Brock Purdy refuses to address whether he’s a playmakerquot; Posted on December 15, 2023 at 12:03 pm The MVP candidate is 49ers
quarterback Brock Purdy, who finally established a position his team couldn’t quite figure out. Some also continue to label him “game master”. The questions grew this week when former NFL quarterback and 2015 league MVP Cam Newton used the name for Purdy and other current players, including Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Lions quarterback Jared Goff and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Purdy was asked Thursday at his press conference on Wednesday if he considers himself a player. “I don’t know,” Purdy said. “I don’t want to comment on that. Like I said, I’m playing quarterback, trying to win games and we’ll see at the end of it all. The term “playmaker” diminishes the quarterback’s contribution to his team’s success. This suggests that he is not doing anything special to advance the effort. That the rest of the team carries him, not the other way around. That the goal of the quarterback is not just to screw things up. That’s an inaccurate label to attach to any of the quarterbacks Newton listed. A better term for someone like Purdy is “system quarterback.” It’s not an insult. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has developed a system that, when executed correctly, leads to wins. And Purdy can do it as well, if not better, than any quarterback the 49ers have had since Shanahan took over as head coach in early 2017. Shanahan designs plays that are hard to stop. He then uses his success in the running game to cut the defense hot on the heels of the passing game. A pair of top weapons like running back Christian McCaffrey and receiver Deebo Samuel, who can each complete the short pass and RAC for first downs and touchdowns, have helped. Purdy makes the system work, just like other great quarterbacks in the past. Joe Montana? System quarterback. He made the attack as planned and called in Bill Walsh. When a quarterback uses the all-star system as intended, the quarterback produces passing yards, wins and eventually championships. Will Purdy have to make a big pitch in a big place someday? Jimmy Garoppolo had that chance in Super Bowl LIV when the Chiefs came back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take the lead. But Garoppolo dropped Emmanuel Sanders’ kick for what could have been the game-winning touchdown. The truth about the 49ers is that if the core players stay healthy, Purdy may never need a big throw in a big spot. The 49ers are so much better than everyone else right now that Purdy just needs to keep doing what he’s doing. Just because he makes it look easy doesn’t mean it is. If it had, the 49ers would have won a Super Bowl or two under Shanahan. As for Newton, it’s understandable that he feels a little bitter and neglected. Even in a year that featured more than fifty different starting quarterbacks, with both the Browns and Vikings using four this weekend, Newton didn’t get a single call. So no, Purdy is not a playmaker. Neither did Tua, Goff or Prescott. (Goff is honestly the closest to the four.) But Purdy is the system’s quarterback, and he runs a complex and efficient system to perfection. If it leads to a goal the 49ers haven’t accomplished in nearly 30 years, there’s only one sign that matters. Super Bowl Champion. On the way home
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