10 February 2024 , 23:08
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Brock Purdy has the opportunity to silence all of his critics by winning the Super Bowl on Sunday, according to San Francisco 49ers icon Dennis Brown.
The young quarterback has already produced one of the most inspiring stories in NFL history, after becoming franchise starter for the Niners despite being 'Mr. Irrelevant' in 2022. Purdy started his rookie season as a third-string quarterback, but after both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo suffered season-ending injuries, head coach Kyle Shanahan had no choice but to give the kid a chance.
And the rest as they say is history, as Purdy led the Niners to the NFC Championship without losing a game and the organization have put their faith in him ever since. This season he's gone one step further, and could win the Super Bowl for the Niners and end their 29-year wait for success.
Although his story has been extremely positive, there are still some critics that doubt whether he is the finished article, speculating that the Niners offense is so good that any quarterback would have an easy ride. But Brown, who was on the last Niners roster to win the Super Bowl, believes that Purdy can silence any haters forever if he wins on Sunday.
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Brown spoke exclusively to Mirror Sport in Las Vegas, and when asked if Purdy winning the Super Bowl would be one of the greatest achievements in NFL history he said: "It would have to be, right? When I came out in 1990, there was actually 12 rounds in the draft. But any player that is the last player picked an NFL draft, they call it 'Mr. Irrelevant' for a reason because that guy is not expected to make a football team.
"You're expected to be on a team for training camp and maybe a practice squad guy, but you're not expected to have the historical season that Brock Purdy's had. You look at his numbers, I mean, he surpassed some of the greatest quarterbacks, period.
"Joe Montana, Steve Young, he surpassed them as far as passing yardage, completions, and quarterback ratings. So he's had a historical season, and it's not supposed to be what it is, but it is. When I look at the list of guys that he surpassed as far as quarterback ratings and passing yards and all this stuff, it's amazing."
Purdy is 21-5 in his NFL career despite being drafted dead last (Getty Images)Purdy has shown he's very humble, and isn't affected by the negative comments that are sometimes aimed in his direction. But Brown is positive that only good feedback will follow for the remainder of his career if the Niners beat the Kansas City Chiefs.
"So I think if he goes on and he wins this Super Bowl, all the negativity's gonna stop. You will have to say he's a good quarterback. I've already come to the point where I've said he's a good quarterback and he proves it week in, in week out," Brown added.
"I'm impressed by him. And I think in the media, we've been waiting for Brock Purdy to kind of fall off a cliff. I remember those three games in the middle of this season where they lost three games in a row. It was like, 'Okay, there it is. That's Brock Purdy, that's what we're gonna get.' But he bounces back after a bye-week and plays fantastic, has a perfect game. He's checked every box now."