Sam Howell vs. Brock Purdy; Commanders QB 'Same Skill Set'?

An old Washington pal wonders if Brock Purdy's work with the Niners is the real deal ... while Commanders fans probably wish they could be so "unsettled."

The Washington Commanders, as presently constructed, have no room to be critical of anybody's quarterback situation. In fact, as hopeful as they are that second-year guy Sam Howell can be the answer, they actually might have reason to be a bit jealous of the situation of, say, the San Francisco 49ers.

The Niners have young Brock Purdy leading their QB room, and in his unlikely rookie season, he was a central figure for a San Francisco team that was, and likely is, one of the three best clubs in the NFC.

Washington coach Ron Rivera means it as a compliment to Howell when he says, "You'd like to think, 'Wow, we have a guy with that same type of ability and skill set.'"

But you can count former Washington safety Will Blackmon among the non-believers.

“We need to see it again,” Blackmon said on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” “That’s how it always is. When somebody does something well, we need to see it again."

Blackmon played 10 NFL seasons and won a Super Bowl as a member of the Giants. So his opinion is worth a listen. But what seventh-round rookie Purdy did in coming out of nowhere to lead the Niners to the 2023 NFC Championship Game - all after Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo suffered season-ending injuries - is also worth something.

Purdy, 23, was 5-0 in the regular season and had he not gotten hurt in the playoffs, it might've been his Niners, and not Jalen Hurts' Eagles, making the Super Bowl. Going forward, coach Kyle Shanahan's offensive prowess and San Francisco's talented roster figure to give him another crack at it.

Still, Blackmon is skeptical, saying, "Give us a full 18. Let him actually see some legit adversity, now that we have a full year of film on this guy, let’s see him do it again."

We're not sure where Blackmon is getting the "18"; the NFL's expanded season now adds up to "17." But we get his point ... and frankly, we bet Commanders fans wish they had the Niners' "problems."

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