Brock Purdy’s connection with Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins
Brock Purdy is the talk of the league, and much of his play style and motivation can be traced to Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins.
The San Francisco 49ers have been enjoying the surprising upstart performance of 7th round rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, thanks in large part to the Miami Dolphins.
The 49ers were on their second quarterback of the season after Jimmy Garoppolo took over Trey Lance, who was injured in Week 2. Garoppolo was playing well, and bolstered by the league’s top defense, San Francisco were quickly becoming one of the favorites for the Super Bowl. But early in their Week 13 game against the Dolphins, they would have to turn to a rookie 7th round draft pick when Garoppolo was injured on a combined sack from Jerome Baker and Jaelan Phillips.
Brock Purdy was an immediate sensation. He played with poise, making plays against a Dolphins’ defense whose game plan was to blitz and attack him. He evaded pressure, made crucial throws, and performed well enough to defeat Miami in what should have been a far more competitive contest.
Purdy proved that he was not just a one-week wonder, backing up his initial performance by winning his first two starts. The 49ers have defeated the Buccaneers and Seahawks over the last couple of weeks, with Purdy being an excellent compliment to San Francisco’s dominant defense, and their remaining schedule isn’t exactly a murders row.
But Baker and Phillips taking down Garoppolo and being the party responsible for the quarterback change isn’t the only connection that the Miami Dolphins have with Brock Purdy. There is a reason he wears the number 13.
As it turns out, Brock’s father Shawn is a Dolphins fan. He was a huge fan of Dan Marino, and actually watched a game from inside the hospital on the day Brock was born. He would pass on his fascination with the gunslinger to his son.
Brock was raised well after Marino retired, but that didn’t stop him from being enamored with the Dolphins’ great. “Dan Marino is just a winner,” Brock said during an interview in 2018. “He does whatever it takes to win. He elevates his teammates’ game around him. When I go back and watch his highlights and things that he did, I try to put that on how I play the game.”
Not only does Purdy wear the number 13 in honor of Marino, but his first real NFL action came with his idol sitting up in one of the luxury boxes, too. It seems as though the reaction to Purdy by Dolphins fans has been mostly split, but his connection and affinity with Dan Marino could be a reason to root for him, even if you do it quietly.