Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers looks on after a game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on Nov. 23, 2023, in Seattle.
Jane Gershovich/Getty ImagesFox Sports’ Colin Cowherd took a painfully on-brand approach to explain why he prefers Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts over 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.
Previewing Sunday’s game on his television show Thursday, Cowherd stated that the “one thing that does make me pause on San Francisco” was the quarterback. To his credit, the 59-year-old host did not resort to the hackneyed takes about Purdy’s lack of arm strength, or his heavy reliance on superstar teammates. However, his reasoning was a lot more ridiculous.
“I like my quarterbacks to be adults. I don’t want them to be frat boys,” Cowherd began as an enlarged photo of Hurts appeared next to him on screen. “So Jalen Hurts at the podium is the best podium quarterback in the league. Hat on forward, professional, almost manicured. Got that CEO-like — a real grown-up.
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“Brock Purdy: ‘Hey, you guys want to hit some golf balls,’” Cowherd continued with a strange impression that falls between a stereotypical New Yorker and, I guess, a frat boy. “Got a hat on backwards. He’s not a franchise quarterback. I mean, come on. If that guy came to move your couch, you’d be like, ‘Are you a professional?’”
It’s worth noting that Cowherd goes on this strange rant all while suppressing a smile, particularly just before he calls on Purdy’s dad to demand his son turn his hat around.
Still, this isn’t too far from Cowherd’s more sincere rants and ravings. The frat boy pejorative is reminiscent of his feud with Baker Mayfield, which began when the middle-aged host started getting into it with Mayfield over his behavior. Cowherd’s track record of calling for a dad’s influence into a professional athlete’s life is also not the best — just ask John Wall.
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The good news for Niners fans is that history shows this is actually a good thing for San Francisco. Cowherd tried this backwards hat insult with Mayfield ahead of a playoff game against the Steelers in 2021, claiming that the then-Cleveland quarterback practically guaranteed a loss because of the way he wore his hat. The Browns beat the Steelers 48-37, and Mayfield would turn his hat forward after the win. Perhaps a similar outcome awaits the Niners ahead of their biggest game of the season.