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The San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy-Sam Darnold mutual admiration society was on full display this week ahead of the season finale against the Rams, which will feature Darnold getting his first start of the season as the team has chosen to rest Purdy ahead of the playoffs. Purdy has earned it—not only is he an MVP candidate but he also was a Pro Bowl selection here in his second NFL season.
But Purdy knows that Week 18 is all about Darnold and, speaking to reporters this week, he expressed gratitude for the way that Darnold has boosted him throughout the year, helping him learn the ins and outs of studying opponents and seeing the game in a wider perspective.
“Obviously, he has been a guy who has been here in this league for, I think it’s his sixth year now,” Purdy said at his weekly press conference. “Just the process, the routine, how to study, what he’s seeing with concepts and how he’s ran things before. He’s been able to pour into me and help me out with that. … He brings up these little things that are huge for me as a quarterback.”
“Obviously on the sideline and stuff, he’s bringing up just good things, tendencies that he’s seen on film that they could possibly do during the game and to not forget about. So, he’s done a tremendous job. He’s a very selfless guy. He puts the team first. He’s for the room, not just about himself or anything like that. The dude is for the room and for this organization, so very thankful to have him.”
Brock Purdy: ‘It’s Been Sweet’
Of course, one reason that Darnold signed with the 49ers in the offseason was that there was still quite a bit of uncertainty in San Francisco around the question of what Brock Purdy, starting quarterback, would look like. Purdy had suffered an elbow injury that required surgery in the NFC championship game last January, and had only five regular-season starts to his credit. But Purdy came back this year and earned MVP consideration.
He had Sam Darnold—along with quarterbacks coach Brian Griese and third-stringer Brandon Allen—helping him all the way. That includes during games.
“The quarterbacks we’re all sitting next to each other and after Griese is sort of done talking, Sam and Brandon will chime in with what they’re seeing just with everything and sort of the mindset and stuff,” Purdy said. “They’re real about what’s going on, what the situation is and where I should be. Again, they remind me of things with what I can do because they’ve played the position. They’ve been in those moments.
“So it’s been sweet having them with me and continue to go with them.”
Sam Darnold’s 49ers Performance Could Boost Free Agency
There is no doubt that Darnold, at age 26 and now having been bounced through three organizations in his short NFL tenure, still wants to be a starting quarterback. It’s not going to happen in San Francisco, not as long as a guy named Brock Purdy is around.
But again, Week 18 vs. the Rams is the Sam Darnold show, and should go a long way toward determining how much of a chance he gets elsewhere next season. Even if it winds up being as a backup, Darnold says he has learned a lot from serving that role for Purdy.
“Brock is, just in terms of his process, what he does to get ready for the game, he studies a ton and he’s very meticulous about that,” Darnold said. “And just the way he goes about reading the defense, he does exactly how he’s coached. … He stays within himself better than any quarterback I’ve been around in terms of just taking what the defense gives him and obviously there’s a time and place to be aggressive and try to make throws, but I think he’s very poised in certain situations to be able to just check the ball down and live to fight another day.”
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