49ers QB Brock Purdy says he shouldn’t be listened to

SANTA CLARA — This is the third year Brock Purdy in the NFL, and Kyle Shanahan still won’t take the training wheels off the offense for him.

Most NFL quarterbacks have the freedom to call officials at the line of scrimmage, especially experienced, intellectual quarterbacks like Purdy.

Yet on third-and-1 in the first quarter last Sunday against the Chiefs, Purdy walked to the line of scrimmage and saw that Kansas City had nine defenders in the box and had sold out to stop the pass. Instead of loudly announcing and passing the ball like most other NFL quarterbacks would do, Purdy simply passed to Jordan Mason, who gained no yards, and then the 49ers punt.

Why wasn’t Purdy heard?

“We usually just have the answer built into the game,” Purdy explained. “So, if it’s an all-out attack or something like that, we usually have an answer as to where I should be hitting or where I should be going. It’s very rare that we walk up to the line, look and say, “Oh my gosh, they’ve got us.” And then I have to randomly come up with a sound. There is nothing like this. We usually always have an answer to pressure, all-out attack and the like. So I care about finding the right guy.

TRANSLATION: No, Purdy is not allowed to “randomly make up the buzzer” at the line of scrimmage. Shanahan’s incredible plays are designed to answer anything the 49ers defense can throw at him. Usually. Except when Shanahan doesn’t know the answer, all Purdy can do is think, “Oh, they’ve got us,” and put on a play that’s doomed from the start. Like the one on 3rd and 1.

It’s time for Shanahan to hand over the reins to Purdy.

Download and follow The Best 49ers podcast.