Despite Purdy's accomplishments on the field, critics remain vocal, pushing the narrative that his success is more a product of his talented supporting cast and head coach Kyle Shanahan's scheme than his individual talent.
Inside the 49ers locker room, however, Purdy's teammates know that the offense wouldn't run as efficiently without him at the helm. The third-year player has displayed the leadership and savvy of a seasoned veteran.
On Thursday morning, teammate George Kittle joined Bay Area radio station 95.7 The Game and was asked what makes Purdy so special. The tight end wanted to avoid giving a typical "hard worker, first guy in, last guy out" response.
"One thing I've always talked about that I think is just something that elevates quarterbacks from different quarterbacks is when you step in the huddle and your voice and your presence gets the attention of all 10 other guys in the huddle," Kittle shared. "Because I've been in a lot of huddles my entire career. While I love all the quarterbacks that I played with, some of them are just—they've got it, whatever that is.
"And he steps into a huddle, and all 10 eyes are on him; everybody's looking at him. And just his confidence that he speaks these plays with, his understanding of the offense, he gets it all just in those five to 10 seconds that you're in this huddle. And I don't know if it's inspiring, but I think it's more of a, his confidence makes everybody else in the huddle more confident in themselves.
"And when you're in a huddle with Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel, and you're making them more confident than they already are, holy cow. That is something that is very, very good for the 49ers."
Kittle also highlighted another quality that makes Purdy exceptional. In addition to being a hard worker on and off the field, the quarterback is highly self-critical, always striving for perfection.
If there's a mistake, Purdy will say, "Let's figure that out, so the next time we have that opportunity, we'll be 100 percent on it."
Kittle added, "He's just so efficient with that, and I just really appreciate that about him."
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