How Brock Purdy Can Improve
Brock Purdy already has established himself as a Pro Bowl quarterback just two seasons into his career, and he still can improve, although maybe not as a passer.
If anything, Purdy could regress a bit as a passer, or his statistics could. Because frankly it would be hard for them to get much better than they've been the past two seasons. He led the NFL in passer rating and yards per pass attempt in 2023.
But Purdy also threw lots of passes that nearly got intercepted by opposing defenses but were dropped. Which means he has been exceptionally good AND exceptionally lucky. Eventually, his luck will even out, and defenses most likely will hold onto the interceptions he serves up. Remember -- he's a gunslinger, not a game manager. He likes to take risks. It's part of who he is as a quarterback.
But even if Purdy throws more interceptions next season, he still could improve his overall game.
Purdy is an exceptional scrambler who doesn't scramble nearly enough. He could be so much more dangerous if he would stop trying to be Joe Montana and embrace his inner Steve Young.
One of the only reasons the 49ers survived the NFC Championship Game against the Lions was because Purdy scrambled five times for 48 yards. Then in the Super Bowl, he scrambled only three times for 12 yards while Mahomes ran nine times for 66 yards, and that was a big difference in the outcome of the game.
During the playoffs, Purdy averaged 5.3 yards per carry, which shows how dangerous he can be with his legs if he uses them. During the regular season, he ran only 2.4 times per game. He should double that in 2024.
Use your legs, Brock.
