Peter King: Shanahan didn't underrate Purdy before first start

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Brock Purdy took the NFL by storm during the 2022 season after taking over for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo against the Miami Dolphins in Week 13, leading the 49ers all the way to the NFC Championship Game.

But coach Kyle Shanahan wasn't worried about the situation under center at the time despite many being skeptical of the rookie quarterback's abilities, NBC Sports' Peter King shared on the latest "49ers Talk" episode.

"I sat with Kyle for maybe 15 minutes, and you could tell that this was going to be a rough situation," King recently told NBC Sports Bay Area's Jennifer Lee Chan and Matt Maiocco at Super Bowl LVII Radio Row in Phoenix. "The one thing he said to me that day, he goes, 'I am not underestimating Brock Purdy.' "

King also shared a postgame dialogue with Purdy after San Francisco's 33-17 victory over Miami, knowing that the 23-year-old's first NFL start would be against Tom Brady in Week 14. 

"I got him for three or four questions after his press conference," King continued. "And the last thing I said to him [was], 'Hey, you're starting your first game in the NFL next Sunday, and the other quarterback is Tom Brady. What do you think of that?' And he goes, 'Cool. He's been playing football longer than I've been alive.'

"I always thought that whether he was going to succeed or fail, the one thing that just absolutely stuck out to me from day one with Brock Purdy is that he started 48 games in a power five conference, got his ass kicked a lot, played in front of 100,000 people in Austin, Texas, played in front of 90,000 people in Norman, Oklahoma. As crazy as this sounds, it sounds crazy, but he was a lot more suited to play early in his NFL career than Trey Lance was just mentally."

RELATED: Brock Purdy injury robbed 49ers of Super Bowl 57 showing, Tony Gonzalez says

Purdy and Lance will battle to earn the starting quarterback job for the 2023 NFL season. While the North Dakota State product has limited experience, some believe it's Lance's job, but there are others in Purdy's camp to be the starter under center.

Nonetheless, expect the offseason, training camp and preseason to be filled with takes on who should win the quarterback battle. 

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