Is Brock Purdy as good as he says his numbers are? Which is the real post Prescott; Monday night one or the NFL's interception leader?
Almost every conversation about this weekend's titanic clash revolves around these digestible narratives. Those in the know, know that this is much more concise than the simple answer. There are eye-test anecdotes that people rely on; but when was their last eye exam?
No, the numbers tell a more complete story. Analytics spits in the already mentioned eye of lies, damn lies and general breaks of statistics. They may not explain what is going to happen every time, but they certainly frame the picture of what might happen.
So for this Cowboys-49ers rematch and the latest chapter in an epic rivalry, it only makes sense to dive into the analysis to answer the first two questions.
For that, we brought out the big guns. Daniel Houston, better known by the handle Cowboy Stats (a must-follow) on Twitter, gives us insight into interesting QBs, their offenses and how they intersect in a detailed Q&A session.
Cowboy Wire: Let's start with the elephant in the room. Has Kyle Shanahan created the most QB-friendly offense in the world?
Do the metrics have insight into how much of their success is independent of Brock Purdy and is there a numerical formula for what works against their offense?
Cowboy Stats: I think he has. Almost every quarterback who has played in Shanahan's offense — whether backup Jimmy Gee, high draft pick or Brock Purdy —
Has benefited from elite production in yards after the catch, even after accounting for downs, distance and target location. This is one area where game design seems to have a big impact on how these offense chains move.
That said, Purdy has so far excelled at completing passes on third down and running the offense in a way that no other Garoppolo backup has.