49ers' George Kittle addresses Brock Purdy 'game manager' controversy

San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle believes San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey should win the Most Valuable Player Award over quarterback Brock Purdy, but that doesn't mean Kittle views Purdy as merely a "game manager." 

"There's no one that manages the game quite like him," Kittle sarcastically said about Purdy during an appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show," as shared by David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. "Isn't it wild? Everyone just looks for, 'Hey, what can I say today that people are going to argue with?' And the one thing about 49ers fans is they like to argue with people who talk crap about any of their players, about their franchise."

Multiple 49ers teammates and analysts defended Purdy against criticisms before and after former NFL MVP Cam Newton controversially labeled the final pick of the 2022 draft a "game manager" rather than a "game-changer." The perception, fair or not, is that Purdy is fortunate to play alongside noteworthy talents such as Kittle, McCaffrey, offensive tackle Trent Williams, dual-threat weapon Deebo Samuel and others. 

Kittle disagrees and seemingly doesn't want to hear about Purdy failing to make highlight-reel plays in the same ways Kansas City Chiefs signal-caller Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens starter Lamar Jackson do.

"He's playing the quarterback position at an incredibly high level," Kittle added. "The way he drops back, his footwork, his reads, using his eyes to throw people off, the way that he gets the ball to his guys in space. I mean, he's playing at such a high level right now, and the consistency of it, too. It's hard to go out there and play football consistently, 24/7."

According to ESPN stats, Purdy leads the NFL with a 76.0 adjusted QBR, a 119.0 passer rating, 29 touchdown passes and an average of 9.9 yards per pass attempt. He's also second with 3,795 passing yards and a 69.8% completion percentage.

As of late Tuesday morning, oddschecker listed Purdy as the betting favorite at -200/-225 odds to win the MVP Award. He and the 11-3 49ers host the 11-3 Ravens on Christmas night.