49ers Talk hosts Carlos Ramirez and Matt Maiocco debate if quarterback Brock Purdy is good enough to lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl.
Rookie Brock Purdy is the 49ers' unquestioned starting quarterback after Jimmy Garoppolo broke his foot in San Francisco's 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Levi's Stadium.
As such, Jerry Rice outlines what the 49ers must do to help the 22-year-old get into the best position to lead San Francisco to the playoffs and beyond, with the main thing being that the team needs to "rally" around Purdy.
"Simplify the game for that guy," Rice said on 95.7 The Game's "The Morning Roast" show. "That's going to be up to those receivers like I said, to defeat one-on-one coverage, get open so [Purdy] doesn't have to hold on to the ball."
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Rice adds that he thinks Purdy can lead the 49ers to the ultimate goal of winning a championship. However, it has to be a team effort to keep Purdy from being overwhelmed by the situation.
"But it's going to take a big effort from the defense and all his teammates to just rally around him, simplify the game and just make it easy for him," Rice continued.
The 49ers legend also recalled that every time he played with a new quarterback, all his tendencies and routines would change to suit that particular player better to ensure they would be successful on the field.
"So I would rally around their strengths and just try to make them better, and I think that's what basically the receivers are going to do, the running backs are going to do, the offensive line," Rice said. "They're going to rally around Brock and just make him better."
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By all accounts, Purdy's play against the Dolphins went just as well -- if not better -- than what was expected of him at that juncture.
Purdy became the first "Mr. Irrelevant" to throw a touchdown pass in NFL history. The rookie completed 22 of 37 pass attempts for 210 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against Miami.
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A perfectionist, Purdy looks to improve in any way he can as the 49ers take on Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Levi's Stadium.
If Rice's words are anything to go by, the 49ers are already working on making the game as easy as possible for the rookie as he prepares for his first career start against one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
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