Is Brock Purdy a Dinker and a Dunker?
There's a Civil War going on among 49ers fans, and there are two sides -- people who think Brock Purdy is a dinker and a dunker, and people who don't.
I'm not a 49ers fan, so my opinion might not count. Plus there is no official definition of a dinker and a dunker. It's possible some quarterbacks simply dink while others tend to dunk.
But if there is such as thing a a dinker and a dunker, I'd have to say Purdy is one. Don't get me wrong, he certainly throws good short and intermediate passes, but so did Jimmy Garoppolo, a known dinker and dunker. And Purdy actually has a weaker arm than Garoppolo. And that was before Purdy tore his UCL.
A deep pass for Purdy tends to travel 30 to 35 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. And when he throws deep near the sideline, his receivers usually have to slow down and wait for the pass.
If Purdy isn't a dink and dunker, he could take advantage of Danny Gray, the fastest receiver on the team. Trey Lance has the arm to get the ball to Gray. I'm not sure Purdy does.
Does that mean Lance is better than Purdy? No, of course not. But it does mean Purdy has limitations, like every quarterback.
Purdy had a phenomenal rookie season -- there's no doubt. But he also played for a phenomenal team. How many rookie quarterbacks in the history of the NFL got to play with All Pros at left tackle, wide receiver, tight end and running back, plus the No. 1 defense in the NFL? If Purdy played for any other team last season, we might not even know who he is.
In addition, Purdy took the league by surprise. There was no book and very little film on him when he took over Week 13. Once the playoffs started and defenses improved and game plans became more sophisticated, he came back to Earth.
Purdy wasn't great against the Cowboys in the playoffs -- he survived. And the offense scored just 19 points at home with Christian McCaffrey on the field. The previous year when the 49ers played the Cowboys in the playoffs, the 49ers scored 23 points on the road with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback and no McCaffrey.
And then in the NFC Championship Game, Purdy didn't make it through the first quarter against the the Philadelphia Eagles because he got hit and tore his UCL. You could say it wasn't his fault, but Kyle Shanahan would disagree with you, because after the game he said Purdy should have stepped up in the pocket. Rookie mistake? Flaw in his game? Who knows?
We still have lots to learn about Purdy. In the meantime, it's fair to acknowledge what our eyes can see.
