Brock Purdy's First Start vs. Buccaneers was "Good Foreshadowing"

Brock Purdy's impressive performance against the Buccaneers last season was a glimpse into the player that he would become.

Brock Purdy has officially played 17 games throughout his career. 

A full regular season is now under his belt. Everything will come full circle for him as he leads the 49ers to face the team that he made his debut start against in the Buccaneers. Quite the journey that Purdy has been on through 17 games. 

While it is still early to determine if he is a franchise or elite guy, it is as clear as day that he is a good quarterback that optimizes the 49ers offense. It's something that I never would've imagined with him going into his debut start last year. But Purdy's first start vs. the Buccaneers was "pretty good foreshadowing" as Kyle Shanahan would say. 

Shanahan was asked Wednesday what he recalls learning about Purdy from his first career start.

"Just to be thrown in there, some stuff not go perfect and just to watch him not get rattled throughout it," said Shanahan. "He had a big mess up on that first play of the game and took a pretty big shot for it and got the personal foul. So it was a very strategic explosive by him. But, the way he bounced back from that. 

"I think it was the next drive or maybe a couple plays later, that he broke his rib and no one had any idea until the next morning. Not that he was hiding it, he just didn't think it was broke. So just the guy to be under duress like that and his first time really with us in a full game and the way he played and I think it was pretty good foreshadowing on how he's handled everything for the next 16 games.” 

Purdy has more than validated Shanahan in his decision by making him the starter for 2023. His impressive run from last season is more real than fluke with how he is practically replicating it into this season. Everything hasn't been clean and there has definitely been some atrocious play from Purdy this year, but overall he's been excellent. 

This Sunday against the Buccaneers will be a great measuring stick to compare how he looked in his first start to his 18th start.