How Shanahan's ‘holy cow' moment cemented his faith in Purdy

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It didn't take long for 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan to feel comfortable with rookie seventh-round quarterback Brock Purdy under center. 

After replacing veteran signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo in the first quarter of the 49ers' Week 13 win over the Miami Dolphins, Purdy has become an overnight sensation. The Iowa State product has helped lead San Francisco to wins in his first four starts following his three-plus quarter appearance against Miami. 

Shanahan joined KNBR 680's "Tolbert & Copes" on Thursday, where he was asked if he ever thought he would be this comfortable with a rookie quarterback in Purdy's unique situation. 

"No, definitely not," Shanahan said. "And I think when that hit me, it was after his first game. When I got home that night, I was surprised. Jimmy [Garoppolo] goes down and gets hurt, he goes in that game and they're all-out blitzing and doing a bunch of crazy stuff. We played with him for three quarters and once I got home that night, I was like 'holy cow.'"

Not only was a rookie seventh-rounder taking over at quarterback against Miami, but a rookie seventh-rounder who was the 49ers' third-string quarterback. This scenario would be considered a disaster for most NFL teams. However, Purdy made Shanahan forget about the 49ers' dire situation quickly. 

"You realize your third guy is going in there, it's his first game, but after watching him for just a few series, I quickly forgot about it," Shanahan explained. "And that's not because I forgot about it, that's just because he made me forget about it. The ball's going to the right spot, he's playing aggressive but not stupid. He's playing fast and things are going well. I was surprised when I got home that night that I was feeling that way. Then you go into the Tampa Bay game and he had a great week of practice and felt that way throughout the whole Tampa Bay game, so now it's not a surprise to me. It's been fun, it's been fun in practice and that's carried over to the games."

RELATED: Report: Raiders researching Jimmy G, Brady as Carr replacements

The 49ers, to Shanahan's delight, proved to be three-deep at the quarterback position. 

What might have been an unfathomable situation coming into the season became a reality for San Francisco, who has not skipped a beat with Purdy under center. 

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