San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has been consistently described as “a game manager” by analysts and pundits leading up to Super Bowl LVIII. One of the top quarterbacks in the game, Cincinnati Bengals starter, Joe Burrow, had some thoughts on that label.
In an interview with Robin Lundberg, Burrow said that Purdy needs to be a game manager at least in order to keep the offense functional. But he also praised Purdy’s ability to make plays with his legs outside the pocket. He believes that a simple look at the tape will show that he plays the game at a high level.
“You better be a game manager as a quarterback otherwise it’s gonna go haywire immediately and you’re not gonna be able to operate the offense. And then, you know, Brock has made tons of player with his legs outside the structure of the offense. So all you gotta do is watch the tape and you see that Brock is playing at a high level,” Burrow said.
If Purdy truly is just a “game manager” then he’s doing a better job at it than most.
This past season he completed 69.4-percent of his passes for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. That’s a lot better than some numbers put up by other “game manager” quarterbacks who have gone on to enjoy Super Bowl glory.
Purdy proved that he was good enough to avoid losing the 49ers a game in the playoffs. But will he be able to do enough to overcome the reigning Super Bowl champions?
Joe Burrow to me on Brock Purdy:
“You better be a game manager” pic.twitter.com/dzglKYEplW— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) February 9, 2024