There are a ton of critiques for 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Some of them are valid. Others less so.
One common thought on San Francisco’s QB is that he only thrives within the confines of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense. The idea being that he doesn’t have to make any real decisions because Shanahan is doing it all for him. It’s considered a ‘point and shoot’ offense.
The problem with that is that Purdy’s ability to maneuver in the pocket and extend plays became one of the keys to the 49ers’ offensive success. He created a slew of first downs and touchdowns from plays that might have been sacks with previous 49ers signal callers.
The team after Tuesday’s practice posted a highlight video from the day’s session that showed off Purdy’s movement skills and how they can benefit the offense.
Heating up at #49ersCamp 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EDjFttLjJB
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) July 30, 2024
Purdy steps up past pressure coming from his blind side, and then extends the play that same direction before flipping his hips and throwing a strike to a wide open Christian McCaffrey. In a game scenario the 49ers star running back is probably taking it for a touchdown.
The highlight also exposes the error of another Purdy critique. One of the knocks on him is that he often throws to wide open receivers. This is true in some cases. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is awesome at getting open and Shanahan’s scheme gets receivers running free with pretty good frequency. However, Purdy also gets to hit open receivers at times because he’s created the opening by moving around, extending plays and changing throwing lanes.
San Francisco’s QB is always going to have an easier time than other signal callers because of Shanahan and the weapons, but Purdy elevates the offense because of plays like this one Tuesday in camp.
