The Dolphins are in town, and the 49ers Faithful should greet them with a round of applause.
asserted
Faithful → greet → applause
Shake the hand of any fan you see in Aqua-and-Orange.
asserted
you → shake → Aqua
Any way to express gratitude for the small part they played in changing the franchise’s trajectory.
asserted
they → express → trajectory
If it wasn’t for Jaelan Phillips’ violent sack of one 49ers quarterback on their last visit, who knows how long it would have taken to figure out they had their next one waiting in the wings?
asserted
one → know → wings
With 9:30 left in the first quarter on Dec. 7, 2022, an unknown seventh-round pick — literally “Mr. Irrelevant” — named Brock Purdy entered the game for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo.
asserted
pick → leave → Garoppolo
And, as they say, the rest is history.
asserted
rest → say → ?
“It was just one game, but it was an extremely special game,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said this week.
asserted
Shanahan → say → ?
“It was foreshadowing how the following three years would go.”
asserted
years → foreshadow → ?
In five years at the helm, Shanahan had devised one of the NFL’s most sophisticated offensive schemes, filled it with superstar skill position players and taken them to a Super Bowl.
asserted
Shanahan → devise → Bowl
But he had yet to find the quarterback who could take them to the next level.
uncertain
who → have → level
Almost four years since Purdy’s stunning debut, he hasn’t led the Niners to the promised land — not yet.
asserted
he → lead → land
But he has proven to give them the best chance of any quarterback Shanahan has had.
asserted
Shanahan → prove → quarterback
It wasn’t until Shanahan went home and reflected on the game later that night that he realized what he had on his hands.
asserted
he → go → hands
The guy they took with the last pick of the draft was a legit NFL QB.
asserted
they → take → draft
“We had such a good team that year, and it’s such mixed feelings when you lose your starter [Trey Lance] and your backup [Garoppolo] within a month of each other,” he said.
asserted
he → have → other
“Then you’re down to the third-string quarterback the whole game.
asserted
you → ’re → quarterback
“So, it was a little sombering after the game and stuff, but I remember … when I got home that night and actually sitting and thinking about the game and really setting in how well Brock played.
asserted
Brock → remember → game
Just going against that defense he did under duress with all the blitzes, how he hung in there, took hits, how he didn’t get many reps at all the whole year and how he knew exactly where to go with the ball.
asserted
he → go → ball
”
The 49ers’ offense was (and is) predicated on getting the ball to its playmakers, so they had no choice but to play through Purdy’s hands, and he showed some flashes of the qualities that would make him almost as important to the offense as Christian McCaffrey or George Kittle.
asserted
him → predicate → McCaffrey
Miami blitzed Purdy on a dozen of his dropbacks and pressured him nine times, but he stayed calm and got the ball out in a hurry to the right target, completing 25 of 37 passes.
asserted
he → blitz → passes
He used his legs to extend plays and weaseled around the pile to pick up a first down on a sneak play.
asserted
He → use → play
Purdy led the Niners down the field for a touchdown on his first drive and pretty much never relinquished the job again.
asserted
Purdy → lead → job
He signed a five-year, $265 million extension before last season.
asserted
He → sign → season
It was a throw on their next scoring drive that really cemented that Purdy could sling it.
uncertain
Purdy → cement → it
Miami brought the house and Purdy was hit as he threw but still hit Kittle in the chest over the middle for a 19-yard gain.
asserted
he → bring → gain
“I was like, ‘Yeah, all right, I can play with this.
asserted
I → play → this
He hit me in the chest, right where you want it,” Kittle recalled this week.
asserted
Kittle → hit → it
“Then I saw the replay, and I was like, ‘Holy s–t, good job, Brock.’
asserted
I → see → replay
“You just need a couple plays like that and [not only] his confidence skyrockets but everyone around him skyrockets as well.”
asserted
everyone → need → him
When he was drafted, Purdy could have just as easily been mistaken for a car salesman, with his modest 6-foot-1 frame, everyman physique and dad-chique dress style.
uncertain
Purdy → draft → frame
Now, he’s the face of Toyota.
asserted
he → ’ → Toyota
Just 12 weeks into his rookie season, after beginning the year as the third-string quarterback with no expectation of ever seeing live action, Purdy was thrown into the fire.
asserted
Purdy → begin → fire
He didn’t melt; he turned out to be the fuel that helped keep it burning.
asserted
that → melt → it
Shanahan has since said he had a fourth-round grade on Purdy in the draft.
asserted
he → say → draft
And Jed York has recalled Shanahan telling him in training camp that Purdy was better than Lance or Garoppolo and would be the starting quarterback one day.
asserted
Purdy → recall → Lance
It’s almost easy to forget how shocking it was at the time, even for those on the sidelines.
asserted
it → ’ → sidelines
Defensive assistant Johnny Holland was laughing and smiling while looking over his tablet on the bench when Purdy’s name was announced over the loudspeakers.
asserted
name → laugh → loudspeakers
He looked up with a straight face and microphones captured his reaction: “Oh, Brock’s at quarterback?”
asserted
Brock → look → quarterback
“I think that was everybody’s reaction,” Kittle said, widening his eyes and shaking his head.
asserted
Kittle → think → head
That included 49ers legendary radio voice Greg Papa, who couldn’t help but appreciate the symbolism.
asserted
who → include → symbolism
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
