Kyle Shanahan Says There's No Reason to Bench Brock Purdy

I asked Shanahan on his Monday conference call if he at least will consider making a change at quarterback this week during the bye. Here's what Shanahan said.

People are so eager for the 49ers to fire their defensive coordinator Steve Wilks because his unit has given up 24 points per game during their three-game losing streak. Seems excessive.

Meanwhile, no one wants to talk about the 49ers potentially benching quarterback Brock Purdy who has committed six turnovers in the past three games and was directly responsible for the last two losses.

So I asked Shanahan on his Monday conference call if he at least will consider making a change at quarterback this week during the bye. Here's what Shanahan said:

ME: Will you consider making a change at quarterback during the Bye week and if not why?

SHANAHAN: A change at what?

ME: Quarterback.

SHANAHAN: “No.”

ME: Why?

SHANAHAN: “Ummmm, because no one just changes their quarterback for no reason.” 

Great answer. I appreciate Shanahan explaining his thought process behind any decision. This time, he made it clear there's "no reason" to bench Purdy.

But I respectfully disagree. Here are three reasons the 49ers should bench him.

1. Purdy is the main reason the 49ers have lost the past three games.

It's extremely difficult to win when one player commits six turnovers in three games. Purdy is becoming the player he was every day in training camp -- a turnover machine. When the offense is fully healthy, he can simply manage the game and not turn the ball over. But when a couple key players are out, suddenly Purdy finds himself in close games late, which is new for him. And he's struggling. In the fourth quarter this season, his passer rating is just 82.2. When it's time for him to be a hero, he becomes the goat.

2. Purdy has gotten hit in the head twice in the past two games.

First suffered a concussion running a quarterback sneak against the Vikings. Then he played the next week against the Bengals, but wasn't healthy enough to run a quarterback sneak yet, so Kyle Juszczyk ran it for him. Clever. The 49ers were trying to protect Purdy, who needed protection. And yet, he still slammed the back of his head against the ground in the fourth quarter and immediately grabbed the sides of his head as if he were in pain. The 49ers need to give him some time to heal.

3. The 49ers need to see what they have in Sam Darnold.

The 49ers got rid of Trey Lance supposedly because they believe in Sam Darnold so much, they think he could be a successful starter in Kyle Shananahan's system. So let's see it. Let's see why the 49ers felt so confident getting rid of Lance after just four career starts. Let's see why Shanahan thinks Darnold could be the next Steve Young. Let's give Purdy a few weeks off to get himself together. Let's see how clever Shanahan really is.