George Kittle says it’s ‘disrespectful’ to compare Brock Purdy to Mac Jones

Oct 11, 2023, 12:00 PM | Updated: 12:33 pm

Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after a 42-10 victory against the Dallas Cowboys ...

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Sports Editor/Writer

The San Francisco 49ers are riding high after beating the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. Despite that, people still want to take shots at Brock Purdy, so much so that George Kittle had to step up and defend his quarterback.

The 49ers’ tight end came to the defense of Purdy during an appearance on KNBR this week, discussing a viral clip from former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky. During ESPN’s show Get Up, Orlovsky stated that New England Patriots Mac Jones would play as good as Purdy if he was on the 49ers.

That statement was met with swift rejection during the segment, and afterward by players and media personalities alike.

“I saw that this morning. That’s disrespectful to Brock Purdy,” Goerge Kittle told KNBR’s Murph and Mac Tuesday. “I think Mac Jones is a fine quarterback. What Brock’s doing, you look at his stats, just watch the tape. People just say, ‘Oh, I see his stats, I see some of the things they talk about on ‘Sunday Night Football.’ No, just watch him move in the pocket, watch some of these throws that he’s making.”

Dan Orlovsky says Mac Jones would do the same thing as Brock Purdy if he were in the 49ers offense

Kittle's response: "Watch the tape." pic.twitter.com/4m6qOUxV66

— KNBR (@KNBR) October 10, 2023

Purdy, 23, has been lights out to start the 2023 campaign, leading the NFL in QB rating (83.6). Through the first five games, the Iowa State alum has 1,271 passing yards, 11 total touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He is also 10-0 as a regular season starter, tied for second-most wins to start a career.

Despite that, the QB and the team could still improve, with Kittle acknowledging that himself. But at the end of the day, the 49ers are a heavily-discussed franchise that usually has a bit of quarterback controversy around it.

That, along with Purdy’s playing style, are the reasons why Kittle thinks his QB gets a lot of stick from outside the organization.

“Sure, is there room for improvement? There’s room for improvement on all of us. We can all get better,” Kittle stated. The reason for Brock [and] it’s all the focus on him is that he’s the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, and we’re 5-0. It’s one of the most historic franchises; there’s always a quarterback, some type of…Not controversy, but someone always wants to say something about the 49ers quarterback, and that’s what [Orlovsky] talked about.

“OK, so let him talk about it. Just watch the tape and watch what [Purdy] does every single game. It’s phenomenal.”

Other teammates of Purdy have also spoken out about the gunslinger, with wide receiver Deebo Samuel calling him “the real deal” most recently.