By Lorenzo J Reyna
Brock Purdy still hears the 鈥済ame manager鈥 and 鈥渟ystem quarterback鈥 labels attached to him. There鈥檚 a population of fans and analysts believing Purdy is a product of what Kyle Shanahan created. Arik Armstead begs to differ, however.
Armstead moved away from the Bay Area to join the Jacksonville Jaguars last season. But he still thinks highly of his old quarterback. To the point he revealed how Purdy himself changed the complexion of the 49ers offense 鈥 not walk into a system already in place.
The interior defensive lineman broke down Purdy鈥檚 impact on Fox Sports 1鈥檚 First Things First.
鈥淚鈥檒l tell you this. I talked to a lot of the receivers at the time, [Brandon] Aiyuk, Deebo [Samuel]. Like what鈥檚 the difference because I felt like in 2023 that was the best offense we鈥檝e had during my entire tenure of that time. When I talked to the receivers the major difference on how Brock changed our team was the receivers felt like they could get the ball on any play,鈥 Armstead said.
Arik Armstead further explains Brock Purdy impact on 49ers
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Sounds like Armstead himself believed Purdy was more efficient than predecessor Jimmy Garoppolo. Or even the original 2022 starter Trey Lance before sustaining a broken ankle. Armstead dove further into the reasoning.
鈥淚t switched from 鈥極K I鈥檓 out of the progression, I鈥檓 just doing a run off route鈥 to 鈥業 better run my best route regardless of the play because Purdy may just throw it to me and I feel like I鈥檓 better than the DB covering me and he gives me the opportunity,’鈥 Armstead shared.
He concluded with 鈥渢he receivers love that and you can see how our offense took off that year.鈥
Purdy delivered a Pro Bowl campaign in that 鈥23 campaign. He fired 31 touchdowns and racked up 4,280 yards. Purdy ended the season taking the 49ers back to the Super Bowl 鈥 only to fall to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime.
Purdy鈥檚 numbers dropped to 3,864 yards with 20 touchdowns last year, as he played in 15 games. Armstead is an ex-teammate backing Purdy amid the criticism, though.
The QB gained another backer inside the locker room. Trent Williams delivered a high hopes guarantee for Purdy on June 10. Shanahan expects Purdy to become a stronger leader for 2025, especially following Purdy鈥檚 mega $265 million deal.