Ex-Falcons HC Mike Smith lauds Brock Purdy for helping 49ers play to their strengths (Exclusive)

The San Francisco 49ers are back in the NFC Championship game. Amid all the hullaballoo of the CIncinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs' return to the AFC Championship, many have forgotten just how well the 49ers have done this season.

While Cincinnati has Joe Burrow and Kansas City, has Mahomes, San Francisco has had to go through three quarterbacks this season alone.

One person who has certainly been impressed by it, has been former NFL head coach Mike Smith. As the most successful coach in Atlanta Falcons history, he certainly knows how to build a winning team and take them to the playoffs.

He saluted the 49ers' resourcefulness throughout the year at the quarterback position and was also keen to highlight their defensive strengths too, when he spoke exclusively to Sportskeeda's "The BallFather Podcast".

"Who would've thought they'd be in the NFC Championship game. Not only that, they lost Trey Lance in week three, and they lost Jimmy Garoppolo, I believe, in week 11. Yes, and now they're, you know, now they're playing with their third string quarterback and they're playing in the NFC Championship game. But to get back to the game yesterday, what a classic defensive bass. Both defenses control the game."

Coach Smith reserved special praise for Brock Purdy for managing the game effectively and doing enough on offense to overcome the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional Round.

He lauded the rookie quarterback for playing to their strengths and understanding the assignment in order to win the game for San Francisco.

"You know, Brock Purdy kept his team in the game, and he does a great job. And I hate to use this term 'game manager', but he did a great job managing their offense and the way that their offense is set up."

He added:

"That was to be able to run the football, play to your strength, which is your defense and don't make mistakes and he's got some playmakers on the offensive side of the football that he can get the ball to and he did it just enough for them to get to W."

Can Brock Purdy join the vaunted San Francisco 49ers QB roll call?

When the season began, Brock Purdy was an afterthought. Now, he might become the first rookie quarterback to win a Super Bowl. However, beating the Eagles in Philadelphia will be no mean feat.

If he does, he will join Hall-of-Famers Joe Montana and Steve Young in the pantheon of 49ers greats. Not a bad company for Mr. Irrelevant in this year's draft.