The San Francisco 49ers have been a smashing success this season. The Niners haven’t lost since mid-October, carrying a 10-game winning streak into the NFL’s Super Wild Card Weekend. And legendary former 49ers quarterback Steve Young believes he knows the team’s secret to their success.
Brock Purdy has been sensational in relief for the Niners this season. 2022’s “Mr. Irrelevant” in the NFL Draft assumed starting quarterback duties after Jimmy Garoppolo went down with injury. Considering former first-round pick Trey Lance suffered a season-ending injury, Purdy had to be thrust into the lineup even at third-string. San Francisco has yet to lose since Purdy assumed duties. The win streak has created an unbelievable story that could well continue if the red-hot Niners keep winning.
Per the San Francisco Chronicle, Young had lots of praise for Purdy, but believes the secret to the success is head coach Kyle Shanahan.
“This is not a knock against (Purdy), this is just what he’s asked to do,” Young said. “But rate the degree of difficulty (on his passes), maybe on a scale of one to five. And see how many times it’s over a three. And then go watch (Tampa Bay’s) Tom Brady. Or these other offenses that are really struggling with no speed and no talent. And these great players — how many times do they have to do things that are three, four and five? It’s amazing.”
Young continued, praising how Shanahan “controls a game.”
“Think about how (Shanahan) controls a game to the better qualities of his quarterback,” Young said. “How do I create an environment to allow my quarterback to be as good as he can be at whatever they are doing? He did that for Jimmy. It’s remarkable. I don’t want it be like I’m overstating it and it’s just like, ‘Oh, I just love Kyle Shanahan.’ But I just find myself every week just saying the same thing over and over, like ‘I can’t believe how he is able to do it.’”
It shouldn’t come too much a surprise that Young has favored the Shanahans. Kyle’s father, Mike, was Young’s offensive coordinator when he quarterbacked San Francisco in the early 1990s. In fact, the two once joked with each other after Young and the Niners won Super Bowl 34. Young threw six touchdown passes that night, a Super Bowl record. Shanahan wanted eight and joked he was upset.
