The ongoing saga between Brock Purdy and his detractors took a hilarious turn courtesy of 49ers linebacker Fred Warner in the aftermath of San Francisco's epic NFC Championship Game win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Levi's Stadium.
When asked what he thought about Purdy’s performance in leading the team back from a 24-7 halftime deficit, Warner delivered an epic troll aimed at the NFL pundits who constantly hound the young quarterback for being a “game manager.”
“Heck of a game manager, wow. Managed the heck out of that game,” Warner told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jennifer Lee Chan after the game.
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NFL media personalities use the term game manager when deriding the play of a mediocre quarterback who can’t make big-time plays. With the young 49ers quarterback running a potent star-studded offense, many media pundits have been unwilling to give Purdy any credit for the teams’ success.
Purdy struggled early on in the NFC Championship Game against the Lions, throwing a costly interception that led to a Detroit touchdown and missing several key throws. Eventually he settled down and made series of amazing throws, and extended drives with his rushing ability as the 49ers mounted one of the largest NFL playoff comebacks in franchise history to win 34-31.
The 49ers' offense was able to take advantage of two major fourth-down mistakes by the Lions to score two touchdowns off the turnovers on downs, putting the game out of reach for Detroit.
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With Purdy facing Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, it remains to be seen if the game manager talk will cease.
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