49ers QB Brock Purdy Explains Why He's Holding the Ball for So Long

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Oct 6, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) carries the ball against the Arizona Cardinals during the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

SANTA CLARA -- Brock Purdy has changed.

When he first became the 49ers starting quarterback, he was a game manager. A ball distributor. He took what the defense gave him and checked the ball down when no one was open downfield. That's his average time to throw was below 2.9 seconds in 2022 and 2023.

This season, Purdy leads the league in average time to throw at 3.15 seconds. Which means he's holding the ball longer than Sam Darnold, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Justin Fields, Anthony Richardson, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.

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Suddenly, Purdy refuses to check the ball down. Instead, he's trying to be something he's not -- a playmaker.

On Tuesday, Purdy was asked about his identity crisis. Here's what he said courtesy of the 49ers' p.r. department.

Q: The stats suggest that you're holding onto the ball longer than any other quarterback and obviously your scrambles are producing that number. Does it feel different than ‘22 and ‘23 as far as just snap to release time for you?

PURDY: “I feel like there's just been some plays where I'm scrambling and stuff just because what the defense is doing in terms of dropping eight and giving us some different looks in that regard. For me it's more been about keeping a play alive. It's been good. There's also been some plays obviously where we've had minus-10 or whatever from trying to scramble around and stuff. I think those kinds of plays that pop up so that’s maybe how that's affected the stats with that. But for me, I still go about my progressions and everything, just like I have the last couple years with our offense and our system. I'm not going into a game going, ‘alright, I'm going to hold onto the ball longer here and try to make something happen.’ It's how can I be efficient, help out the O-Line, get the ball out of my hands and do my job? The teams that we’ve played, the schemes that we've played, I guess they've done some of that where they're dropping more back in the zone and making me go through my progression and turns out I'm holding onto the ball.”

Q: Your scrambling and extending plays has largely been positive. But when you do have the one, where you run around for 10 seconds and get sacked, is it a reminder of like, ‘oh gosh, maybe I can take this and go too far with this?’ Or is it ‘if I do this, 12 times and I get sacked once, that's just the way it goes?’

PURDY: “I think it depends on the situation that we're in within the game and being smart with the ball, putting my team and my offense in the best situation possible. If I can make something happen with my legs and move the chains or get a positive gain, great, let's go. But at the same time, knowing that's not going to be the case every time I'm scrambling around like it's backyard football. I’ve got to be smart, make a couple guys miss, maybe throw the ball away, being willing to play with third-and-manageable rather than trying to make up for it after a 10-yard loss with a crazy scramble. So, it definitely depends on the situation, but also knowing that I have confidence and belief in my legs as well to make some plays in the right scenario. So it’s a fine balance.”

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