Colin Cowherd hates backwards baseball caps. He particularly hates them on NFL quarterbacks, carrying a deep-seated loathing that dates back to at least 2011 and perhaps even earlier.
So when 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy showed up to a press conference on Wednesday wearing his cap in a fashion that some people (like Cowherd) would frown upon, the long-time FOX Sports analyst lost his marbles.
Cowherd started by comparing Purdy to his perceived golden standard of "podium quarterbacks," Eagles' Jalen Hurts. In one clip showed on The Herd, Hurts wore a front-facing cap as he fielded questions from reporters and had what Cowherd described as a “professional” and “manicured” demeanor. Cowherd emphasized, “I like my quarterbacks to be adults. I don’t want them to be frat boys.”
He then segues into who he deemed was an unseemly example of podium quarterbacks, Brock Purdy. Right off the bat, Cowherd did a mocking impression of Purdy as what one could assume to be, well, a frat boy.
“He’s got a hat on backwards. He’s not a franchise quarterback… Maybe I’m overstating it, he’s probably a nice kid. His dad needs to call him and say, ‘Turn that thing around.’”
So Brock Purdy wore a backwards hat...@ColinCowherd, care to chime in? pic.twitter.com/V8IyL4OVAd
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) November 30, 2023
Purdy, the 262nd pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has faced criticism for most of his career over whether he’s a true franchise quarterback or just a product of Kyle Shanahan’s system. Judging his talents based on one individual fashion choice feels like a stretch, to say the least. Purdy still lives with a roommate and drives a Toyota, as he’s making just $870,000 in base salary this season in the second year of his rookie deal. If anything, “Mr. Irrelevant” would appear to possess several qualities that make him a natural leader, no matter which way he wears his cap.
The 49ers will play the Eagles at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday in what should be a thrilling NFC showdown between two strikingly different “podium quarterbacks."
