Forty-five-year-old, and seven-time Tremendous Bowl-winning quarterback, Tom Brady goes up towards 22-year-old rookie Brock Purdy on Sunday
Sunday sees arguably probably the most contrasting quarterback matchup of all time, because the GOAT meets ‘Mr. Irrelevant’.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has earned his title as a consequence of his NFL-record seven Tremendous Bowl wins, whereas rookie Brock Purdy’s back-handed title got here courtesy of being chosen with the very last decide of the 2022 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.
Brady can also be 45 years outdated, with Purdy simply 22 and making his first profession begin after the probably season-ending harm to Niners QB Jimmy Garoppolo final weekend. Brady is 6-0 versus quarterbacks of their first NFL begin, whereas the age distinction of twenty-two years and 146 days is the most important between opposing QBs in any sport for the reason that stat was first tracked in 1950.
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San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and rookie quarterback Brock Purdy talk about Jimmy Garoppolo’s season-ending harm
Who’s Brock Purdy?
Purdy arrived in San Francisco this 12 months as a four-year starter out of school at Iowa State but in addition as an unheralded prospect as a consequence of simply ‘common arm energy’, a ‘laboured launch’ and ‘confidence and consistency points’, in accordance with his draft report.
All of it contributed to him not being taken until the 262nd choice within the seventh spherical, the ultimate decide of the 2022 Draft – and, due to this fact, earn ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ honours, the nickname given to final participant picked in every year’s draft since 1976, when former 49ers receiver Paul Salata started honouring that particular person with an occasion in Newport Seashore, California, dubbed ‘Irrelevant Week’.
However Purdy was something however irrelevant final Sunday. The third-string quarterback to begin the season in San Francisco got here in throughout the first half of their Week 13 sport with the Miami Dolphins, and with the group trailing 7-3.
He instantly led them on a 54-yard scoring drive, capped with a landing move to Kyle Juszczyk, after which added one other 76-yard TD drive simply earlier than the half – this one ended with a scoring strike to Christian McCaffrey – to offer the Niners a lead they would not relinquish.
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Brian Baldinger was impressed by what he noticed from San Francisco 49ers rookie QB Brock Purdy, saying his efficiency within the win over the Miami Dolphins as ‘distinctive’
“Brock got here in and made some large performs,” head coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned after the win. “He is obtained some balls on the market, forgive me for saying it that approach.”
Purdy completed 25-of-37 passing, for 210 yards, these two TDs and one interception, main former NFL quarterback Chris Simms to be equally impressed with what he noticed.
“I used to be blown away by the way in which Purdy performed in that sport,” Simms mentioned on NBC’s Professional Soccer Discuss (Sky Sports activities NFL, weekdays, 6pm). “That was about as robust a scenario you can put a backup quarterback in – not to mention a rookie backup QB.
“I used to be very impressed. They usually’re definitely a group I would not depend out right here. The Niners will nonetheless be a harmful group down the stretch.”
Can Purdy be the following Brady?
Whereas, as already identified, there’s a nice deal that separates Purdy and Brady as they put together to conflict on Sunday evening, they do even have one notable factor in widespread: Brady too was unfancied by most NFL groups out of school.
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Brady’s scouting report forward of the 2000 NFL Draft – when Purdy was simply 4 months outdated – learn: “Poor construct, Skinny, Lacks nice bodily stature and energy, Lacks mobility and talent to keep away from the frenzy, Lacks a extremely sturdy arm, Cannot drive the ball downfield, Doesn’t throw a extremely tight spiral, System-type participant who can get uncovered if compelled to advert lib, Will get knocked down simply.”
All of it contributed to Brady dropping down the draft all the way in which to the sixth spherical and the 199th general decide till being picked up by the New England Patriots, the place he’d win the primary six of his file haul of Vince Lombardi trophies.
“Would not it’s one thing if this man turns into the following era’s Tom Brady?,” Mike Florio remarked on Professional Soccer Discuss this week. “The lowly drafted participant who develops right into a starter and is fairly rattling good.”
That might properly be a stretch. However Purdy definitely is already in reasonably unchartered territory. Because the draft moved to seven rounds in 1994, no quarterback chosen within the last spherical has began a playoff sport as a rookie and, with the 49ers at present sitting fairly at 8-4 on the season and in possession of the No 3 seed within the NFC, Purdy might properly be the primary.
