HENDERSON, NV — When Brock Purdy first arrived as a seventh-round draft pick in 2022, the tradition both daunting and welcome. He’d never met or talked to Joe Montana or Steve Young but could feel their presence.
Now as Purdy attempts to join Montana (four Super Bowl wins) and Young (one) as the only 49ers quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl, he’s had some advice and counsel from both legends.
In terms of playing style, Purdy, more closely remembers Montana than Young — particularly when Montana first took over as the fulltime starter for Steve DeBerg in 1980. That vintage of Montana was coached by Bill Walsh to utilize a system which needed a quarterback who could think clearly under stress and distribute the ball to different offensive weapons.
In theory, it’s not dramatically different than Purdy operating under Kyle Shanahan.
So it’s no surprise that Montana, who was at the 49ers’ NFC Championship Game win over the Detroit Lions, bestowed the wisdom of his early years on Purdy in advance of Super Bowl LVIII Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.
“Just briefly talking with Joe, it was pretty simple,” Purdy said on Day 2 of his media obligations Tuesday at the HIlton Lake Las Vegas resort. “You’ve got a good team around you, just go through the the reads and what Kyle’s calling and trust in Kyle. You don’t need to be this superstar or anything. If you go out and do your job, you’ve got a good team around you and you guys can win that way.”
Should Purdy and the 49ers beat Kansas City, at age 24 he would be one year younger than Montana when the 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21 in Super Bowl XVI in Pontiac Mich. Montana’s numbers that day weren’t spectacular — he was an efficient 14 of 22 for 157 yards. He threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Earl Cooper and carried six times for 18 yards and a touchdown on a 1-yard run.
The 49ers jumped to a 20-0 halftime lead. From that point — dare we say it? — Montana “managed” the game until the 49ers’ first championship was won. Montana, of course, won three others with bigger numbers but the same end result.”
Young, who followed Montana, was spectacular in his lone Super Bowl appearance with an NFL record six touchdown passes, was 24 of 36 for 325 yards and led the 49ers in rushing with 49 yards as the 49ers beat the San Diego Chargers 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX in MIami.
Joe Montana hands the 49ers’ NFC Championship Trophy to CEO Jed York after the 49ers beat the Detroit Lions 34-31 at Levi’s Stadium. Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group
For all the things Young did that made him a Hall of Fame player, it was his lone Super Bowl — and his only shot at winning one.
“With Steve, we just talked about our mindset, and in the NFL with all the stuff going around on the outside, being able to sink back into what you believe and understand who you are and what your purpose is,” Purdy said. “When he spoke to the team, he said when you have an opportunity like this, you’ve got to take it. You can’t let it slide.”
Purdy sees the chance to become the third 49ers’ quarterback to win the Super Bowl as an opportunity rather than a burden. Two quarterbacks have tried and couldn’t deliver — Colin Kaepernick in Super Bowl XLVII against Baltimore following the 2012 season and Jimmy Garoppolo in Super Bowl LIV against the Chiefs after the 2019 season.
“For me as a quarterback it’s like, all right, there’s obviously some big shoes to fill and I’m not going to compare myself to them, but they’ve set the standard for winning in this organization,” Purdy said. “You look at the 49ers logo and you think of success in Super Bowls because of those guys. That’s something I have in the back of my mind. There’s a standard here.”
As was the case in Monday’s NFL Opening Night, Purdy patiently answered questions as he has all season from local writers. He talked about his favorite Bible verses (he has read Psalm 23 every day this season) and was asked by one questioner if he knew a physical comparison to Lee Harvey Oswald was making the rounds on social media.
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Purdy shrugged it off.
“That’s my first time hearing that,” Purdy said. “I don’t know.”
His perspective, as it has been all season, was spot-on.
“With the media and all the stuff going around on the outside, you get a lot more attention than you ever had in your life,” Purdy said. “But for me, it’s turn off the social media, turn off all the other outside stuff. I’ve got my family and friends that text me just like normal. And I’ve got really good teammates around me. I keep it simple until it’s time to play football.”