San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy made history yesterday, becoming the first QB in history to contribute four touchdowns in his playoff debut as a rookie. For one former New England Patriots quarterback, his performance yesterday was bigger than one game though.
Taking to Twitter yesterday, Scott Zolak – who now serves as the Patriots’ color analyst for games – took note of how Purdy has taken control of the offense and the team as a whole. He said that it reminds him of the situation the Patriots had with Tom Brady in 2001.
“Saw a team respond to a young QB just like this in 2001. This is Purdy’s team now,” Zolak wrote.
There certainly are some interesting parallels. Both teams had first-round pick quarterbacks who were injured early in the season and required an inexperienced late-round pick to lift them to the postseason and ultimately a Super Bowl win.
There are some distinctions though. For starters, Brock Purdy had even less NFL experience than Tom Brady did when he was thrust into the spotlight late in the season. Brady at least had a year to sit on the bench and watch Drew Bledsoe play during the 2000 season.
Brady wasn’t exactly the driving force behind the Patriots winning the Super Bowl in his fateful first year either. He scored only two touchdowns that entire postseason and had the benefit of a first-round bye to boot.
If Purdy can become the first rookie quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl, he’ll have done something that even Brady hasn’t.
Are the comparisons between the 2001 Patriots and the 2022 49ers apt?