The Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator went out of his way to text the San Francisco 49ers QB
For as many mistakes as the San Francisco 49ers made in Super Bowl LVIII, just as much credit goes to Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnoulo. He was incredible all season, and that didn’t stop at the most pivotal points of the playoffs.
Spagnoulo sat down with Peter Schrager of Fox Sports and NFL Network, where he spoke about being caught off guard by quarterback Brock Purdy. Spags told Schrager that he didn’t find many holes in Purdy’s game before talking about his scrambling ability:
“I’ll tell you the other thing that stuck out. So we played Tua [Tagovailoa], we played Josh Allen, we played Lamar Jackson. And you’ve got to worry about those guys running the football.
Now, it’s going to be San Francisco. We haven’t watched a lot of film on them, so I don’t really know them. OK, it’s a backup quarterback. OK, maybe he’s not a runner. Maybe we can get a little break here.
I turn the film on, and he’s ripping Green Bay and Detroit. You know, the running plays were really difficult. And I said, ‘OK, here we go again. Another one.’”
Purdy ran for 74 yards on seven attempts in the playoffs, including 48 yards after contact, three rushes for over ten yards, and five first downs. The 49ers do not come back in the first two playoff games without Brock’s scrambling ability.
That doesn’t mean Kyle Shanahan will implement designed running plays moving forward for his quarterback. It’s all about feel. Shanahan said earlier this year that Brock has a knack for when to run. He proved that in the playoffs.
Spags, after saying he believes Purdy was terrific, went out of his way to reach out to the 49ers QB:
“I’ll be honest with you, I just texted Brock today. I tried to track down his cell number. I just wanted to tell him how much respect I have for him. And what a terrific game he played. He’s such a quality guy. Strong, Christian man. I respect all of that. I’m happy for all his success.
I’m glad he didn’t have quite the real good game.”
Purdy added elements to the 49ers offense that’s been missing under Shanahan. He hunts and hits the deep ball and creates plays out of structure. It’ll be fascinating to watch him grow as a player and see what happens when it’s time to pay him an extension.
When you hear his teammates and a defensive coordinator the caliber of Spagnuolo speak out him, it’s easy to be optimistic about Purdy’s future.
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