What Steelers HC Mike Tomlin had to say About Brock Purdy, 49ers Offense

It's almost time for the 49ers to kick the season off against the Steelers.

This matchup is certainly going to be a battle for the 49ers, especially since they are the visiting team. San Francisco is currently the betting favorite, and rightfully so. Still, they must not overlook the Steelers one bit. They've always been a team who gives their opponents fits.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is certainly doing his utmost to get his team ready and locked in against a valiant opponent. On Tuesday, Tomlin spoke to the media where he was asked about defending Brock Purdy since the film on him is limited.

"It is less specifically about Brock Purdy and is more about how Kyle Shanahan chooses to utilize his quarterback within the schematics of what it is that he does," said Tomlin. "And so, whether it's Purdy or (Sam) Darnold or (Jimmy) Garoppolo or anyone that you know, Matt Ryan, or his days in Cleveland, we just see very similar things in terms of their approach to football."

Coach Tomlin addresses the media ahead of our Week 1 game against the 49ers. @PNCBank

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Basically, Tomlin isn't worried about Purdy, so much as he is looking at the offense as a whole. In a way, he's also saying that Purdy isn't anything special and that it is Shanahan who uplifts his quarterback by making them look better than what they are. It's tough to deny that since Shanahan has made plenty of quarterbacks in his offense look better. That's been the reason the 49ers haven't had stability at the position. He loves to go with the more polished guy than to have the patience for one to grow.

Ultimately, it's been getting the job done in a sense that the 49ers are always one of the best teams in the league since 2019. So long as they have a quarterback who is at least average with the ability to have higher moments at times, they will be an offense that defenses struggle against. Purdy, like the most of the players on offense, are just a piece of the machine that is Shanahan's offense.

"It's very quarterback friendly," said Tomlin of the 49ers offense. "It doesn't put them in a lot of adverse circumstances. It keeps them on schedule. And in doing so it minimizes the potential for negativity. It's a great platform particularly for a young guy to play and gain experience and I think it's reflective of Purdy's journey a year ago and their collective journey a year ago. But I imagine his growth and development in that experience has him and them ready to take another step just like we are with our young quarterback."

All Purdy, and any 49ers quarterback under Shanahan, needs to do is protect the football. That has always been the case since 2017. The rest tends to take care of itself, but there is a wild card here and that is Purdy's elbow. It's yet to be seen how he will look in a full game while taking hits. If he's handling it with zero issues, then the offense will be perfectly fine. But if he isn't, things will start to look bleak for the 49ers. This will soon all be revealed.