Was Matt Campbell Holding Brock Purdy Back? A Perspective Article.

It’s no question that Brock Purdy has taken the NFL world by storm. He has won all six of his career starts and has posted the best average quarterback rating in the NFL this season. Many people questioned his production in the postseason under the big lights, this was no challenge for Mr. Irrelevant whatsoever. Brock Purdy threw for 332 yards, three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown, and on top of all of that, he broke history by posting the greatest quarterback rating in postseason history. Brock Purdy is not only capable, but he has proven he can lead a team in a playoff game.

In the wake of Brock Purdy’s excellence under center, there has of course been detractors. Some people have attributed his success to the 49ers excellent skill positions (Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle) and Kyle Shanahan's play calling. However, in particular, there has been some buzz around Matt Campbell’s competence as a Head Coach. I, myself, have begged the question and was met with severe blowback from multiple fans of Iowa State. So, I asked the question on The Iowan Perspective’s twitter account of whether Matt Campbell was holding Brock Purdy back in Iowa State, and I was met with some compelling responses and ideas.

Without further ado, Iowa, let’s hear your perspective.

Heather -

• “Since Brock Purdy has credited Matt Campbell over and over again for his NFL success, I'm going with what the man himself says. Purdy has a LOT of playing experience from college that he may not have gotten anywhere else.”

Heather does mention how Brock Purdy himself credits his success in the NFL to Matt Campbell. If the young man thinks that Matt Campbell never hindered his success in college and even praises him for his capability in the pros, then this is a closed case. Right? However I cannot imagine how an Iowa State team boasting Brock Purdy, Breece Hall, Xavier Hutchinson, and Will McDonald IV finished with a record of 7-5 in 2021. Jason seems to have an answer to this question.

Jason -

• “He didn’t have the best OL in the NFL. Didn’t have Kittle, Debo, CMC or Aiyuk making plays and getting open.”

Jason highlights Iowa State’s depleted OL in 2021, which is certainly a contributing factor to Iowa State’s offensive production.

Bret -

• “At ISU Brock wasn’t surrounded by a Professional football team.”

GlorifiedGee -

• “This is such a stupid debate. His job now is football. He does it 8+ hours a day. With a well funded, NFL!!!!, staff. He was going to class, making grades, limited in his time at practice by rules, and was 18-22 yr old or whatever. Literally does nothing but football now.”

A reoccurring perspective that people like to point out is that Brock Purdy is surrounded by a professional football team now. The 49ers have arguably the best offense and certainly one of the best defenses in the league. There is no denying that this squad accentuates Brock Purdy’s production. However he is also playing against significantly better defenses than what he saw at college.

Mike -

• “Everyone arguing that he didn't have the caliber of playmakers that he does now are also forgetting that he wasn't exactly going up against top shelf NFL defenses either.”

At the end of the day, I think that Bob and Brent sum up this conversation very nicely.

Bob -

• “I think one thing that is in Brock’s favor is that he played at ISU for four years in the same system. A lot of the qb’s come out early and just don’t have the reps against defenses. His experience, even tho a rookie, is better than others. Plus he had good coaching in Ames.”

Brent -

• “What other people besides Caleb are saying this?”

In the meantime, sit back and watch Brock Purdy cook. And be proud that he was our guy in cardinal and yellow for four years. But most of all, I would like to thank everyone for giving their perspective.