Brock Purdy looked good in his first real NFL action against the Miami Dolphins in Week 13 last season. He even looked good in his first start the following week against the Buccaneers. It wasn’t until he went on the road for the first time though that head coach Kyle Shanahan was sold on Mr. Irrelevant as the 49ers’ starting quarterback of the future.
A torn UCL wasn’t the first injury Purdy sustained as the 49ers’ starter. He also injured his ribs in his first start when he led the 49ers to a win over the Buccaneers. The ailment nearly kept him out of a Thursday night game against the Seahawks in Seattle, and he didn’t throw a football until right before the game. His performance in San Francisco’s 21-13, division-clinching win in primetime was everything Shanahan needed to see.
The head coach relayed the story of that Week 15 game to Tim Kawakami in the Athletic:
“That’s when I knew we had a dude,” Shanahan said. “Because of how good he had played I think the two weeks prior. But that game, I think he had broken ribs from a Sunday. That game was Thursday. I remember when he took his shot in pregame warmups he couldn’t throw because it was still hurting in that area. So he’s going into the locker room and I’m sitting in there going over the openers and I still don’t know whether he can throw or not as they’re waiting for (the shot) to kick in. So I’m about to go with Josh Johnson, who’s been here for like a week, or no, two days …
“But Brock’s like, ‘No, I think I can do it.’ And then watching him in that game, knowing how hurt he was and watching how he just managed it on ‘Thursday Night Football,’ and some of the plays he made to move the chains on third-and-1 at the end, scrambling, I knew we had a dude who was made up the right way. Who could handle the pressure and stuff. And we’d seen what he does just as a player in practice and the games. But it was more the make-up. And then just hang with him from then on out. It was proven. He got stronger with it.”
It’s not a surprise that there’s an intangible element to what endeared Purdy to the 49ers players and coaching staff.
His physical tools don’t jump out, but the ability to step into a big moment and play through a fairly significant injury isn’t something every player is built to do.
Combining that intangible element with his undefeated 5-0 record and two playoff wins as a rookie who was the last pick in the draft, it’s easy to see why Shanahan and the 49ers are rolling into 2023 with Purdy leading the way.
