The ongoing discussion surrounding Brock Purdy’s performance has reached a point where some sports media figures argue he deserves respect comparable to established stars like Patrick Mahomes. Yes, the same Mahomes, who boasts two Super Bowl rings and league MVP trophies, a far cry from Purdy’s current resume.
Tuesday saw Rich Eisen spark debate by downplaying the complexity of the Brock Purdy discussion. Eisen questions why Purdy doesn’t receive Mahomes-level adoration, which is undoubtedly a fair inquiry. However, we can’t seemingly ignore the significant difference in talent, experience, and team infrastructure between the two quarterbacks.
Adding fuel to the Brock Purdy fire, Wednesday’s Get Up saw Jeff Saturday champion a potential Kyle Shanahan-Purdy partnership mirroring the Mahomes-AndyReid success story. Saturday’s belief in Purdy’s potential and fit with Shanahan’s system sparked further discussion and saw Mike Greenberg, Mike Tannenbaum, and Marcus Spears all on the other side of the debate.
“When you think about Brock Purdy, this could be his Patrick Mahomes for Andy Reid,” said Saturday, discussing San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. “I’ll say it this way, he couldn’t get over the hump; Andy Reid, he was 11-13 before Mahomes comes in. Now, Mahomes takes it and elevates this thing.
“So, if they found their guy, I mean, they went all in on him — Shanahan went all in on Purdy. He’s your guy and all of a sudden; you win the Super Bowl; you now become what Andy Reid was six years ago to what Shanahan now is, a Super Bowl champ who has gone twice and with two different teams.”
Tannenbaum, a seasoned NFL executive, expressed surprise at Saturday’s bold comparison, clarifying whether he was genuinely suggesting Purdy could reach Mahomes’ level.
“I just did. I didn’t say as a player, but I said as what could help his coach go from a really good coach to a Hall of Fame coach overnight,” replied Saturday.
Saturday understood that he would be mocked for this argument as his colleagues continued to rain on his nonsensical parade.
He argues that Purdy faces unfair criticism compared to quarterbacks like Joe Burrow due to his lower draft position despite similar performance. Saturday then pointed out that success is biased against late-round picks, suggesting Purdy wouldn’t face scrutiny about “earning” success if drafted higher.
That earned a “That’s insane” from Mike Greenberg.
“Joe Burrow was a first pick in the draft by a team that had the first pick in the draft because they were awful,” added the Get Up host, “and have been awful forever. And Brock Purdy, regardless of where he was drafted, was drafted into a situation on a team that is a well-oiled machine with the best offensive coach.”
Following his comparison of Purdy to Mahomes, Saturday faced challenges from Greenberg and Tannenbaum. They argued that Purdy’s success might not translate if the 49ers are financially constrained and unable to surround him with the same caliber of talent that’s seen him compared to Mahomes in the first place.
“But again, if all you’re doing is comparing him to Patrick Mahomes — nobody meets the standard,” Saturday said. “The standard is Burrow, it’s (Matthew) Stafford, it’s whatever it is. This dude has done it in two years, but we don’t want to give him any credit for the success that he’s had.”
Spears pointed out that Saturday’s graphic literally compared Purdy to Burrow.
Super Bowl Sunday can’t come soon enough.
[Rich Eisen, Awful Announcing on X]
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.