Since being signed on Tuesday, veteran defensive back Logan Ryan is growing familiar with his new 49ers teammates and coaches in the Bay.
However, there is one player in particular that the 32-year-old Ryan knows all too well.
While speaking to reporters after his first 49ers practice on Wednesday, the two-time Super Bowl champion recalled his matchup against San Francisco last season as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, citing the then-surprise success of quarterback Brock Purdy.
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“That was [Purdy’s] first start; no, [Tampa Bay wasn’t] expecting that. He showed great poise. He showed who he is; he is just a very good quarterback. Great command of the offense for a rookie last year, and he had a lot of extended plays and made a lot of magic happen.
Purdy made his first career start for the 49ers against the Buccaneers in Week 14 of last season at Levi’s Stadium, leading San Francisco to a blowout 35-7 win over Tampa Bay.
Ryan was on the wrong end of the lopsided outcome and defended against Purdy, who threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns.
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Forgettably for Ryan, he was also the primary defender on a Purdy 27-yard touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey that ultimately brought the 49ers quarterback’s father to tears.
“I think that's when people got introduced to who Brock Purdy was,” Ryan said of the 49ers win over the Bucs last season. “Unfortunately, I was on the wrong side of that. But I'm happy we gave him that confidence now that he's my quarterback now."
San Francisco’s newest defensive back spent most of his career as a teammate of arguably the greatest player in NFL history, Tom Brady, who also was a late-round draft pick.
Ryan knows what he’s doing, as he gladly joins forces with Purdy, another late-round quarterback, who’s on track to end up pretty successful in his own right.
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