Solely six seventh-round signal-callers have even appeared in a playoff sport, full cease, throughout this time interval (Jay Walker, Gus Frerotte, Matt Cassel, Koy Detmer, Jarious Jackson and Matt Flynn), whereas maybe probably the most well-known seventh-rounder of all, the recently-retired Ryan Fitzpatrick (34,990 passing yards and 223 profession TDs), by no means appeared in a postseason sport.
Purdy is on observe to make historical past.
Are Brady and the Bucs again?
As for Brady and the Bucs, a postseason spot remains to be not assured after a dreadfully difficult marketing campaign wherein they at one stage slipped to 3-5 after 5 defeats in six, earlier than rectifying the ship considerably in latest weeks with three wins in 4.
The most recent of these was a 17-16 success over the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night time Soccer final week, with Brady producing some trademark late magic with two landing passes inside the ultimate three minutes to stun their NFC South rivals.
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A take a look at how Tom Brady threw two landing passes inside the ultimate three minutes in a surprising comeback win over the New Orleans Saints
The Bucs had been held scoreless since taking the lead with a area objective on their opening drive. Trailing 16-3 with little greater than 5 minutes left, Brady – who accomplished 36 of 54 passes for 281 yards on the evening – first tossed a TD to Cade Otton from down close to the objective line to cap a 10-play, 91-yard drive.
The Saints swiftly punted the ball again to Tampa with two minutes and 29 seconds nonetheless on the clock after going three-and-out on offense and, ranging from his personal 37-yard line, Brady engineered an NFL-record forty fourth comeback victory within the fourth quarter or additional time, breaking a tie with Peyton Manning.
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Highlights of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers towards the New Orleans Saints from Week 13 of the NFL season
The win moved the Bucs (6-6) again to .500 on the season and strengthened their grasp on the lowly NFC South division… whereas additionally serving as a reminder that whereas Brady’s skills have diminished considerably with age, he and the Buccaneers – Tremendous Bowl champions simply two years in the past – are to not be counted out.
If Brady holds the ball late, look out!
Brady faces fearsome Niners protection
That being mentioned, the win over the Saints was nonetheless an in any other case underwhelming efficiency by a Tampa Bay offense which has persistently struggled this season, racked within the backside 5 of the league (twenty seventh).
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A take a look at a few of the greatest blunders from Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense this season
The Buccaneers have scored 22 or fewer factors in every of their final eight video games – the longest such streak by any group with Brady at QB, with the earlier excessive mark being solely 5 video games with the Patriots in 2019 – and have solely topped 22 as soon as in any respect this season, again in Week 4 towards the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.
They usually now face the massively daunting prospect of a highway sport in San Francisco towards the 49ers’ No 1 ranked protection, which leads the league in scoring (15.8 factors per sport allowed), whole yards (283.9 allowed), and speeding (75.6 yards per sport).
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Highlights of the Miami Dolphins towards the San Francisco 49ers from Week 13 of the NFL season
NFL columnist Peter King mentioned on Professional Soccer Discuss this week: “All of us take a look at Monday evening and say, ‘by no means depend Brady out, nice within the fourth quarter – they’re this never-say-die group’. Let’s neglect all of that for a minute.
“The Buccaneers of their final seven video games are averaging 16 factors per sport. Their offense, with all due respect to Brady – who’s principally conserving them afloat – now performs the perfect protection in soccer.
“In the event that they rating within the 20s, it is a Christmas miracle for the Bucs.”
Simms concurs. “This can be a loopy assertion, however I am extra frightened about Tom Brady than I’m Brock Purdy on this sport!”
You could not get two extra contrasting QBs lining up towards one another on Sunday. Purdy had simply turned two years outdated when Brady received his first Tremendous Bowl title… however the rookie – mixed with a fearsome protection – might properly ship a crushing blow to the long run Corridor of Famer’s hopes of claiming an eighth.
Watch Tom Brady and Brock Purdy go face to face because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers go to the San Francisco 49ers, dwell on Sky Sports activities NFL, as a part of the Sunday evening triple-header which will get below approach from 5pm; kick-off at 9.25pm
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