Is Brock Purdy just a system quarterback?

Intro Intro Calling someone   a “system quarterback” is one of the best ways to  discount their achievements. It can work in just   about every situation–technically speaking,  every quarterback lives within an offensive   system or scheme–and until that guy is forced  to play on a different team with a different   group of guys, it won’t ever be proven. Brock Purdy might be our best current example   of the “system QB” label. Last season, he  threw for a nearly 70% completion rate,   over 4,000 yards, 31 touchdowns, and led the  league in passer rating. On paper, he was one   of the best quarterbacks in the league. And yet, PFF ranked him as the 13th best player   at the position, in a tier called  “the melting pot of starters.”   PFF knew it was a slightly hot take for the  quarterback that played in last year’s Super Bowl,   starting off the blurb by saying they’re “fairly  comfortable” with where they placed him.   But I also get it. The Niners have been  loaded with talent the past couple years,   and - this is just my bias - Purdy doesn’t  necessarily look like a top-of-the-line   QB or have the biggest arm. But there are aspects of his game that   are undeniable, like his fantastic sense  of anticipation especially when throwing   to the middle. Just check out this pass  against the Dallas Cowboys in week 5.   Before the snap, tight end Charlie Woerner’s  motion helps push the leverage of the linebackers   away from where the pass is going. With Micah  Parsons on the edge likely to pass rush,   and two DBs on the same side for the 2 receivers,  this means that either Leighton Vander Esch or   Malik Hooker will need to cover McCaffrey’s  route coming out of the backfield.   We see Vander Esch have to declare where he’s  going because he’s already been pushed away   from McCaffrey’s side, as the other backers vacate  the middle of the field. Simultaneously, Brandon   Aiyuk and Ray-Ray McCloud run nice routes that  cross each other to trick Aiyuk’s matchup.   And then just check out when Purdy is throwing  this. The ball is coming out right as both Aiyuk   and McCaffrey are making their breaks in opposite  directions. It’s a super confident pass that gives   his receiver room to catch the ball and avoid  a big hit from the safety crashing down.   [WK 5 - 35:18] Still, it can be easy to see   this and write it off as his being in one of the  best situations in the league. Would he really   be doing this if he was on a more mediocre team?  Is Brock Purdy really just a system quarterback?   Becoming relevant Becoming relevant (picture heavy?) If there’s any testament to how good Purdy’s been   in his first two years, it’s that his being the  last overall pick in the 2022 draft gets mentioned   less and less when he’s brought up. After his first start or two, I remember my   dad texting me something along the lines of “You  seen this Brock guy? He’s Purdy good!” I said,   “Very clever, dad,” and went on believing  it was a fun story but that it would   all fall apart sooner or later. But then he kept winning and winning all   the way to the NFC Championship before getting  knocked out of the game with a torn UCL.   And in this most recent year, he  proved to all of us–and especially   the Eagles–that his rookie year was no fluke. Through the first 3 quarters of the season, he was   receiving legitimate MVP buzz and was a favorite  to win the award after Week 15. Everything   was going great for him until a big flock of  Ravens shit on his head on Christmas Day.   He gifted Baltimore 4 interceptions that night in  what would be the worst game of his career so far,   as he watched Lamar Jackson go onto  secure the MVP vote from him.   Now, if you ask me, really only 1 of those  interceptions was totally his fault–and we’ll   look closer at it a little later. Still, Purdy was quickly shoved back from   potentially receiving the “elite” label. And maybe  he really was just a “system quarterback.” An   extremely high level system quarterback,  but a system quarterback nonetheless.   Just a system QB? Just a system QB? You don’t need to go   too deep to convince people he was in one of the  best quarterback situations in the league.   