Last week saw Ryan Clark have a nuanced discussion, in which he confessed that the most challenging thing he had to do amidst the debate of the 2023 NFL season was “act” like Brock Purdy deserved to be in the same conversations as Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson regarding the MVP discussion.
The aftermath of the NFC Championship Game, in which Purdy helped his San Francisco 49ers clinch a Super Bowl berth, has seen Clark further change his tune on the 24-year-old yet again. Monday’s conversation on First Take was a bit less nuanced than his previous discussion around the second-year player out of Iowa State, in which Clark said that Purdy was a fine player who could operate Kyle Shanahan’s level at “an extremely efficient level.”
So, after minimalizing his game to that of a point guard and saying just last week that Purdy doesn’t raise the play of anyone around him, has he now separated himself from the Dak Prescotts and Justin Herberts of the world?
Brock Purdy won the NFC Championship Game and Ryan Clark’s support pic.twitter.com/WEj7W2yYpa
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 29, 2024
Are we sure that makes sense? This is the hot-take industrial complex that the sports media world has created, yet Clark seems to have wholly contradicted himself from his prior comments. Those drew the ire of Purdy’s 49ers teammates, like wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
“When you look at what Brock Purdy was able to do — Brock Purdy has separated himself from Dak Prescott,” said Clark on Monday’s edition of Get Up. “Brock Purdy has separated himself from Tua Tagovailoa. Brock Purdy has separated himself from guys like Kirk Cousins and from guys like Justin Herbert. He was asked in the most pressurized moment to be the best he could possibly be. And you know what magnifying glasses do, right?
“…When they were looking for Brock Purdy’s imperfections, they got closer to him. Brock Purdy became more of himself. He used his legs. He played above the Xs and Os. Brock Purdy, in my opinion, if I’m looking at those two games (Sunday), Brock Purdy did what we would’ve expected Lamar Jackson to do. Brock Purdy trusted himself. Brock Purdy put the football where it was supposed to be. Brock Purdy won the football game — down 17.”
Clark’s journey with Purdy has been a rollercoaster, to say the least. Initially skeptical, he acknowledged the difficulty of placing Purdy alongside established stars like Mahomes, Allen, and Jackson. Yet, the Super Bowl-bound quarterback’s performance has forced Clark to reassess, culminating in Monday’s bold claims of Purdy separating himself from Prescott, Herbert, and even Lamar Jackson.
While celebrating Purdy’s success is warranted, maybe we should avoid the pitfall of hot takes and seek a more nuanced analysis that recognizes his talent and the need for further development. Ultimately, Purdy’s actual place amongst the league’s elite will be solidified by sustained excellence, not just a few electrifying playoff games.
