Brock Purdy's journey from 'Mr. Irrelevant' to NFL spotlight reflects Israel's resilience - opinion

With a war going on, nobody in Israel is thinking about which team to root for, the Kansas City Chiefs or the San Francisco 49ers, in Super Bowl LVIII taking place this Sunday in Las Vegas.

For me, a lifelong 49ers fan, it’s a no-brainer. I was born in San Francisco and raised in Palo Alto, just a short drive from the 49ers’ current home, Levi’s Stadium. Before making aliyah in the mid 1990s, I watched my hometown NFL team win 5 Super Bowls (in 1981,’84,’88,’89, & ‘94), led by Hall of Famers Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, and head coach Bill Walsh. However, the 49ers have not won a Super Bowl since the 1994/95 season, 29 long years ago.

I have watched every 49ers game from Israel (mostly on the internet), including the franchise’s two Super Bowl losses, to the Baltimore Ravens 11 years ago, and a heartbreaker to the Kansas City Chiefs four seasons ago. This year’s Super Bowl is a rematch of the one from four years ago. The Chiefs are still led by head coach Andy Reid, superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and their tight end – and music icon Taylor Swift’s new boyfriend – Travis Kelce.

For head coach Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers, star holdovers from his Super Bowl losing team of four years ago include Debo Samuel, Fred Warner, Nick Bosa and George Kittle. The main new addition to the 49ers is All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey (CMC) who joined the team last year.

The Chiefs won the Super Bowl last year (narrowly beating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35) as well as the aforementioned Big Game against the 49ers four years ago (31-20, in a game the 49ers led 20-10 with seven minutes to go).  Meanwhile, the 49ers Super Bowl winning drought is nearly three decades old.If that’s not a good enough reason to root for the 49ers, I’ll give you another - Brock Purdy.

Purdy is the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers. He is not a household name - yet. Purdy is only 24 years old, stands a mere 6”1 (not tall at all by NFL quarterback standards),  and is in his second NFL season. He is perhaps most famous for being the 262nd - and final - pick of the 2022 NFL draft, otherwise known as “Mr. Irrelevant.”

Purdy is the Israel of the NFL

According to Wikipedia: “Mr. Irrelevant is the nickname given to the person who is drafted with the very last overall pick in the NFL Draft as a disreputable reference to how the public and teams evaluate their skill level. Most players drafted with the very last draft pick do not go on to complete storied or notable careers. Oftentimes a player chosen with this pick is released from the team that drafted them before preseason or training camps begin. Some notable exceptions include... Brock Purdy.”

Purdy was thrust into action last season when the two quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart (Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo) got injured. Purdy proceeded to lead the 49ers to victory in all five games he started and two more in the playoffs. His season abruptly ended in last year’s NFC Championship when he tore his UCL in his throwing elbow. However, he bounced back this season, leading the 49ers to the NFC’s top seed, winning two playoff games against Green Bay and Detroit  in come-from-behind fashion, including a 17-point halftime deficit in the conference championship that punched the 49ers ticket to the Super Bowl.

No, Purdy is not Jewish - but he is quite religious. Devout in his faith, he gives thanks to God in every interview. A quiet Arizona kid who chose to play college ball at Iowa State, Purdy looks and acts like the boy next door - until he gets on the field.

Teammates have described Purdy’s poise under pressure as amazing, almost Joe Montana-like. He remains calm, but confident. He throws the football with strength and accuracy and will take off running with the ball when needed. Tom Brady, considered by many the greatest quarterback in NFL history, has praised Purdy, noting that the Mr. Irrelevant is out “to prove people wrong.” As to Purdy’s on-field demeanor, I’ve heard sports talk show host Rich Eisen describe Purdy as “Bambi with fangs.”

Israelis are called ‘sabras’ after the thorny desert plant (known in English as a prickly pear), with its thick skin that conceals a sweet, softer interior. Native Israelis are referred to as sabras because they are tough on the outside, but sweet and caring on the inside (once you get to know them, of course).

But Brock Purdy is the opposite of a sabra. He is a sweet, aw-shucks, kid when you first see him off the field, but once he steps on the gridiron he turns into a field general in the huddle, a fierce competitor.

If there is one thing I have witnessed since the start of Operation Iron Swords is that our IDF soldiers are kind and caring when we see them being interviewed, but when it comes time for battle with Hamas, they turn into fierce fighters, no more Mr. Nice Guy.

Although he has never said it publicly, I am sure Brock Purdy hates being reminded that he was the last pick of the NFL draft (that 261 players were chosen ahead of him and he was nearly not picked at all). He must also loathe the “Mr. Irrelevant” moniker. But if he manages to beat Mahomes and the Chiefs in the Super Bowl on Sunday, he will go from being “Mr. Irrelevant” to “Mr. Super Relevant”.

Israel is a tiny country, Mr. Irrelevant in terms of size on the world map, but it has never stopped us before. We have been overlooked, bypassed, stepped on, counted out, you name it. But we have not only persevered, we have flourished and won.

Israel is a warrior – and that’s Purdy good.

The writer is a journalist at CTech.