Six years ago, when Matt Nagy started as the Bears’ coach, his play sheet had a big and clear two-word message: BE YOU.
This advice is useful for all of us at times, whether we give it to ourselves or hear it from others. One quarterback who could use this advice as he begins his second full season as a starter is Brock Purdy.
It’s not a criticism to say he’s a system quarterback. He is, and he runs the Shanahan system as well as anyone ever has.
But Purdy seems to want more. As he mentioned earlier this month, he aims to be “dominant.” While this is a worthy goal, he should try to achieve it while staying true to who he is.
He’s not Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, or Lamar Jackson.
In the first two days of padded practices, Purdy threw seven interceptions while trying—and failing—to play like someone he isn’t.
On Sunday night, he had one of the worst moments of the 2024 preseason when he rolled left, stopped, and threw the ball awkwardly toward the right sideline. It looked clumsy and could have easily been an interception if not for a missed opportunity by the Saints defense.
Purdy doesn’t have the physical abilities to make that kind of play. He needs to recognize this and stick to what he can do best.
