SANTA CLARA — Among many attributes, Brock Purdy’s decision-making is one of his most important, and 49ers running back coordinator Chris Forster has been impressed.
The second-year quarterback has not thrown an interception since Week 17 of the 2022 season in addition to adding his name to the record books with a 95.2 percent completion rate in the club’s Week 4 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
“Guy plays the position really well,” Forrester said Thursday. “That’s all I can say. He’s just a midfielder. Since he started playing, he’s just seen the field. His ability to know where to go with the football.”
Forster, who has been a coach for 30 years, has seen plenty of quarterbacks throughout his career and believes Purdy’s ability to make quick, accurate decisions could be a product of his physical attributes.
At 6-foot-1, Purdy may not have the ability to see the offensive line and opposing pass rushes coming at him as the play develops. With that in mind, the Iowa State product should be processed more quickly than a quarterback who is three or four inches taller.
“I always think some of that happens when you look at a guy’s physical abilities,” Forster said. “You look at his height and weight, you look at his speed, and you realize he’s a little shorter guy. There are all those physical limitations with the guy that then tie into how he plays that position, understanding everything. He goes into it.”
Purdy is also a product of his past and current coaching and the offensive coach believes that a quarterback applying everything he has learned to what he does on the field is not a given. Sometimes, in game situations, a player can fall back into old habits, but this is not something it is appropriate for Purdy to do.
“Being able to make decisions and deliver the ball accurately is just something he learned to do over time,” Forster said. “It’s great because some guys never learn it. Some guys are always late in throwing the ball. They’ll rely more on arm talent.
“They’ll wait for the guy to open up before they throw it and get away with it. Or they’ll just lean on their feet and say, ‘I don’t care if the pocket comes around me, I’m going to make the play.’
Purdy’s most impressive performance to date may have been the club’s Week 2 win over the New York Giants when facing an 85 percent offense rate. The play caller’s decisions must be made at a much faster rate than any of his previous starts in the NFL.
Regardless of how Purdy developed his decision-making process, it was impressive for Forster. The quarterback has a 72.3 percent completion rate and 115.1 rating through his four games in 2023 and a career completion rate of 69.1 percent and 110.4 rating through 13 regular season contests.
Purdy and the 49ers will face their biggest challenge yet in the 2023 season when they host the Dallas Cowboys on “Sunday Night Football.”
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