Former NFL MVP quarterback Cam Newton could not resist delivering his opinions on 49ers star Brock Purdy, contributing again to a thriving cottage industry of pundits who have voiced their thoughts on the young signal-caller.
Speaking on his “4th & 1 Podcast,” Newton laid out his reasoning for why he still considers Purdy a game manager and not a game changer -- for a third time.
“I’ve never said Brock Purdy was trash; what I did say is that Brock Purdy is a game manager.” Newton said. “That’s not hate, that’s just what I feel to be facts. But I still reserve the right to say this: to be labeled a game changer, Brock Purdy has to be the best player on the offensive side of the ball. And that’s not the case.”
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When asked who the best offensive player on the 49ers was, Newton unequivocally said it was running back Christian McCaffrey. He then continued to make his case that when factoring in all of the talent on the 49ers defense, Purdy is only the 10th-best player on the team.
“Man, look, I ain’t recanting s--t, and if you really want to just be honest, if you add in the defensive talent, and you add in the offensive talent, Brock Purdy is the 10th-best player on this team," Newton said. "Ok cool, did he have a great game? Yes! Has he been playing out of his mind? Yes! Is he a quarterback that’s hot? Yes! But he’s still the 10th-best player on his team.”
Ever since Purdy burst onto the scene last season, there has been a seemingly never-ending stream of doubters and critics of the young QB, who believe the only reason for his success is due to the talented offensive playmakers around him and coach Kyle Shanahan’s play-calling genius.
San Francisco 49ers
Purdy has had a lot of supporters from the likes of teammate Fred Warner, to Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, to NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger, but it seems that for every supporter, there are at least two detractors.
Even though Purdy made many of his critics eat their words as he led the 49ers to an NFC Championship Game victory with plenty of clutch plays, the level of criticism will only increase from here.
There will be even more scrutiny on the young quarterback now heading into the Super Bowl with San Francisco taking on the Kansas City Chiefs and their QB Patrick Mahomes, who is regarded by many as the NFL’s best at that position.