Everything evolves. The evolution of the Quarterback and the complexities of offensive football are moving at light speed. Private QB training and 7 on 7 football allow more signal callers to have a firmer grasp on the ever-advancing offensive concepts designed to light up scoreboards.
Amid all these advancements in "modern" football, one of the greatest talent evaluators in NFL history and his metric for drafting quarterbacks has seemingly become a thing of the past. That evaluator was none other than legendary coach Bill Parcells. Coach Parcells created rules for drafting a QB around what he felt was the most important quality a QB can have, the ability to lead.
Here are the Bill Parcells rules for drafting a quarterback:
- Be a three-year starter
- Be a senior in college
- Graduate from college
- Start 30 games
- Win 23 games
- Post a 2-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio
- Complete at least 60% of passes thrown
It's evident Bill Parcells values experience. Experience is typically the breeder of poise and confidence. The two adjectives that consistently come out of the 49er's locker room when Brock Purdy is a topic of conversation. The Parcells "Rules" speak to a young quarterback's ability to remain calm under pressure and exhibit the necessary leadership on and off the field.
The Parcells rules aren't a foolproof indicator of NFL success, but I thought it would be interesting to see how Brock Purdy measures up being that "Mr. Irrelevant" has exhibited the ideal leadership and confidence since he stepped in for an injured Jimmy Garropolo.
So how does Brock Purdy check out against the Bill Parcells rules for drafting a quarterback?
Be a three-year starter. Brock Purdy was a four-year starter at Iowa State.
Be a senior in college. Brock Purdy entered the NFL draft after his senior year of college.
Graduate from college. Brock Purdy graduated from Iowa State in December of 2021.
Start 30 games. Brock Purdy started 42 games at Iowa State.
Win 23 games. Brock Purdy won 31 games during his career at Iowa State.
Post a 2:1 touchdown to interception ratio. Brock Purdy threw 81 touchdowns against 33 interceptions. A ratio of 2.45 to 1 touchdown to Interceptions.
Complete at least 60% of passes thrown. Brock Purdy completed 67.7 % of his passes while at Iowa State.
Brock Purdy would have been on the draft board of Bill Parcells. Does checking every one of the Parcells boxes mean that a quarterback will undoubtedly have great success in the NFL? Of course, it doesn't, however, it could be at least partially attributed to Purdy's ability to step into a ready-made situation such as the 49ers and keep their momentum going into the playoffs.
The 49ers were on a 4 game-win streak at the time that Brock Purdy came in for Jimmy Garropolo vs the Miami Dolphins. The moment wasn't too big for him as the Dolphins immediately called blitzes in an attempt to rattle him. I've never heard Kyle Shanahan reference the Parcells rules so there is no indication that it factored into the 49er's decision to make Purdy Mr. Irrelevant, however, no one can argue that Purdy has checked all the boxes when it comes to generating optimism and confidence amongst the 49er faithful as they head into the postseason.
