Well known NFL reporter Michael Silver has covered 30 Superbowl matches and will make the trip to see the 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
Silver works for the San Francisco Chronicle and has been at Sports Illustrated and Yahoo Sports over the years.
He is a successful author having done books on Jerry Rice, Dennis Rodman and Kurt Warner.
He sat down with Awful Announcing for an in-depth interview and one of the first questions was what would have happened to coach Kyle Shanahan and quarterback Brock Purdy had they lost to the Lions in the NFC Championship.
Remember they trailed 21-7 at half time.
According to Silver the manner of defeat to the Lions would have had a telling effect on the future of Purdy.
“The way they lost would have factored in, right?
“They were being pummelled. That would have led to a lot of questions. It would have been a very hard sell for Kyle Shanahan and for John Lynch to say, ‘Hey, we’re close. We just got to take another swing.’ They have one more year of Brock Purdy on the rookie contract. So, in theory, you could keep the band together. They are going to face cap challenges next year, but with a quarterback on a rookie deal, a lot is doable.
“So it wouldn’t be like, ‘Oh, the window’s closed.’ But I think it’s a tougher sell with three NFC Championship game defeats in a row. There would have been a narrative about Purdy. I think internally they’re sold that he is an elite player they want to build around. But with a bad loss to the Detroit Lions, you would have at least tons of noise (regarding getting) Kirk Cousins who’s a free agent.”
The veteran journalist would expound on Purdy in detail and provide wonderful insight.
“He can get the ball out accurately in the tight spots quickly. That is a superpower in the NFL. He has displayed some mobility that helps him extend plays. But if that isn’t there, which it didn’t appear to be for much of the Packers game, it’s tough to tell me what plan B is. The absolute greatest—Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen— all have a plan B. That’s a that’s an insanely high standard. They have obvious athletic traits.
“What’s unfair is to say that he’s just distributing the ball and he’s a product of his environment. Yes, Kyle Shanahan is a brilliant schemer and playcaller. And certainly, they have exceptional skill players, and a Hall of Fame left tackle. But Purdy has been much better than that depiction that he’s just an accidental tourist.”
Mr Irrelevant winning then Superbowl would be a Hollywood worthy script, and Purdy is certainly capable of taking on Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
