San Francisco 49ers: It goes without saying that Brock Purdy can only go as far as his receivers take him. This was evident in the Niners’ 30-7 Week 1 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Purdy led the way with 19-of-29 completed passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns.
Brandon Aiyuk was one of Purdy’s favorite targets on the evening, with the fourth-year wide receiver catching all eight of his targets for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Needless to say, the Purdy-Aiyuk connection paid major dividends for San Francisco in their season opener.
San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk Heaps Praise on Brock Purdy
For his part, Aiyuk had nothing but high praise for his quarterback. Purdy may just be 23 years young and in his second season in the NFL, but if you ask Aiyuk, the young QB has already firmly established himself as the team’s talisman early on.
“Purdy, he’s done a great job since the moment he came in there and started his first start,” Aiyuk said Tuesday morning on KNBR’s Murph and Mac show (h/t David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone). “Even when he ended up taking over in that Miami game. I think trust is very big. We talk about it in our offense all the time. If the quarterback can trust we’re going to be in a spot, where we’re supposed to be, then we can complete passes even when we have terrible looks. We can still continue to complete the ball, move the sticks, keep the offense flowing. And I think trust is the main thing with that.
“But Purdy, I’m enjoying playing with him. He gives us confidence every single week. He gives us a bunch of confidence. So much confidence going in every game that not only are we going to win the game, but you have a chance to have a great game as well. So I’m loving playing with him.”
It’s crucial that Purdy is able to connect with his wide receivers both on and off the field — something that is evident based on Aiyuk’s statement here.
‘A Mix of Poise and Urgency’
The high praise did not stop there from Aiyuk. The former Arizona State standout declared that in his mind, he has no doubt that Brock Purdy has the ‘it’ factor:
“I’m not sure I can even define what ‘it’ is, but he has ‘it,'” said the receiver.
Aiyuk went on to say that at this point in his career, the 49ers quarterback is already playing like he has years of NFL experience under his belt — something that isn’t always present in the younger QBs in the league:
“He plays with an extreme poise, but also poise and urgency,” Aiyuk shared. “It’s like a mix of poise and urgency. He’s never too lagged. He’s just always on point. He’s on point. He’s ready to go. He plays with that swag that just bleeds all the way down to the rest of the offense, down to the rest of the team, that everybody can build off. Like I said, he has ‘it.'”
The truth is, Brock Purdy is anything but your typical NFL quarterback. This young man has something special about him, and Brandon Aiyuk, among others, has definitely taken notice.
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