In Brock We Trust.
Amirite?
The magical American sports journey to a Super Bowl championship starts Saturday evening at 5:15 pm in Santa Clara, Calif., and the 49ers are poised in every way possible to claim the Lombardi Trophy for the first time since January, 1995 — which, if you’re counting, was a long time ago.
Number one seed. Team healthy. At home.
And a Purdy shall lead them.
I just watched the 24-minute sit-down between Pro Football Hall of Famer, MVP and Super Bowl champ Steve Young and 49ers QB Brock Purdy, 24 years young, baby-faced, world in front of him.
The last 49ers Super Bowl champ QB . . . and the next one?
It sure felt that way.
Stop right now, dear reader. This is not a jinx, or a hex or getting ahead of the Green Bay Packers in the NFC divisional round. It is merely a measured observation that the serenity and peace surrounding young Brock Purdy feels like the perfect catalyst to let Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle soar.
Here was a kid — yes, a kid, born in 1999 — talking to Young about simplifying the game, understanding his place in the world, at peace with his identity, unmoved by outside perception, grounded in an all-encompassing faith.
Oh, and distributing the ball to his playmakers while using deft footwork.
Who does this guy think he is, a mad scientist’s amalgamation of Steph Curry and Buster Posey?
That’s the vibe Purdy gives off as he begins to navigate what could be an epic road to where Posey and Curry have been — seven times, combined.
Before we anoint Purdy as a multi-title winner like Steph and Buster, there is the matter of the Packers. At the least, listening to Purdy with Young made you realize one thing: sports radio host and former Packer Mark Chmura’s call for late hits and defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt’s prediction of Purdy turnovers will affect Purdy about as much as someone wondering if Purdy should wear his ball cap backwards or forwards.
This is a lad, sports fans, unencumbered by noise.
In other words, I am predicting we will never uncover any burner social media accounts on Purdy’s phone. Nor will we see the QB tossing and turning Friday night, worried that Chmura even has a microphone near him. Or that Wyatt has any thoughts, at all.
Brock Purdy will arrive at Levi’s Stadium Saturday worried about: the game plan, communication with QB coach Brian Griese and head coach Kyle Shahanan, reading the defense and . . . pretty much nothing else.
He already has two playoff wins under his belt at Levi’s, and those were no small endeavors, slaying the Seahawks and Cowboys. He threw zero interceptions in both games, combined. He’s even been to Philadelphia for an NFC Championship and felt that environment, energy, buzz — even if some unfortunate things happened there.
Purdy remarked that going back and watching film of last year, and the last time the 49ers played the Packers, in a snowy Lambeau, reminded him of the excitement and color and pageantry of NFL playoff football.
It all returns Saturday, and it’s set up beautifully for the 49ers. There appears to be precious little panic surrounding the QB. He is inspiring trust. And he can’t even bother to spell Chmura.
Brock Purdy has much bigger things in mind.
