Matt Maiocco has credited four training camp interceptions for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. The NBC Sports Bay Area insider doesn't want to alarm anyone with that stat. He doesn't believe a whole lot should be read into it. After all, it's just practice.
We don't know what the 49ers are trying to accomplish on certain practice reps. Head coach Kyle Shanahan may be testing his second-year quarterback to see if he can force the ball into situations he wouldn't necessarily be asked to do in a game.
There's also the fact that Purdy is still recovering from offseason surgery on his arm. The quarterback is feeling great but admitted after Thursday's practice that he isn't 100 percent where he wants to be, saying he feels "almost back to normal."
"Just still building back-to-back days and trying to gain all the strength that I can back from, obviously, just the rehab process of things," Purdy told reporters.
While Maiocco takes everything into account, including the four training camp interceptions, he isn't jumping to conclusions.
"I can't imagine anybody would be watching the 49ers practices, and seeing Brock Purdy throw four interceptions, and still have a negative thought about where he is because of what he's coming back from," Maiocco said Thursday on KNBR. "He looks good throwing the football. And when you hear Kyle Shanahan about a week ago say Brock Purdy is the real deal, and Kyle Shanahan doesn't often talk about quarterbacks, or really any of his players, [like that] unless they're really proven guys like George Kittle or Nick Bosa or Trent Williams. He doesn't talk about guys in those terms.
"When you hear that, you just realize that Purdy is very much where they want him to be and very much on target..."
Maiocco was going to say "on target to be the Week 1 starting quarterback," but paused before finishing the sentence. He wanted to make Purdy's place on the depth chart very clear.
"Not on target. He will be the starting quarterback, obviously, on September 10," Maiocco said. "So I think everybody around the 49ers feels real good about where Brock Purdy is, and how that injury is coming along, and the fact that he's been cleared and ready to play football."
"Now, he might not play in any preseason games, and that certainly wouldn't be something to be alarmed about, but he will definitely be out there on September 10."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Maiocco below.
