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Brock Purdy still hears the “game manager” and “system quarterback” labels attached to him. There’s a population of fans and analysts believing Purdy is a product of what Kyle Shanahan created. Arik Armstead begs to differ, however.
Armstead moved away from the Bay Area to join the Jacksonville Jaguars last season. But he still thinks highly of his old quarterback. To the point he revealed how Purdy himself changed the complexion of the 49ers offense — not walk into a system already in place.
The interior defensive lineman broke down Purdy’s impact on Fox Sports 1’s First Things First.
“I’ll tell you this. I talked to a lot of the receivers at the time, [Brandon] Aiyuk, Deebo [Samuel]. Like what’s the difference because I felt like in 2023 that was the best offense we’ve had during my entire tenure of that time. When I talked to the receivers the major difference on how Brock changed our team was the receivers felt like they could get the ball on any play,” Armstead said.
Sounds like Armstead himself believed Purdy was more efficient than predecessor Jimmy Garoppolo. Or even the original 2022 starter Trey Lance before sustaining a broken ankle. Armstead dove further into the reasoning.
“It switched from ‘OK I’m out of the progression, I’m just doing a run off route’ to ‘I better run my best route regardless of the play because Purdy may just throw it to me and I feel like I’m better than the DB covering me and he gives me the opportunity,'” Armstead shared.
He concluded with “the receivers love that and you can see how our offense took off that year.”
Purdy delivered a Pro Bowl campaign in that ’23 campaign. He fired 31 touchdowns and racked up 4,280 yards. Purdy ended the season taking the 49ers back to the Super Bowl — only to fall to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime.
Purdy’s numbers dropped to 3,864 yards with 20 touchdowns last year, as he played in 15 games. Armstead is an ex-teammate backing Purdy amid the criticism, though.
The QB gained another backer inside the locker room. Trent Williams delivered a high hopes guarantee for Purdy on June 10. Shanahan expects Purdy to become a stronger leader for 2025, especially following Purdy’s mega $265 million deal.
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