Brock Purdy has a Chance to be Heroic and Create Controversy for the 49ers
Things can never align for the San Francisco 49ers.
Losing Trey Lance at the beginning of the season was a sting, but the season wasn't over for them with Jimmy Garoppolo as the backup. The 49ers have been on a heater riding a five-game winning streak with the offense playing sufficient and the defense suffocating the opposition.
Well, now Garoppolo is out for seven to eight weeks, which puts Brock Purdy as the starting quarterback the rest of the way. Third-string quarterbacks steering a playoff team rarely works out. The light at the end of the tunnel for the 49ers this season was dimmed. However, Purdy showed signs of being capable against the Dolphins.
If he can sustain that level of play the rest of the way, then he has a chance to be heroic AND create controversy for the 49ers.
How Purdy can be heroic is if the drop-off from Garoppolo to him is small. A tall task to ask of any seventh-round rookie, but he gets some leeway if the drop-off isn't too significant. That is the first step toward him becoming heroic. Purdy can accomplish that by not having too many turnovers and being the perfect game manager. But ultimately, so long as he isn't turning the ball over, he will be fine.
Having a performances like that will shed him in a positive light. Where he can cement himself as heroic is if he can help the 49ers win a playoff game. Kyle Shanahan will be viewed as a legend for winning a game with a third-string quarterback, but if Purdy plays a part in winning that game, a couple touchdowns and no picks, then the guy will be looked as a hero. The season could've easily derailed, but his heroic efforts played a role in keeping the 49ers alive.
And if he does end up becoming heroic, then the 49ers will have a controversy on their hands. All of a sudden there will be questions as to who is really the starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers. There will be debates and conversations that will be endless in the offseason. Purdy, having played well, will look like a sufficient starter, while Lance returns from a significant injury. Then there is the question on Garoppolo returning or not and other options out there that the 49ers could explore.
It seems like every offseason that the quarterback position is a talking point for the 49ers that elevates itself. But that is only if Purdy plays well the rest of the regular season AND plays a part in a playoff win for the 49ers. That will make him be viewed as a heroic and create a wonder with Lance. It also wouldn't be surprising if Purdy just plays well enough in the regular season to create just enough of a quarterback controversy.
The 49ers will surely want Purdy to play well and ideally ascend as the games go on, but doing so will ensure that the offseason will not be short of topics to discuss. And the off chance that Purdy does end up going far with the 49ers, you just have to wonder if Lance has a future in San Francisco.
