Ever since he assumed the starting quarterback gig for San Francisco, many have limited Brock Purdy to the archetype of “game manager.” Considering how much control coach Kyle Shanahan desires over his offense, why would Purdy be the transcendent quarterback to break the model?
The former seventh-round pick has been boosted by an all-world supporting cast of Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, and Shanahan’s brain.
McCaffrey and Samuel are known for their dynamic ability to turn short and intermediate throws into big gains, a game plan the team often relies upon when both are healthy. With McCaffrey yet to play a snap this year and Samuel in and out of the lineup, Purdy has instead taken the offense by the scruff.
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Per ESPN’s Ben Solak, only 25% of Purdy’s passing yards this season come from yards after the catch (YAC). The lowest YAC percentage for a full season since 2000 is 29.8%.
Purdy ranks third in the NFL for the young season in yards per game with 282.5; quite simply, the uber-athletic and now deep-throw specialist should be considered one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Purdy completed 15 of 27 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown in a routine 30-13 home victory over the New England Patriots last Sunday, highlighted by a pair of deep completions to Samuel and emerging star Jauan Jennings. Shanahan was effusive in his praise for his 24-year-old signal caller.
“We caught them in quarters a couple times on both those plays and their safeties were down tight and that’s where the ball has got to go,” Shanahan said postgame. “And Brock [Purdy] made two good throws and both the guys came down with the play.”
Purdy’s success going deep shouldn’t come as a surprise to hawk-eyed followers of the NFL. Purdy ranked first in the PFF passer grade for pass attempts of 20+ yards last season, also leading the league in both deep touchdowns and completion rate.
Purdy explained how he’s ready to react to what the defense gives him: “That’s the case for every game is we’re ready for if they present a certain coverage, then we have a shot or an opportunity ready and we’ve just got to execute and capitalize on them.”
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“For this game, there [were] a couple plays where their safeties were low and when we had guys going deep with Deebo [Samuel] and J.J. [WR Jauan Jennings],” he continued. “For me, we talked about it on the sideline and I was sort of aggressive to seeing that and let it rip and trust those guys to get under it and make plays and that’s what they did.”
“It was nice to be able to connect on those deeper routes and stuff like that and put that on tape and give us all some confidence moving forward with the deep ball.”
Jennings has been a particular surprise for the 49ers offense. The 27-year-old blocking specialist exploded for 175 yards in Week 3 against Arizona and currently ranks fifth in the NFL in receiving yards. “I think Jauan was born this confident,” Shanahan said. “He’s always like that… and I think that’s one of his best assets. He’s a very talented player, but Jauan never feels he can be denied. That’s why he’s been so important to us over the years.”
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