LAS VEGAS — It really wasn’t much different for Tom Brady, the first time he fulfilled his childhood dream to play in a Super Bowl and win it, than it is now for Brock Purdy.
Brady wasn’t Mr. Irrelevant, but he was the 199th pick of his draft, and when Bill Belichick tabbed him to start Super Bowl XXXVI over Drew Bledsoe, he was a prohibitive underdog against the Rams.
He was 24 years old.
It was his second season
Brock Purdy is 24 years old.
It is his second season.
Kurt Warner was even more irrelevant than Mr. Irrelevant before he authored his inspirational rags-to-riches story — the Cedar Groves, Iowa, stockboy who shocked the world as Super Bowl XXXIV MVP for the Rams — that was made into a movie, “American Underdog.”
He was 28 years old.
It was his second season.
Mahomes was the 10th pick of his draft.
Purdy was the 262d pick of his draft
Brock versus Goliath.
On a stage that can make him the most relevant quarterback in 49ers history since Steve Young in 1994 and Joe Montana before him.
The 49ers are nevertheless favored over the Chiefs, even with this underdog quarterback who has this dream chance to make the loudest possible statement on the biggest possible stage for all the world to hear:
I am nobody’s game manager.
I am a winner, and Patrick Mahomes does not scare me.
Brock Purdy wasn’t supposed to be the one expected to carry the hopes and dreams of a proud franchise, which has endured a 28-year championship drought.
Trey Lance was supposed to be the one, because it became clear to GM John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan that Jimmy Garoppolo wasn’t the one.
Then when it became clear that Trey Lance wouldn’t be the one, Brock Purdy made his move.
And here he is … Mr. Irrelevant no more.
Believing that he has every right to hoist his first Lombardi Trophy as Mahomes has to hoist his third.
Just as all the other underdog quarterbacks from Joe Namath — even as Mr. Relevant — to Phil Simms to Eli Manning to Nick Foles — believed they could meet the magnitude of the moment on their first Super Sunday. And you won’t find anyone around the 49ers who expects Purdy to blink now in the biggest football moment of his life.
It is all hands on deck when Mahomes is the opposing gunslinger, and it is comforting to 49ers fans that Purdy has all of his dynamic hands on his deck: the best running back in the land in Christian McCaffrey, wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, tight end George Kittle and the best play-caller in the land in Shanahan.
It doesn’t mean Purdy can afford to engage Mahomes in any shootout, because few live to tell about it when they do. Purdy’s best chance is to summon the endless supply of moxie inside him and find a way to win, if and when his team needs him to, with the Lombardi on the line.
“There is no doubt that he is not as physically talented as a lot of guys we have in our league,” Warner said. “That’s a fact. But to me it doesn’t matter. We can look at him and look at them and go, ‘ There’s something missing that he doesn’t have.’ But we’re missing things that he has that play out playing quarterback. We can’t put our finger on it. Layering the pass, processing information, nobody sees that.”
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo sees that.
“To me, you can put him in the group of elite quarterbacks,” Spagnuolo said. “When you start talking about winning playoff games and being as efficient as he is, how do you not talk that way? We put that film on last week and watched game after game, and he just stands out in terms of poise, how accurate he is, how well he functions in that offense and how he makes the other 10 guys around him better.”
The 10 guys and coaches around him would agree. Not everyone is as convinced a Pro Bowl berth has changed the narrative for Purdy. “He’s going to have to do some things where they win because of him,” Warner said.
“I still think Brock has a lot to prove — rightfully so, he’s played for a year-and-a-half — but shoot, let’s do it with a Super Bowl title on my back.”
Purdy brought the 49ers back from the brink at the end against the Packers. He brought the 49ers back from a 24-7 halftime deficit against the Lions. Purdy missed a chance to meet Mahomes last season in Super Bowl LVII when his elbow was ruined by Haason Reddick in the first quarter of the NFC Championship game in Philadelphia. Purdy will be bringing that giant chip he has played with since defying the odds to Allegiant Stadium on Sunday night.
“It’s 11-on-11, we can’t buy into all the emotion and everything that goes into it in terms of it being the Super Bowl,” Purdy said. “The offense has to put up points. We’ve got to be able to play whatever kind of game it looks like.”
He has come a long way from Mr. Irrelevant. Now, with the world watching, Brock Purdy tries to be the most relevant pain possible in Patrick Mahomes’ neck.
Melanie Fitch is the daughter of the late founder of Mr. Irrelevant, Paul Salata — who played for the 49ers.
“It’s just the perfect culmination of all things ‘Irrelevant,’ ” her daughter, Alix Fitch told The Post, and chuckled.
Mother and daughter will be at the game cheering for Purdy, one of their favorite Mr. Irrelevants.
“He made a calzone, we had him throw this pizza, and then we had him throw these walnuts, and then we had him throw these mini-footballs, ’cause he’s a quarterback, we’re playing with him. We’re ecstatic. We’re over the moon,” Melanie Fitch told the Post.
“We told him that he was going to probably have endorsements and stuff so we wanted him to practice a commercial, so we gave him these cue cards to read about a hemorrhoid commercial. He was great! He goes, ‘Got hemorrhoids? I can help you with that.’ ”
