San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and Kyle Juszczyk. Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
San Francisco 49ers eight-time Pro Bowler Kyle Juszczyk has a theory on why the media gives quarterback Brock Purdy a lot of unwarranted criticism.
Despite leading the NFL in passer rating, finishing as a runner-up in MVP voting and leading the Niners to a Super Bowl appearance in his first full season as starter, Purdy doesn't seem to get the credit he deserves. In fact, many in the media give the 24-year-old quarterback the dreaded "game manager" label and point towards his loaded supporting cast as a reason for his success.
Juszczyk, who says he's "impressed" with Purdy's leadership at a young age, speculates that the media's perception of the third-year quarterback has to do with the fact that he was the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.
"I wish I knew the reason - I can only speculate - but I think it's so unfortunate because the guy's done nothing but perform and put up incredible numbers and win so many games," says Juszczyk, who is speaking on behalf of his partnership with Purina Treats in a one-on-one interview to RG.org.
"I speculate that it's because he's the last pick in the draft. He's not this big six-foot-four quarterback. He's not Lamar Jackson in the run game, where he's electrifying. But he just goes out there and plays incredible football. Very clean, fundamental and just continues to win."
The Niners obviously have a loaded offensive supporting cast surrounding Purdy outside of Juszczyk, who is widely regarded as the best fullback in the league. San Francisco also employs Christian McCaffrey - the league's best back - along with five-time Pro Bowler George Kittle, former Pro Bowler Deebo Samuel, and All-Pro selection Brandon Aiyuk.
However, it's no coincidence that Purdy lit up the stat sheet in his first full season as starter, breaking the franchise's single-season record for passing yards (4,280) along with posting 31 touchdowns and 13.9 yards per pass completion. He led the league in yards per completion and ranked third in touchdowns. Purdy was named as the NFC's starting quarterback in the Pro Bowl Games for his outstanding season.
Juszczyk cannot say enough about Purdy's leadership and growth during the offseason. It's worth noting that Purdy entered last offseason still recovering from a complete tear of his UCL in the NFC Championship Game at the conclusion of the 2022 season. In other words, this is Purdy's first full offseason and training camp healthy as the starting quarterback
Purdy's growth and development leads Juszczyk to believe that the young quarterback will be even better this season.
"I've just been so impressed with what a leader he is," says Juszczyk. “I think that's been a big development in the offseason is the leadership of Brock. Guys have so much respect for what he's done. On the field, he's had so much success. But the way he carries himself, he commands respect.
He does such a good job of stepping into the huddle and commanding respect from the veterans. I've been impressed with just the way he's handled the entire offseason. I think you're going to see an even better Brock Purdy this season."
Although Purdy will enter only his second full season as the starting quarterback, he'll be expected to lead the Niners to a Super Bowl victory. The franchise has come close in recent years, but they've lost to the Kansas City Chiefs twice in the Super Bowl in recent years. Anything less than leading San Francisco to their first Super Bowl win in 30 years will be considered a disappointment.
The Niners not only held a lead in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVIII over the Kansas City Chiefs, they also led 22-19 in overtime. However, a 75-yard drive punctuated by Patrick Mahomes' game-winning touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman gave the Chiefs their second victory over the Niners in the Super Bowl in the past five seasons.
"Sometimes things just don't bounce your way," Juszczyk explains of the Niners' Super Bowl losses. “Sometimes you can play really well and the other team just finds a way to be a little better in that right situation.
Football is such a situational game, you flip just one tiny little situation - we had these guys on fourth-and-1 - we could win the game right there. I don't buy into this theory that we can't win the big one. We've played in a lot of big games - win-or-go home games - and we've won those games. I have all of the confidence in the world that when we get another shot at it, we'll be ready to go."
The Niners will need Purdy to be as good as he was last season, and potentially even better, as San Francisco looks to complete their objective of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
"I hope he can really garner that respect from everyone, because he truly does deserve it," says Juszczyk of Purdy. "The great thing about him is it doesn't really seem to faze him. Despite what people say, it doesn't change the way that the guy works, the way the guy performs. Regardless of how people view him, he's going to continue to do what he does."
DJ Siddiqi is a sports reporter who focuses on football, basketball and pro wrestling. He has covered some of the biggest sporting events, including the NBA Finals and Wrestlemania and often interviews high-profile athletes on a weekly basis. Siddiqi has interviewed the likes of Dan Marino, Emmitt Smith, Shaquille O'Neal, Tony Hawk and Giannis Antetokounmpo. His previous experience includes working as a lead NBA writer at CBS Sports and 247 Sports in addition to working as a beat reporter covering the NFL and the Denver Broncos at Bleacher Report. Follow Siddiqi for exclusive one-on-one interviews and analysis on key topics in sports
