When given the option to choose between Colin Kaepernick and Brock Purdy, Patrick Willis said, “I’m going to have to take Kap.”
Among other accomplishments, Brock Purdy’s incredible 2023 season cemented his place in 49ers history by recording the most passing yards in the team’s annals. He and Jimmy Garoppolo, his predecessor, have been compared frequently, but now there’s another one: Brock Purdy vs. Colin Kaepernick.
Additionally, Patrick Willis, a former 49ers linebacker and upcoming member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, opted for Kaepernick over Purdy.
Willis was asked the following quandary while appearing on Robert Gryphon III’s podcast, RGIII and the Ones: 2023 Purdy or 2012 Kaepernick? Although Purdy has received a great deal of praise from Willis in the past, he chose to start the quarterback opposite him in his final seasons with the 49ers. The excerpt of the interview that I transcribed
“I’ll have to give it to Kap. Many people can look back and criticise how he appeared to be spending his final year or two with the Niners or in other ways. He took the necessary action. Though it might not have been in the manner of a conventional quarterback throw, you guys—RGIII in particular—were really amazing. But that’s a tough one, Purdy, man. I adore both 1A and 1B.
Remember, this is Colin Kaepernick from 2012. RGIII made that point clear. In his later years, Colin Kaepernick did not turn out like this. Moreover, Willis has been outspoken in his criticism of Purdy, placing him perhaps slightly behind Kaepernick (The 1a and 1b).
In any case, I understand Willis’ decision to support Kaepernick. In addition to being teammates, Kaepernick was a beast in 2012. I tried to locate a video of Willis being taken aback by Kaepernick’s running speed during the NFC Divisional matchup with the Green Bay Packers, but I was unsuccessful. Everyone believed the 49ers had something special when he took the field against the Chicago Bears. After he began slashing defences and running the pistol
As it happened, it seemed like we were observing the ceiling. All those careless throws in 2012 that were blamed on Kaepernick’s “inexperience” and status as a “One-read guy early in his career” were never addressed, and as time passed, he declined (poor coaching certainly didn’t help).
While Purdy committed many of the same errors as Kaepernick, many of them were isolated incidents. Brock Purdy has very seldom made the same error twice. Conversely, some of Purdy’s incredible runs during the playoffs would have been simple touchdowns for Kaepernick.
Defences had to place a spy on Kaepernick because he was so elusive with his legs. With just a glance, Kaepernick would dart across the field whenever they went with man coverage. Even when it shouldn’t have, it did. For whatever reason, despite the success, second and third reads never materialised like they did with Purdy.
And there’s that arm cannon. That outperformed Purdy’s underappreciated arm strength.
I wonder how much more space the 49ers would have in the backfield if they could use some one-read and go plays to force defences to place a spy on Purdy like Kaepernick. However, Purdy’s increased running exposes him to risk of injury, and he consistently surprises you with a run.
With whom would you go?
