One Way Brock Purdy Improves the 49ers Over Jimmy Garoppolo
It is the Brock Purdy show now for the San Francisco 49ers.
From "Mr. Irrelevant" to becoming extremely relevant, Purdy takes over for the injured Jimmy Garoppolo who is out for the season. This is going to be an extremely tough task for Purdy who was a borderline undrafted free agent and bonafied backup.
However, Purdy demonstrated tremendous grit in his relief of Garoppolo against the Dolphins. That is a game in which Miami should have taken advantage of a backup quarterback coming in, yet Purdy operated like a solid starter. It was incredibly shocking and impressive to see out of him. In fact, Purdy displayed a performance that gave the offense a different dynamic than with Garoppolo.
One way that Purdy improves the 49ers over Garoppolo is with his mobility.
Purdy was met with immense pressure countless times against the Dolphins. He should have been taken down for more sacks, but not only did he not take the loss, he spun some of those near sacks into completions or salvaged downs. You would have sworn he was a grizzled veteran who knew how to operate under pressure. Purdy was able to elude defenders by escaping the pocket or simply moving away just enough to buy himself time. It is clear that Purdy has a knack for feeling pressure and how to manage in those moments.
Garoppolo doesn't have that as a strength versus Purdy, which can do wonders for the offense. Suddenly, the scramble drill in the passing game becomes a thing that they can utilize. But players with similar mobility as Purdy don't always thrive in that situation. Becoming timid and skittish tends to be the case. Purdy did not come close to demonstrating that. That is a testament to the confidence and mental strength of his, which is also an improvement over Garoppolo.
"I like when a play is there that guys aren't scared to make it," said Kyle Shanahan. "They don't hesitate, they don't take a second look at it They let it rip and they worry about it after. A lot of guys who just guess do that too, but Brock has been very good with it. He can explain what he sees and that's why we got a lot of confidence in him.”
Now, Purdy played admirably against the Dolphins, and backups have been able to play well when they're thrown into the fire before. But if Purdy maintains his confidence and poise, then the 49ers could have a legitimate shot at keeping the offense afloat here.
"He has a savviness to him," said Kyle Juszczyk after the win over Miami. "He has an understanding, he has a confidence to him. I thought he did a really good job today in the huddle. Just commanding everyone's respect and getting the plays in and out, delivering some confident passes out there."
Even if Purdy wavers, he will have the leaders on the team such as Juszczyk there to pick him back up. Performance on the field is not the only thing that is going to be demanded more of from the leaders on the offense -- it is their voice. They have to be able to get Purdy in a strong state of mind if he falls off or they will definitely have no shot. Right now, it doesn't sound like the 49ers will have that issue with Purdy as he operates with strong fearlessness.
"Man, just like throwing fear out the window and just going and play," said Purdy. "Like, I don't know if I would've ever had an opportunity again to play in the NFL, you know, depending on how it goes. So, it's like you go out there, you prepare as best as you can, you get better every single day at practice. And once you get your opportunity, man, it's what are you going to do with it?"
Purdy is about show us the rest of the way what he will do with it as he has a chance to be viewed as a renowned figure.
