Is Brock Purdy the Leader of the 49ers Offense?
Brock Purdy is a Pro Bowl quarterback and an MVP candidate, but is he the leader of the 49ers offense?
Most of the time a team has a Pro Bowl quarterback, that player is the leader of the team, or at least the offense. Patrick Mahomes is the Chiefs' leader, no question. Josh Allen is the Bills' leader, no question. Lamar Jackson is the Ravens' leader, no question.
There is a question about Purdy.
And it's not about his ability to lead. He clearly is a natural leader. He holds himself and his teammates to the highest standards. Calls himself out after bad performances and calls out his teammates in the huddle when they're not paying attention, like when he was a rookie and he told George Kittle to shut up. That was leadership.
And when Purdy blamed himself for the Super Bowl loss even though he didn't have to and wasn't at fault, that was leadership.
Purdy is exactly the leader the 49ers' offense needs because he's humble, honest and accountable. But he's not the leader of the offense.
Kyle Shanahan is the leader, and he always will be the leader until he lets go and empowers his Pro Bowl quarterback to take over and be the man. Shanahan won't even let Purdy call audibles or change protections at the line of scrimmage. As opposed to Andy Reid, who lets Mahomes call plays when he wants to.
The Chiefs are Mahomes' team, while the 49ers still are Shanahan's team. He won't win a Super Bowl until it's Purdy's team.
