Let’s overanalyze all of this right away
No sooner that we get done overanalyzing Trey Lance and his throwing motion, in comes San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy attending baseball games. Let’s overanalyze the [site decorum] out of this.
Ok, so first, let’s go back to where this video was posted. Behold: Brock Purdy standing up and showing his throwing arm while at Oracle Park watching the San Francisco Giants:
The effortless manner in which Brock Purdy waved and took a handshake/slap with his right hand is a clear indication his recovery from elbow surgery is coming along just fine.
pic.twitter.com/qrdPBeVE4d— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) April 22, 2023
No brace! And he is waving that arm around. What does this mean for the future? Absolutely nothing. It means just as Matt Maiocco states: coming along just fine. No more, no less.
So there’s a few rumblings of Purdy without the brace and people thinking he’d be speeding up his rehab. Whatever. Purdy has some of the best doctors and rehab specialists working with him, it’s doubtful they’d “speed things up” just to get him on the field, especially after such a delicate surgery as his. This isn’t exactly a hamstring tear. But I’ll be first to admit I’m not a doctor and I have been wrong plenty of times before.
Jason has a great writeup of this discussing how Purdy shed the arm brace and then proceeds to break down the reality of the situation. Purdy himself has said he doesn’t know if he’d be playing for 2023 and while it’s matter-of-factly, it’s also indicative they aren’t expediting anything. What this looks like is just a dude at a baseball game progressing on his rehab as scheduled.
Feel free to overanalyze to oblivion.
The thing worth analyzing is the standing ovation received from the Bay Area for their quarterback. It’s not exactly the “Purdy” chants against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it’s something:
Standing O at Oracle for Brock Purdy! pic.twitter.com/7PGSgXrfH0
— KNBR (@KNBR) April 22, 2023
If this is any indication, the popular vote may be in for who should be the starting quarterback. Regardless of this reception Trey Lance still has a chance to prove he’s “The Guy” for a week or two until Purdy is cleared, if he is cleared. There’s a lot of discussion that Lance shouldn’t lose his job due to injury, but my question is: was it ever his job to begin with? The 49ers made a change at quarterback due to salary cap constraints and their previous QB’s availability. Beyond a team trading three first round picks to draft him, Lance hasn’t earned anything yet.
Even Lance himself has said he doesn’t want anything given to him. Which is really the best answer he could give. The one thing apparent is: the moment Brock Purdy starts is the moment the Trey Lance era ends. It might be Week 1 where Lance gets no chance, it might be Week 2 when he’s available, it might be Week 5 after struggles. Once Purdy is starting a game, we can then look to Brock Purdy as the future. All Lance can do is make it difficult.
If Lance can make the decision difficult, IE: working on his short game and accuracy, then watch out. The 49ers would be unstoppable. Until then, watch videos.