TEMPE, Ariz.: The Arizona Cardinals haven’t needed to say it out loud, but it surely’s clear the franchise is within the midst of a rebuild.
In a manner, so is quarterback Kyler Murray.
The No. 1 general decide in 2019 is navigating essentially the most difficult 18 months of his soccer profession, coping with a disappointing 2022 season, a devastating knee harm after which a training change. On prime of that, Cardinals first-12 months coach Jonathan Gannon and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing have not less than partially modified a few of Murray’s core fundamentals — notably his footwork.
The early returns are promising: Murray and the Cardinals have a 2-2 document since his return from an ACL tear in his proper knee and the quarterback has thrown for 864 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, together with working for 106 yards and three touchdowns.
Not unhealthy for a man nonetheless making massive changes to the way in which he performs.
“I just think there’s the feel aspect of it all,” Murray stated. “Something you can’t really put your finger on, but when you’ve been in a system for so long and the guys have been in it, and we all kind of know what each other are thinking and then you get into a new one — we’ve got to break old habits.”
Messing with Murray’s mechanics is a little bit of danger contemplating the quarterback was already profitable with out the modifications. He was the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 and a Pro Bowl choice throughout his second and third seasons. In a manner, it’d be like tinkering with a star shooter’s bounce shot within the NBA or an achieved slugger’s swing in MLB.
Petzing’s largest ask was that Murray begin along with his left foot ahead when receiving the snap as an alternative of his proper. That may not sound like a lot, but it surely was an enormous change from the way in which he had performed — and flourished — for the previous decade. He’s additionally often taking snaps immediately beneath heart as an alternative of within the shotgun.
“I knew I’d be able to do it, but it felt a little goofy initially,” Murray stated of fixing his footwork. “That’s something I could do in my sleep as far as being right foot up and then now having to switch to left foot up, it’s a little different.”
For his first 4 seasons within the NFL, Murray’s coach was Kliff Kingsbury, who was hand-picked as a result of his quarterback-pleasant Air Raid system was much like what Murray had run for years, relationship to his time in school at Oklahoma and even his highschool days.
The Kingsbury-Murray combo had some good moments — notably when the Cardinals began the 2021 season with a ten-2 document — however accidents and ineffective play ruined the potential storybook season. Last season began with excessive expectations, however shortly fell aside, and Murray’s harm in December despatched the franchise spiraling to a 4-13 document.
After the season, Kingsbury was fired and Gannon was employed.
The 40-12 months-outdated Gannon — a defensive coordinator with the Eagles earlier than he got here to the desert — introduced Petzing and a wholly new offense to the Cardinals.
For his half, Gannon has at all times appeared smitten with Murray’s perspective and potential.
“What I’ve learned is he’s ultra-competitive and he wants to do everything that he can to help our team win,” Gannon stated. “And I appreciate that. The type of accountability that he has bleeds onto the rest of the team and our team’s been great about it.”
It’s essential for the Cardinals to determine if Gannon and Murray are suitable over the subsequent month as they embark on a large rebuild. Murray signed a $230.5 million, 5-12 months deal earlier than the ’22 season that would maintain the quarterback with the franchise by means of 2028.
The Cardinals (3-10) have been piling up draft capital by means of trades and have 11 picks in 2024, together with two within the first spherical. Arizona figures to have a prime-5 choice, which might put them in play for a few of this 12 months’s elite quarterback prospects, together with USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
But if Murray is the Cardinals’ man beneath heart, they’ll goal a playmaker at one other place — somebody like Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
One key element is that Murray has purchased into the brand new Cardinals’ regime and seems prepared to make the changes the brand new teaching workers desires.
Arizona’s within the midst of its bye week and can have 4 video games remaining when gamers return. It’s a troublesome stretch, together with video games in opposition to the 49ers and Eagles, who’re among the many NFL’s greatest.
The video games may present a litmus check to see if Murray’s the QB of the franchise’s future.
Nothing is settled, however up to now, so good.
“Me and JG hit it off as soon as he got here,” Murray stated. “I think we see things the same way. I think the competitiveness is there and he loves the game. I know he loves the game. He understands the game. We see eye-to-eye.”
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(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
