Training-camp interceptions often invite plenty of overreaction, but there's a reason for the uptick in mistakes being made as the 49ers gear up for another season.
Quarterback Brock Purdy came under scrutiny after he threw four interceptions in team drills during Tuesday's practice, but those turnovers play a pivotal role in the young signal-caller's continued development.
Purdy explained to KNBR's Greg Papa and John Lund that training-camp interceptions typically occur at a higher rate because he's using practice to test his limitations without the consequences of turning over the ball in a game that matters.
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"It's a fine line," Purdy told Papa and Lund. "You want to go out, you want to be efficient, you want to go through reads and protect the ball and what not, but now is the time for us to go out and, you always hear quarterbacks say 'experiment,' but that's really what it is. Can I fit it in this window on this hitch? Can I look off Fred [Warner] or [49ers linebacker Demetrius Flannagan-Fowles], or De'Vondre [Campbell] in a certain way and make that throw backside? You got to try it out.
"In the game and in the season, it comes down to protecting the ball every snap, every play. So, you can't necessarily try those things out, [but] right now we can. So, my mindset is, 'Protect the ball, but let's be aggressive. Let's try this out, lets figure it out.' Obviously, I want to go through my reads, check the ball down and work on that as well because that's real-life football. But there's a time and a place where I'm like, 'You know what? This is practice, and I'm going to drop back and try this out.' Then you figure out if it can be a part of your game or not for the season."
Purdy threw a considerable amount of interceptions during San Francisco's 2023 training camp -- which offered no indication of the season that was to come for the young QB. Despite those turnovers, Purdy immediately hit another gear once the real games began, placing himself in the NFL MVP conversation for considerable stretches.
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Purdy went on to lead the NFL in passer rating (113.0) and yards per attempt (9.6) and set a single-season franchise record for passing yards (4,280) -- further proving that training-camp turnovers had no direct correlation to his performance in games that actually matter.
As training camp progresses and reports come out about mistakes being made in practice, remember that a player could be workshopping to gauge what he can pull off when the Week 1 action begins.
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