Getty Brock Purdy on January 22, 2023 in Santa Clara.
Four-time Super Bowl winner Ronnie Lott had some nostalgia in watching the quarterback position for the San Francisco 49ers toward the end of the 2022 season.
In fact, he saw a lot of his former quarterback Joe Montana in “Mr. Irrelevant” Brock Purdy.
“After watching Purdy get to where he got to, it made me realize that that’s the best part of life,” Lott said on KNBR’s “Murph & Mac” on Monday morning, February 6. “When somebody that nobody knows does what he did. He shocked the world and shocked all the 49ers fans. He played like he had some Joe in him.”
Did the 49ers go from “Joe Cool” to “Brock Cool?” That’s still high praise coming from a 49ers legend for the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Of course, 49er fans remember how calm and focused Montana was during his dominating run of the 1980s, when he and Lott helped capture the franchise’s first four Super Bowl titles. And that calmness was on display back in 1990 in the final drive to beat the Cincinnati Bengals for the Super Bowl win.
Lott, though, believes that the 49ers should be blessed to have Purdy on board — giving the iconic safety memories of his former quarterback.
“How blessed were we that some young kid said ‘I’m going to take you to the promised land, I’m going to take you to the championship,'” Lott continued. “There was something that he brought that impacted my life, that made me feel better.”
Surgery Update Comes in Involving Purdy
Purdy’s lone NFL career loss as a starter wasn’t until the NFC Championship game — when he had to leave momentarily due to an elbow injury in the 31-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
And now, Purdy is expected to undergo surgery on his torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow. However, 49ers insider for The Athletic Matt Barrows revealed this update on Monday.
“No surgery yet for 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Per an orthopedic surgeon not involved in this case, the idea is to make sure conditions are as good as possible — no swelling, etc. — before going in and making the repair,” Barrows tweeted.
Going with surgery could delay Purdy’s throwing until around 2023 training camp, as he could face a six-month recovery timetable. Even Montana himself once faced his own elbow injury during the 1991 regular season — which ultimately led to the 49ers going with Steve Young for the remainder of that campaign and all the way through the 1992 season when they went 14-2.
Montana Delivered Telling Comments on 49ers QB Situation
While Lott saw a lot of “Joe Cool” in Purdy, Montana himself chimed in on the 49ers’ 2023 QB situation.
And the legendary quarterback went with this idea: Don’t go with Purdy next season, or even Trey Lance when he’s healthy. His idea in his conversation with Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle?
“I start Jimmy,” Montana said on Silver’s “Open Mike” podcast, referencing unrestricted free agent Jimmy Garoppolo. “He has won a lot of games. I can’t say the same for Trey. You don’t know that from him. I don’t think it’s hard — I think you just start Jimmy.”
Silver himself questioned Montana’s choice by citing the fact Garoppolo is set to be an unrestricted free agent and the 49ers don’t plan to bring him back. Still, Montana fired back with “He still won a lot of games before he got hurt, right?”