San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw seven interceptions between two training camp practices last week, and he opened up on August 4 regarding how he handled it.
“It depends on what kind of pick it is. If I’m trying to fit it in a window and trying to just be aggressive or I just couldn’t see a guy, those are the questions you have to ask yourself,” Purdy told reporters on his adjustments. “And that’s what I do, ask myself.”
“And obviously, I get pretty mad at myself in terms of, ‘Dude, you turned the ball over and you can’t do that.’ So it’s finding a way to grow mentally for myself in terms of, ‘Dude, you can’t do that.’ Or, ‘Hey, I was being aggressive here and we’re just trying it out and I’m seeing if I can do it with this guy and that kind of window or that kind of look.’ But at the end of the day, I’m not out there trying to just throw the ball up and act like it’s camp and I don’t care, because I do,” Purdy added.
A third-year starter for the 49ers, Purdy became an MVP candidate last year where he only threw 11 interceptions. He only had four the year before in five starts.
“We never want a lot of picks in practice, regardless of who it is,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on August 2. “But Brock has never really had an interception problem. He’s protected the ball pretty well in this league for his two years and he also isn’t scared to let it rip too.”
“If we were really trying to fix that and if he had a problem, you come out and that’s all we’re focusing on and he still has some stats like that, then that’s something that concerns you,” Shanahan added. But that’s something I really haven’t been worried about with Brock on, and that’s why those stats are also something that hasn’t bothered me at all.”
Brock Purdy: ‘I Take Pride in Protecting the Ball’
Purdy faced multiple questions from the media on August 4 about his recent interceptions in practice, and he only doubled down on his expectations.
“I take pride in protecting the ball for our offense and our team. And so obviously, I’m mad when I’m not completing the ball to our guys and it’s going to the defense,” Purdy said. “I’m hard on myself and the coaches are too. We have a standard here.”
“So it’s not, like I said, we’re just going out and just because it’s practice it’s okay to throw picks. No, there’s still a standard here. But with that is, I know you guys have heard me say this all over the media, but now’s the time to be trying out some stuff in terms of throwing some windows and some tight coverages and whatnot.”
Conversely, San Francisco had one of the best defenses in the league last year. The 49ers return a core of players who held opponents to 17.5 points per game and made 12 interceptions.
Brock Purdy: ‘I Still Have to be Better’
Purdy won’t excuse himself amid the defense’s strengths, and he admitted the urgency of making improvements. The 49ers embark on preseason games over the next three weeks before the regular season in September.
“I still have to be better and I’m hard on myself with it. But now’s the time to do it. I remember last year coming off my UCL at practice, I was throwing some stuff, and I threw multiple days of picks,” Purdy said. “But you get into the season and you’re ready for those moments and you’re ready to execute and protect the ball. So that’s where we’re at in the time of year.”