Running back Christian McCaffrey, fullback Kyle  Juszczyk, tight end George Kittle, and left tackle   Trent Williams all received All Pro honors this  past season. That’s nearly an entire offense of   All Stars. And even the guys who weren’t getting  formally recognized were still producing at a high   level: whether it was Aiyuk who had his second  1,000 yard receiving season in a row, or Deebo   Samuel who’s dynamism cannot be overstated. In fact, there was a bit of a Deebo narrative   that was going around later in the year, where  some wondered if he was really the spoon that   stirred the drink. Purdy and the 49ers were 0-3  when Samuel played 15% or less of the offensive   snaps last year and 12-1 with him. And if you wanted to discount Purdy in   a more nuanced but related way, you could  point to how great he was off Play Action   last year. PFF graded him as the 3rd best  quarterback in the league off this play type,   and his completion rate was 12.5% higher off these  passes–good for the second highest completion rate   difference in the league. With 23% of his  dropbacks coming off of play action, you   could argue that a good chunk of his numbers were  bolstered by San Fran’s top 5 running game.   Check out this play against the Buccaneers in  Week 11, where we can see how San Francisco   leverages their good running game  for easy passes and tons of YAC.   Head Coach Kyle Shanahan is perhaps most known  for his zone-blocking run scheme. Simply put,   zone-blocking refers to the linemen blocking  defenders who come into their assigned areas   as opposed to having blocking matchups like  in a power scheme. One of the key indicators   of zone-blocking is when all of the linemen  take a step in the same direction in unison   as they move to plug up their areas. We see that here. That first step, along with   Purdy turning his back and the field position,  all help pull the Bucs defenders towards the line   while Kittle sneaks out the side door. He finds  wide open space and Purdy can make the easy dump   off and pick up 20 passing yards. [WK 11 - 39:30]   And while I do think his numbers get a  little inflated by these types of plays,   it’s also really difficult to win as consistently  as he and the 49ers have. Getting to an NFC   Championship or Super Bowl is tough no matter  who you are and what the team looks like.   Former Niners receiver Emmanuel Sanders recently  shared a conversation he had with Deebo on why   people are sleeping on Purdy as a top level  quarterback. He said, “Man, you should see him in   the huddle. He comes in the huddle, he plays with  a certain confidence, he comes in, he believes,   he makes other guys believe.” Unfortunately, there’s no metric for “belief.” But   let’s take a closer look at what Purdy does that  might make his team believe in him, as well as   parts of his game that prevent him from being in  that top, top echelon of quarterbacks right now.   Film study Film Study One thing you can’t   escape in Purdy’s tape is just how much he loves  throwing the ball to the middle part of the field.   If I was his wife, I’d be a little jealous. Over 40% of his passes came in the short and   intermediate middle parts of the field. And on a  good majority of these throws, Purdy displays an   extremely high level of anticipation and rhythm.  It’s the most special thing about him.   Here’s an example against Tampa Bay  that looks somewhat similar to that play   against Dallas I showed earlier. Purdy will get this one to Samuel,   who has linebacker Devin White matched  up on him. With Samuel’s quickness,   everyone in the stadium knows this is gonna  be a tough cover for the backer.   White tries to keep with Samuel and uses  his body to try and leverage Samuel out of   the middle of the field, but one quick move gets  him cutting across the linebacker’s face.   Again, Purdy throws this early, right as Samuel  is making his move, giving his receiver space to   catch the ball and come down with it to  avoid the defenders pursuing him in the   middle of the field. [WK 11 - 6:19]   You see these throws from him constantly.  It got to the point where I almost got bored   watching his film because over and over  again, he’d make this anticipatory pass   to the middle for 10 to 20 yards. But I think some of his reliance on this   pass can be taken advantage of by  talented and savvy defenses.   He can be a bit robotic in his throws and has yet  to really learn how to use his eyes to manipulate   defenses. Knowing where he typically wants to go  with the ball, DBs can watch his eyes and make   breaks on passes for turnover opportunities. Here’s that interception I referenced against   the Ravens, which came on SF’s  first drive of the game.   The Ravens will play quarters coverage, meaning  their 4 DBs will be responsible for a quarter   of the field, with 3 intermediate  defenders to protect the middle.   