Hall of Famer understands doubts about 49ers' Brock Purdy

Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner previously defended San Francisco 49ers starting signal-caller Brock Purdy, but Warner nevertheless understands why some still question if Purdy can consistently play at a Most-Valuable-Player level. 

"I don't know if he's ultimately going to be a great, elite quarterback," Warner said about Purdy while speaking with Nick Wagoner of ESPN. "We can't tell that yet. ... The bottom line for quarterbacks is you have to keep proving things until you prove everything."

While Purdy surprisingly went from being the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft to a starter in last January's NFC Championship Game, Warner is arguably the greatest undrafted free agent in NFL history who was the St. Louis Rams' backup in 1999 before he emerged as a regular-season and Super Bowl MVP for that same season. 

"What do you think people were saying the next year?" Warner said while comparing his experiences to Purdy's. "'Oh gosh, this guy's a Hall of Famer?' No, they were like, 'OK, was that a fluke? Can you do it again?'"

Purdy spending the bulk of the 2023 campaign as a legitimate MVP candidate along with the fact that he guided the 12-5 49ers to the NFC's No. 1 seed for the ongoing postseason tournament didn't silence takes claiming he's little more than a "game manager." Warner indicated Purdy should use such criticisms as motivation. 

"My whole goal was I'll make 'em believe just by going and being me," Warner explained during his chat with Wagoner. "My standard was when I played in college, I was the best player. When I played in the league, I was the best player. So, my standard was be the best player on the team, be the best player in the league, and that's all you need to prove."

As of Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the 49ers as massive 9.5-point favorites for this coming Saturday's prime-time divisional playoff matchup against the Green Bay Packers. Purdy realistically can't turn every detractor into a fan overnight, but he likely won't care about such matters if he secures a second straight trip to the conference title game.