Even though Brock Purdy nearly led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl title and was a top-five finisher for MVP last season, some members of the NFL still have some pretty clear doubts.
ESPN dropped its annual ranking of the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL on Monday, compiled by polling nearly 80 NFL executives, coaches and scouts. Purdy did not make the top 10, ending up as the first of six quarterbacks listed in the “honorable mentions” section.
In the short snippet about Purdy, one anonymous NFC executive noted just how hard it was to “keep him out of the top 10. He willed that team to the Super Bowl. Only right to give him serious consideration.”
Another anonymous NFC executive, however, found it rather easy: “You’re not going to win because of him in most cases,” the anonymous NFC executive said. “He’s a really good system quarterback.”
The “system quarterback” description isn’t new for Purdy (or past 49ers quarterbacks) and has been parroted by plenty of people on television, podcasts and columns galore.
Purdy’s teammates have even subverted the language to praise him after the NFC title game, and former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith made a similar point in the past.
But in a results-based league, it’s hard to argue with the numbers Purdy has put up so far. In the regular season, the 49ers have gone 17-4 in games Purdy started, and he led the NFL in passer rating (113.0) and several other passing categories.
He’s also been under center for four playoff wins already – double the amount of the quarterback who was ranked No.10 in ESPN’s list, Dak Prescott.
That postseason record is why extremely well-known Cowboys fan Skip Bayless said Purdy should be ahead of Prescott on Monday’s episode of “Undisputed.”
“Right here, right now, I will take Brock Purdy and Jordan Love over Dak Prescott.”
“When it’s time to make the throw that wins the game, I’ll take Brock Purdy,” Bayless said. “I’ve seen too much Dak.”
Purdy’s latest “Prove the Doubters Wrong” campaign begins next week — Niners rookies report to training camp on Tuesday, with Purdy and the rest of the veterans joining them a week later on July 23.
