Why Shanahan is enamored with 49ers QB Purdy’s aggressiveness originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Brock Purdy’s first-quarter touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk in San Francisco’s 34-3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars may have temporarily landed him in hot water with his head coach, but that’s not stopping Kyle Shanahan from heaping praise on his young quarterback’s willingness to take those kind of chances.
During a recent appearance on KNBR’s “Tolbert and Copes” show, Shanahan had glowing remarks for Purdy’s aggressive mindset that has been present from the moment he stepped into the starting quarterback role.
“I want a guy who gives us a chance to win the game, not a guy who’s hoping everyone else wins it for him,” Shanahan proclaimed. “That’s where you want it to start. I am not worried at all about Brock [Purdy] not being that guy. Brock makes plays; he lets it rip. He’s done that since the first game he got in [against] Miami [Dolphins] halfway through, and he’s done it every game since. Brock, we have zero concerns about that. Brock, sometimes, if we’re down and stuff, he’s not going to take what’s given because he’s going to do whatever he can to make plays to get us back in.”
Shanahan also shared his fondness for Purdy’s ability to be coached up following a risky pass attempt while lightheartedly providing some details about their back-and-forth following the touchdown pass to Aiyuk in Jacksonville.
“He’s everything you want in that aspect, but what’s cool about Brock is he does see things,” Shanahan shared. “He has that poise. He can talk to you when he comes to the sidelines. He knows when it’s a bad play too. That one wasn’t as much as it’s kind of there. It’s like, what the hell are you doing? That isn’t there. We are the luckiest people ever, and that’s, to me, what was a little bit bothersome about it. He doesn’t have too many of those, but he makes a lot that are kind of there and he doesn’t sit there and think about it at all.
“He doesn’t hesitate. He will let it rip, and we expect that from him because he’s so consistent with it. That one was just a little bit different. But like I said to him after I got all my words out of the way, I said, ‘Oh, and by the way. Thank you very much for the touchdown,’ we love touchdowns. That’s great; if I was a fan, I’d buy his jersey after the play. But you just know that isn’t going to last too long if you do too many of those, and he doesn’t do too many.”
Purdy has been among the best quarterbacks in the league this season when it comes to pushing the ball downfield, recording 1,286 yards, 10 touchdowns, and four interceptions with a 69 percent completion percentage on balls that travel 10 or more yards in the air, per Pro Football Focus.
Taking that even further, Purdy has excelled when throwing 20-plus yards downfield, averaging 18.9 yards on 30 such attempts this season while posting an impressive six-to-one touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Purdy’s 66 percent completion percentage on these 20-plus yard throws leads all qualified quarterbacks, with Pro Football Focus tagging Purdy with just two turnover-worthy plays on those 30 attempts.
This downfield efficiency was on full display in the 49ers’ win over Jacksonville, with Purdy delivering a dart from a collapsing pocket that hit George Kittle in stride for a 66-yard touchdown, the longest touchdown pass of the young quarterback’s career.
With impressive throws like this becoming commonplace for Purdy, it’s easy to see why Shanahan has become enamored with his quarterback’s gun-slinger mentality.