[jplarson]

On another note, did you see the Brock Purdy cards on the Leaf website?

49ers uni (albeit without logos), but there’s a Pro Set RC for $7.99 and an auto for $169.99.

I’m not a big fan of the auto design, too busy for me, but given the prices of his autos right now (especially after today’s win over the Seahawks), that’s a bargain at the moment.

I did order one of the RCs, though … it’s a nice looking card, hopefully it’s the same thick, glossy card stock of their previous cards.

They do a really nice job in general and I am rooting for them to get licensed someday.

Maybe I'm crazy now but I could have sworn they had an autograph version of the '89 Pro Set for Purdy but I can't find evidence of it anymore, may it always was that Rookie Standout card.  At any rate I agree and pulled the trigger on picking up two of the Pro Set rookies plus the far too busy Rookie Standout autograph for $129.99.  It's more likely than not he's a flash in the pan but more fun than going halvsies on a box of 2021 Panini Select H2

[dogger99]

It's more likely than not he's a flash in the pan but more fun than going halvsies on a box of 2021 Panini Select H2

You never know.  He may be this generations Tom Brady.  Somebody will be.  May as well be Purdy.

[ZSDOne]

On another note, did you see the Brock Purdy cards on the Leaf website?

49ers uni (albeit without logos), but there’s a Pro Set RC for $7.99 and an auto for $169.99.

Auto card is at $129.99, not $169.99 - and yes, I ordered one as well as the Rookie Pro Set.

I was pretty good with my picks for the first round missing only the Giants (I knew that Tompa over Dallas was a sucker's bet) beating Minnesota 

In the NFC, you know what I want but I'm going to skip making picks to avoid any sort of jinx.

In the AFC I don't really have a preference - I'm honestly fine with any of the remaining AFC teams winning - my pick in Kansas City hosts Cincy in the Championship 

Reasoning - Kansas City is just a better team that Jacksonville and I think Jacksonville has reached their peak given their current roster

Cincy is mad at the league favoring Buffalo - they are going to come out super motivated to make it not matter

[ZSDOne]

The Conference Championship Games are Set and they could be a couple of Gem Fire Bangers - or a couple of yawnfests.

The NFC Championship Game will be a Gem Fire Banger if the Eagles win in any way (my biased opinion) or if the Eagles offense gets hot and their sometime defensive struggles show up (could also be a Gem Fire Banger defensive matchup)

It will be a yawnfest if Brock Purdy does the type of implosion he was infamous for doing in big games at Iowa State (see for example the 2021 Iowa game) and the Eagles best offensive line in the league beats the best defense in the league or Jalen Hurts shows why everyone's reaction to the Eagles drafting him in the Second Round was "huh?" and the Eagles struggle against the 49ers Defense while the Eagles struggles against the run appear.

I honestly could see anything happening - close game with either team winning or a blow out with either team (although if it is a blowout, I think it would be more likely the Eagles winning since San Francisco has to fly across the country to play in a hostile environment). I am still not fully sold on either Brock Purdy or this Eagles team - probably because being one of the few combination Iowa State/Philadelphia Eagles fans in existence both have burned me so often when I started to believe (other than the 2017 Eagles team).

The AFC could be an absolute Gem Fire Banger if Mahomes is able to go and he and Burrow have a quarterback duel for the ages.

If could be a yawnfest if Mahomes is limited and Kansas City's offense struggles or if the Bengal's bad offensive line causes problems.

From a collecting standpoint, the only way I will not have an auto card of the starting winning Super Bowl QB is if one of the back ups (other than Gardner Minshew, I got a Minshew auto because Eagle) wins it.

[CMCFan22]

I saw something online comparing Mahomes/Burrow to Brady/Manning, in terms of rivalry, while claiming Josh Allen to be Big Ben. Also saw something comparing the Bills to the Packers.

At least I'm not a Cowboys fan who had to watch that last play unfold.

