawrence is better than Purdy. A lot better.

the jags are better with TL than BCB. 100%. but are the 49ers better with TL? does TL know how to play point guard? no, he doesn't. he is a chucker like James Harden. sorry for all the basketball analogies.

 

[bozclone]

Trevor Lawrence is better than Purdy. A lot better.

That is the one guy for the list that may have an argument. Lawrence is for sure more talented, but I not sure he has played better. Lawrence a much bigger burden with Jacksonville. He also was the number one overall pick in his class. It is interesting to wonder if Lawrence would have the same record as Brock if he was a 49er.