The 49ers Want More Credit

The 49ers want more credit.

They're unanimously considered the best team in the league. They're the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl. They have stars all over their roster and in their coaching staff. They're on national television all the time. And their quarterback, Brock Purdy, is the highest-rated quarterback in the NFL, and is a good bet to win the MVP Award.

And yet, the 49ers still feel they don't get the respect they deserve. Purdy is the source of the disrespect.

He's their quarterback, their leader, and they feel he still doesn't get the flowers he deserves even though he probably will win the MVP.

"I don't get why people say he's a system quarterback," Trent Williams said after the 49ers beat the Seahawks by 12 this past Sunday. "No system quarterback makes tight-window throws. He's throwing people open, putting the ball into a window and trusting his receiver to get there, you know, layering balls over linebackers who are in good position and still getting the ball over their head, getting it to the playmakers. You watch a lot of his throws, the accuracy gives the guys a chance to run after the catch. I don't think he gets enough credit for that. I know obviously with him being Mr. Irrelevant, everybody is slow to give him his flowers just because of where he was drafted. If he was Zach Wilson, I think he'd probably be the unanimous MVP and the next coming of of Aaron Rodgers."

Williams makes some good points, but his quote illuminates the 49ers' mindset as a team -- they've obsessed with credit. They want the media to call them the best. They want validation. They've wanted this for years.

The only way for them to get the validation they crave is to win the Super Bowl. They can do that in two months. If they win it, they'll get all the credit they've ever dreamed of.

Be patient, Trent, and finish the job.