[rjcj2017]

It amazes me that some of these wanna-be teams like the Texans passed on Brock Purdy nine times.

[CMCFan22]

It amazes me that some of these wanna-be teams like the Texans passed on Brock Purdy nine times.

Idiots, all of them!

[ZSDOne]

It amazes me that some of these wanna-be teams like the Texans passed on Brock Purdy nine times.

I have a feeling Purdy would look terrible on the Texans.

Watch Purdy last year at Iowa State and watch him now and you'll see that someone at San Francisco has done a fantastic job with coaching - he has eliminated or limited much of the bad habits he displayed at Iowa State (although it might also be possible that Iowa State just had poor coaching and they failed to properly develop Purdy). 

You can't say that Purdy would have had the same results with different coaching.

But this is one thing that few people mention about Purdy - Purdy was officially only a 3 Star Recruit - however, he picked Iowa State over Alabama - Nick Sabin wanted him and Alabama was seriously recruiting him.  Had he gone to Alabama, he probably would have been a First Round Draft Pick.

[rjcj2017]

Idiots, all of them!

Facts

And it amazes me how often the draft people and scouts "hit" and "miss" on players.

Like ZSDOne mentioned above, though, a lot of factors go into a player's development - coaching, continuity (I think Peyton Manning had one offensive coordinator his entire time in Indy?), talent around that player, etc.

I still maintain to this day that Joey Harrington would have been a very, very good QB for the Lions if they hadn't changed coaches and coordinators multiple times while he was there.

Then again, if that happened, they probably wouldn't have drafted Matthew Stafford, because Joey would have been firmly entrenched in his seventh season as a perennial Pro Bowl quarterback ...

And if they have never drafted Stafford, they couldn't have traded him for Jared Goff once GM Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell took over the leadership of the Detroit Lions ...

It's gotta be an insane amount of pressure for any young quarterback to have to memorize a new 300-page playbook every single season. 

But hopefully Purdy is changing the perception of "game manager," which up until now has always had sort of a negative connotation ... if by "game manager" you mean making the right throws accurately when they need to be made, while playing within the framework of a good running game and defense AND not coughing up the ball at horrible times on stupid mistakes , then I'll take it.

But as I've learned throughout all my wins and near-miss podium finishes in our office football pool, law of averages catches up to every team on a massive winning or losing streak at some point.

If I were a betting man, I'd say the magic ride for the 49ers ends in Philly.

[ZSDOne]

Leaf now has Metal Pro Set Purdy cards - base only - of course, I ordered them because these are p.c. cards

I just thought I'd be buying like National Treasures College auto relics of Purdy for my $20 by now.

It's actually funny when you think about it - many considered the Eagles drafting Hurts in the Second Round to be one of the worst draft picks ever - Hurts being drafted in the Second Round obscures the fact that some people questioned whether he should be drafted at all - Hurts going to Alabama and then Oklahoma obscures the fact that he's more than a little bit of an NFL underdog himself. I suspect that many players who are not traditional NFL quarterbacks but bring strong intangibles to the table will love the fact that Hurts and Purdy both could well open the door for them - or not. Both Purdy and Hurts are quarterbacks who people thought had a ceiling as college players and then maybe a couple of years as a backup before probably going into coaching. Baliey Zappe is another one as well.

I'd even note that Patrick Mahomes was hardly a can't miss generational talent - many thought the Chiefs made a mistake in drafting him and that he was drafted too high - many predicted he'd be a bust - even the ones who thought he would be good never imagined he'd be that good - of the Championship Week quarterbacks, only Joe Burrow came into the NFL as being an universally heralded - and he went to one of hte biggest underdog teams in the NFL

This is in a way something to celebrate - it's lost now how many people derided Kansas City for drafting Mahomes and how heavily the Hurts draft pick in Philadelphia was panned - even people who understood taking Hurts thought he was drafted several rounds too early - but now they are both MVP candidates.

As I said, I think that both of these games could see anything happen. In a way, every one of the championship teams is proof of that.