Brock Purdy put up outstanding numbers in his first go-round as the San Francisco 49ers’ starting quarterback last season, yet many pundits refuse to acknowledge that he’s one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL.
But those who have played with or against him know the real deal and have sung his praises.
Niners tight end George Kittle is among those going to bat for Purdy with some meaningful words in defense of his quarterback.
“If he was like a top-20 pick, first-round pick, he wouldn’t be a punching bag to anybody,” Kittle said on “Up & Adams.” “… Just watch the tape. He’s obviously better than what you guys are saying that he is. … His confidence shows that he knows that he’s better than what all the media says.”
How personally does #49ers TE George Kittle take it when his QB Brock Purdy gets criticized constantly?
Kittle: “If he was like a TOP 20 pick in the first round, he wouldn’t be a punching bag to anybody… he knows he’s better than what the media says.”@gkittle46 @heykayadams… pic.twitter.com/2Yk118vFMK
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) August 16, 2024
In the 2023 campaign, Purdy threw for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns while completing 69.4 percent of his pass attempts, and he ranked fifth in passing yards, fourth in completion percentage and third in passing touchdowns.
He also led the entire NFL in passer rating (113.0), QBR (72.8), passing touchdown percentage (7.0) and yards per pass attempt (9.6).
Of course, Purdy was the last player chosen in the 2022 NFL Draft, a status that likely has colored the opinions of some of those so-called experts who act like he’s, at best, slightly above average and slam him with labels such as “system QB” and “game manager.”
Some of those critics also complained that Purdy hadn’t shown he could carry the Niners to victory after trailing, but he did just that in the divisional round of the playoffs against the Green Bay Packers and repeated the act in the NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions.
With a full offseason dedicated to his craft rather than injury rehab, which is how he spent the prior offseason, he could be even better this season.
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