The San Francisco 49ers had a joint practice with the Tennessee Titans on Tuesday, and quarterback Brock Purdy put on a show. He looked to be in midseason form as he reportedly completed 21 of his 27 passes while adding five touchdown passes in red-zone drills.
Even the Titans commentators in attendance were impressed, as Buck Reising said the following about Purdy:
Brock Purdy threw 4 incompletions today. [The quarterback] had 5 touchdowns in 15 minutes in the red zone against the Titans defense... Purdy was cooking and all their wide receivers are cooked. They got nobody out there.
Reising hit the nail on the head. The Iowa product was doing what he does best, all with third- and fourth-stringers. He was completing passes to guys like tight end Luke Farrell, which further serves the argument that he does not necessarily need all of his stars to be successful.
Even the notoriously tough-to-please head coach Kyle Shanahan was impressed with Purdy’s performance. He said to the media after the practice:
Usually Brock’s a really good player, so I expect him to have good plays. I notice all the bad plays. And I didn’t notice any bad plays today, so I think he had a hell of a day.
Yet, it’s important to remember that he did this against the Titans.
The 49ers have still yet to be truly tested
Granted, it’s a Robert Saleh-coached defense, but it’s just his first year with the team, and he does not have the strongest personnel at his disposal.
Saleh proved last season that he can still make the most out of a defense that is lacking in the talent department, but it will take time for him to fully implement what he wants to do with his new team.
Purdy carved up the Titans last season as well, so it shouldn’t come as a shock that he did so again, albeit in a practice this time.
Even though he carved up a lesser team, it’s still encouraging and is preferable to the alternative. Plus, given the fact Purdy probably won’t play in the preseason, these will be arguably his most important reps prior to the start of the regular season.
If he is looking good now, especially with a lot of his key targets out, it bodes well for September when he has a real shot to silence the critics once and for all. If anything, fans will take this as a sign of more things to come in the near future.
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