Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young hasn’t shied away from praising San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.
The praise continued during Young’s appearance on “The Adam Schefter Podcast” Tuesday. He likened “Mr. Irrelevant” to fictional heroes Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones.
“I’ve said many times, Brock has the force,” he said. “If you love Star Wars, you know what I’m talking about, and like Luke Skywalker, it’s something he has that he can’t explain. And what it is in football terms is, he has the ability to get a football play, have studied and memorized every aspect of it — all of the tendencies of the defense that you’re now going to play — and then can run that play and literally get the most out of it and figure out and decipher through the play who’s going to be the one to get the ball.”
Young considers Purdy to be one of the NFL’s efficiency aficionados “who lead the league in efficiency, that take the play out of the huddle and get every last inch of it.”
While not as mobile as Lamar Jackson, Purdy can keep a play alive with his feet, and he also knows how to efficiently utilize the talents of those around him, Young said.
“Brock does have the ability to extend the play. You’ve seen him do that. It’s not like he can’t do it, so he has that ability,” he said. “But what he has the super power (of) is that he has the most innovative mind in football in (head coach) Kyle Shanahan. He has all this talent around him. Give me the play and in those two seconds, I’m gonna Indiana Jones through it and I’m gonna know where to go and that they’re gonna get the football. And he’s done it over and over. That’s tough to beat, as you’ve seen.”
Why did Steve Young compare Brock Purdy to Indiana Jones?
In Young’s eyes, Purdy’s ability to decipher the play and the defense is what makes him the football world’s Indiana Jones.
“I’ve said this from the beginning, ‘Let Brock cook.’ Get him the play. Kyle (Shanahan), get it to him as quick as you can because this dude is gonna decipher and figure out and unlock and find the Ark of the Covenant, the whatever (thing) Indiana Jones has been looking for. He’ll figure it out. So far, that’s worked.”
What did Steve Young say about criticism of Brock Purdy?
While Purdy may be Luke Skywalker or Indiana Jones, Young pointed out that there’s one fictional hero that he isn’t: Superman.
“When you’re driven by efficiency, you’re not Superman where you can go out there and just spin out, stiff arm two defensive linemen, get out (to) the edge and now throw it across your body 60 yards to a streaking (receiver). If you can’t do that, then you’ve got to continue being efficient and you’ve got to find that kind of efficiency in the game,” he said.
Does Steve Young think the 49ers can win with Brock Purdy?
The former BYU Cougar knows that Purdy isn’t the next Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow because “that’s just a different group of guys.”
But he believes that’s OK.
“Brock Purdy’s the anomaly of today’s game as is Kirk Cousins and other efficiency aficionados, and they’re gonna have to do it with a few more throws, a couple more laps and a little bit more help,” Young said. “But they can get it done.”
If the 49ers beat the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Purdy will face either Mahomes or Jackson in the Super Bowl. While that would be a difficult task, Young thinks Purdy can beat them with his efficiency.
“What detractors are going to say, Adam, is that he doesn’t have all those incredible abilities we’re looking for from the killer of kings,” he said. “He’s going to have to do it in a more efficient way.”
Purdy and the 49ers host the Lions in the NFC Championship Sunday at 4:30 p.m. MST.