Brock Purdy refuses to address whether he’s 49ers’ “game manager”
MVP contender Brock Purdy of the 49ers has emerged as a quarterback who has finally fixed the one position his club couldn’t quite figure out. Additionally, some people still refer to him as a “game manager.”
This week, the concerns became more intense when Purdy and other current starters—Dak Prescott of the Cowboys, Jared Goff of the Lions, and Tua Tagovailoa of the Dolphins—were compared to former NFL quarterback and 2015 league MVP Cam Newton.
During his midweek press conference on Thursday, Purdy was asked if he views himself as a game manager.
“I’m not sure,” Purdy replied. “I’d prefer not to address that. As I already stated, I’m attempting to win games while playing quarterback, and in the end, we’ll see.
The phrase “game manager” downplays the importance of a quarterback to the accomplishments of his squad. It implies that he isn’t making any unique contributions to the endeavor. that rather than him carrying the squad, it is the other way around. that the quarterback’s main objective is to just avoid making mistakes.
To apply that classification to any of the quarterbacks Newton mentioned would be incorrect. A better description for a somebody such as Purdy would be “system quarterback.” That is not derogatory. When implemented correctly, the system that 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has created will produce victories. And since Shanahan took over as head coach in early 2017, Purdy has directed the 49ers’ offense just as well as, if not better than, any quarterback the team has had on staff.
Run plays that are difficult to stop are created by Shanahan. Then, he takes advantage of the running game’s effectiveness to exploit a defense that is closing in on the passing game. A few elite weapons, like as receiver Deebo Samuel and running back Christian McCaffrey, who can both take a short pass and RAC their way to first downs and scores, are helpful.
Like like great quarterbacks in the past, Purdy is making that system work. Joe Montana? quarterback for the system. Bill Walsh, the offensive mastermind, called and developed the offense, and he executed it. The quarterback produces passing yards, victories, and eventually championships when he or she executes a fantastic system as designed.
Will Purdy have to make a huge throw in a big situation at some point? In Super Bowl LIV, Jimmy Garoppolo was given that chance as the Chiefs overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to seize the lead. But Garoppolo squandered Emmanuel Sanders’s opportunity for what would have been the game-winning touchdown.
The 49ers are such that a huge throw in a crucial spot from Purdy might never be necessary if the core players stay healthy. The 49ers are currently superior to all other teams, so Purdy just needs to keep doing what he’s doing. Even while he gives the impression that it’s simple, it’s not. Had that been the case, Shanahan’s 49ers would have been crowned champions by now.
Regarding Newton, it makes sense that he feels a little resentful and abandoned. Newton hasn’t received a single call in a season that has seen well over fifty different starting quarterbacks, with the Browns and Vikings utilizing four different quarterbacks apiece as of this past Saturday.
Purdy isn’t a game manager, then. Neither are Prescott, Goff, or Tua. (To be honest, Goff is the member of the foursome closest to that word.) However, Purdy is a system quarterback who is expertly managing a sophisticated and successful system. There will only be one title that matters if it leads to the 49ers’ first goal in almost 30 years.
