Ahead of the 49ers' Super Bowl LVIII matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium, NFL Pro Bowl quarterback Brock Purdy continues to receive the “game manager” tag and other harsh criticism.
The latest to enter the scene and address the hype? San Francisco legend and Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana.
On Friday's episode of “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN, The four-time Vince Lombardi Trophy winner offered an interesting analysis of Purdy's role with the 49ers.
“The thing I see [with Purdy] “That's something I discovered early in my career — what crime is about,” Montana told McAfee. “It wasn't about me. It was about getting the ball to the people who knew what to do with it because I was the mailman — [the football] It doesn't belong to me — I want to give it to someone who knows how to run, who knows how to hunt.
“We had, especially late in my career, guys like Jerry Rice, John Taylor, Brent Jones [and] Roger Craig – All you have to do is get the ball to them. If you look at the weapons Brock uses, he discovered that crime. He understands what his position is. He's not trying to make a big play. He knows when that opportunity will come and when he needs to do it, but in most cases, he's okay with throwing the ball. “I have a good defense too,” and that's what we had, pretty much the same thing.
“[Purdy] Understands [his role]It's quiet [the pocket]. He has a great presence and doesn't try to knock you out with the football. “He's got a great, catchable ball.”
Montana credits Purdy for understanding his responsibilities within coach Kyle Shanahan's dominant, star-studded offense.
The 67-year-old even sees glimpses of himself in the young Iowa product, as Montana has been surrounded by talent like Rice and Taylor, who he mentioned, similar to how Purdy turned to stars like Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle.
However, Montana offered an interesting take on the overall success of the 49ers offense, describing Purdy's importance at the position.
“[Purdy] “He hasn't had the opportunity to work with other receivers and I think that's not a negative on him, but people haven't seen him do it yet,” Montana explained. “There was clearly some reason why the 49ers selected him [with the] Last check in [2022 NFL Draft]The things they saw on the tape.
“I don't think it would matter who's there. Now, [Purdy’s] Lucky he has some good players who can give him the ball and go the distance, and there's nothing wrong with that. Everyone had those in their life. So I don't think twice about it. “It's a plus for him.”
If anyone knows what it takes to lead San Francisco to glory, it's Montana, where the former quarterback remains the 49ers' all-time leader in passing yards (35,124), passing touchdowns (244) and completions (2,929).
Purdy, who has thrown for 5,654 yards and 44 touchdowns over his first two seasons, has a long way to go to reach No. 16 in the San Francisco record books.
But the second-year signal-caller continues to impress, proudly leading the 49ers to their eighth Super Bowl appearance.
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