Purdy wants to get this ball to Samuel who is  running a rounded post into the middle of the   end zone. He takes the snap and gives a glance  to the right side of the field and sees safety   Kyle Hamilton take a step that way. Because the cornerback starts to take the   zig route from Juzyzcyk, I think Purdy is trusting  that Hamilton will be forced to move down and over   to defend Kittle’s out route. Only, the Ravens  defenders pass off the receivers in their zones,   and because Kittle’s route is shallow, Hamilton  suddenly becomes unconcerned with it.   Check out the moment he realizes this and then  gets his eyes on Purdy. He sees Purdy take his   hand off the ball, so he locates the receiver  coming towards where he’s looking, and jumps in   front of it for the clean pick. [WK 16 - 4:54]   Every so often you’d catch Purdy forcing passes  to where they seemed to be schemed to go without   necessarily considering what the defense was  doing. Right now, it feels like he’s using   his eyes to identify stuff for himself rather than  also as a tool to keep passing lanes open.   I think this will be the next big step  he’ll need to take in his development to   get into that next tier of quarterback. The last point I wanted to make on Purdy was   that I think he’s got a solid pocket presence.  He can navigate traffic nicely to get throws off,   like he does here in the Super Bowl to get a deep  ball off to Samuel. While it falls incomplete,   I thought it was a great example of how he can  make subtle movements to give himself time for   options downfield to open up. [SB - 16:07]   Along with that, he also seems to have a good  sense of when to take off and scramble for a   couple yards. It’s a solid combo to have a  guy that can push the ball downfield with   anticipation as well as pick up a few yards  with his legs when things aren’t there.   [WK 11 - 21:30] I was a little concerned   with how he seemed to step away from the  pressure as he passed when it engulfed   him. I thought I’d see more times where this  affected his accuracy–and it might’ve just   been the games I watched–but I rarely saw  it leading to an off-target pass.   [SB - 14:08] Personally, I’d like to see him take this   tendency out of his game to feel even better about  his consistency as a passer, but I also get that   he’s protecting himself and making it work. Putting money where their mouth is   The Niners seem to really like Purdy and  believe he is their guy to finally get   over the hump and win a championship. After next year, we may see just how much   Conclusion they really value him since he’ll be  eligible for a contract extension. Do   they view him as a fundamental part  of what makes the whole system go,   or do they view him as a cog within it all? . I think it’s essentially a done deal that Purdy   gets extended, but he likely won’t be setting  the new record for quarterback contracts. Still,   it’ll probably be nice to get compensation  that’s more in line with what he’s produced   as opposed to the less than $1m he’s  getting paid per year right now.   Conclusion Brock Purdy is really good.   He can make the throws, stay calm  in the pocket, and has been praised   throughout his 2 years for his leadership  and ability to make guys “believe.”   But I don’t think it’s unfair to wonder how  good he might be on another team with lesser   players and worse coaching. He isn’t  using his eyes at a high level,   and he can force throws that aren’t there. And  while every quarterback gets some help from   the run game and play action, I do think some of  those MVP caliber numbers were slightly inflated   by San Francisco’s talent and scheme. Still, “system quarterback” feels like a dig to   him, just for the connotation it brings. I don’t  know if this is any better, but I at least feel   better saying that Purdy can give a team a very  high floor but that he may not necessarily raise   that team’s ceiling on his own. Had he been in Desmond Ridder’s shoes in Atlanta   last year, I think that team would have won the  NFC South. But had he been in Carolina, I think   that team would’ve still come in last place. But I also don’t think Purdy is a finished   product. He’ll turn 25 in his 3rd NFL  season this year and it’s only the 2nd   one where he’ll be the full-time starter  throughout the entire process.   So, yeah, Purdy might technically be propped  up by the Niners’ system and that ranking of   13th may be closer to the truth than a ranking  of, say, 5th. But that’s only for the right now.   Keep an eye on Purdy this next season–he may  just surprise you with how good he can get.