San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is off to an historic start to his career. Deemed Mr. Irrelevant as the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the former Iowa State star has won each of his first nine regular-season starts in the NFL.
Despite Purdy’s success, there has been a narrative pushed around league circles that he’s simply a product of 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan’s system.
Shanahan pushed back against that during a Q&A with reporters ahead of San Francisco’s big Week 5 outing against the Dallas Cowboys. He’s not having any of it.
“That’s pretty ridiculous. You just got to watch the tape. I mean, he plays at a high level every time he’s been out there,” Shanahan said of Brock Purdy. “He’s done it in a lot of different situations versus a lot of different defenses. On the road. At home. In playoff games. When injured. He’s been out there too long. It’s on tape.”
There is a lot to unpack here. But it should be a common held belief that every successful quarterback is a product of his offensive system. Joe Montana with Bill Walsh. Tom Brady with Josh McDaniels. Drew Brees with Sean Payton. The list goes on.
Now, it’s way too early to compare Purdy to any of those all-time greats. But the narrative surrounding him seems to be more about the youngster being the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft than anything else.
Related: Brock Purdy’s standing among the NFL’s 32 starting QBs
Brock Purdy’s success and the San Francisco 49ers’ offense
It must be noted that Purdy came into a perfect situation when he replaced an injured Jimmy Garoppolo back in Week 13 against the Miami Dolphins last season.
San Francisco has one of the best left tackles in modern NFL history, Trent Williams. It boasts a potential NFL MVP in running back Christian McCaffrey. Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are likely a top-five wide receiver tandem in the NFL. Tight end George Kittle is one of the three-best all-around tight ends in the NFL. Add in Shanahan’s repuation as a savant on offense, and that’s magnified further.
Even then, you can’t discount what Purdy has done early in his career and simply consider him a product of Shanahan’s offense.
He heads into Week 5 completing 72% of his passes for 1,019 yards with six total touchdowns and zero interceptions. Purdy leads the NFL with a 115.1 QB rating and is averaging 12.6 yards per completion. Since taking over as the 49ers’ starter as a rookie last season, his numbers are otherworldly.
- Brock Purdy career stats: 69% completion, 2,393 yards, 21 total TD, 4 INT, 110.4 QB rating
This represents the best start to a career for a quarterback in modern NFL history. Add in the fact that San Francisco is 9-0 during the regular season while averaging 32.6 points per game, and maybe it’s time to end this narrative.
Purdy will certainly be tested come Sunday night against a Dallas Cowboys defense that has yielded two passing touchdowns compared to seven interceptions to opposing quarterbacks in four games this season. If he shows out on national television, the league will have to take note. If he turns into a pumpkin, we can revisit this.