Brock Purdy dazzled in the 49ers' 38-13 win Sunday over the Arizona Cardinals, and coach Kyle Shanahan believes part of the rookie's success is a direct result of his attention to detail when evaluating his own performances.
On Monday, the head coach spoke to local media via conference call and shared how the 23-year old has a good record of trying not to make the same mistake twice on the field.
“He has done pretty good at that so far,” Shanahan said. “He’s hard on himself. Usually, he knows what he has done right or wrong before you even get to him.”
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After Sunday’s game at Levi's Stadium, Shanahan jokingly shared Purdy likely knew one of his mistakes “as soon as he was on the ground and I was yelling in his ear.”
With just over four minutes left in the first quarter of the game, Purdy was in shotgun formation for a third-and-12 situation. Shortly after the snap, the rookie was flushed out of the pocket and attempted to allude Cardinals linebacker Isaiah Simmons in the backfield.
Instead of throwing the ball away, Purdy was sacked for a 17-yard loss and the 49ers were forced to punt.
“Just watching the film last night on that, Simmons has a pretty good [40-yard dash], and he creeped up on [Purdy] pretty fast rolling to the left,” Shanahan said. “So, I think he was well aware that he shouldn’t be taking a sack there, but it wasn’t the easiest situation either for him with him chasing him down, running to the left right there.”
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The coach understood Purdy might not have been able to convert while under close pursuit, but putting the team in a better yardage situation for a punt is something the young quarterback needs to keep in mind.
Shanahan, however, does not need to worry, as Purdy might be his own harshest critic. After the game, the signal-caller shared that he knows developing as an NFL quarterback is a constant work in progress, and while pitching a perfect game is the goal, it is impossible.
“I feel like we made some plays early on,” Purdy said. “But then, also, there were some drives where we’ve got to be better. That starts with myself, starts with everyone that's been here long enough to own up to it. It's something that we’ve got to look ourselves in the mirror, get better, be real with ourselves.
“But at the end of the day, we played team football I feel like in the second half and pulled it off.”
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Purdy finished the game completing 15 of his 20 attempts for 178 yards and three touchdowns Sunday, but the quarterback will not be resting on his laurels after his fifth straight win as a starter.
Those five incomplete passes likely were the focus of his film study shortly after the game.