49ers QB Brock Purdy Sheds Light on his Mindset/Emotional State With his Injury
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The elbow injury that Brock Purdy sustained in the NFC Championship game was the first of his career.
Purdy had always been upright throughout his college career and never had to endure a significant injury like he did in that game. Since it was all new to him going through the missed time, rehab, and recovery process, it could have generated an overwhelming situation for him.
Given that he knows the 49ers would have had a chance at winning if he had not sustained an injury, it can only add to the stress on his shoulders. After 49ers open OTAs on May 23, Purdy shed a light on his mindset and emotional state with his injury.
“For me, I knew everything was going to work out how it needed to. In the moment, it was, alright, what do I have to do next? What's the surgery look like and when is that going to be? That's just what I was more focused on. Not, what is my future going to consist of or anything like that. I'm at peace with whatever happens, God-willing, and everything falls into place where it needs to, so yeah, I wasn't trying to focus too far into the future with anything like that.”
One of the best traits, if not the best, that Purdy put on display in his eight games starting for the 49ers was his mental toughness. He had to face so many intensely pressurized games and situations that no one would have blamed him, a third-string backup quarterback, if he faltered and failed. Yet, he didn't come close to that. Rather he thrived in those moments and was in control. That is what Purdy is showcasing yet again as he works his way back from his first significant injury.
"It's just been sort of new to me. It's my first time going through a rehab from a surgery. It's the offseason, so it was fine doing the workouts and everything, getting back into it, but then once you see guys starting to practice and you watch, it's like man, you want to be out there. That's just the competitive side of it, but I'm still able to watch the film, be in the meetings, learn and grow and see what I did last year and learn from the good and the bad, so I’m still taking a lot of good things out of the offseason.”
The 49ers remain adamant that Purdy is their starting quarterback as soon as he is healthy. Trey Lance and Sam Darnold in the meantime will be looking to put the pressure on the 49ers to steer the starting reigns toward them. But the mental fortitude shows some of why the 49ers are okay with Purdy being named the starter despite missing a chunk of practices. He's set to begin throwing in the first week of June, so he might end up making a quarterback competition moot.
