49ers rookie Brock Purdy wears No. 13 in honor of Miami Dolphins Hall of Famer Dan Marino and now the 23-year-old shares an interesting stat with one of the best quarterbacks to ever.
Purdy joins Marino as the only QBs since 1950 with at least two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 100 or higher in each of their first three career starts.
While the 49ers' starting quarterback is focused on the field, he understands that sometimes he has to stop and smell the roses and appreciate being in the same sentence with a player his dad idolized.
“Yeah, I think it’s pretty cool. I’m not big on stats and all that kind of stuff, but when it’s Dan Marino, that’s pretty cool,” Purdy told reporters Thursday.
“My dad grew up a Miami Dolphins fan and we were all Dolphins fans growing up, and I wear 13 because of Dan Marino, so to have that kind of stat, I think it’s pretty cool to take a step back and be thankful and grateful for where you’re at, but again, like I said, I don’t get wrapped up in it. It’s not my driving force or goal to break this record or anything like that. It just happens, but yeah, very thankful.”
The 23-year-old added that growing up, Marino served as his unofficial teacher as Purdy's father often had him study the Dolphins' legendary quarterback through internet videos to pick up his tendencies.
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“My dad would always tell me when he was teaching me how to throw and everything, it was always, ‘Man, you got to have a quick release, like quicker than that,’” Purdy said.
“I’m like, ‘Dad, I don’t know if I can, man.’ He’s like, ‘Marino had a quick release.’ But yeah, there was some film on Marino for sure on YouTube.”
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The 49ers’ quarterback has impressed since taking over the job from Jimmy Garoppolo, who suffered a broken foot against the Miami Dolphins in Week 13.
If Purdy continues at the rate he's been on, he makes a strong case as a candidate to be the starter for the 2023 NFL season.