Calling Card: QB in control
Rookie Murray free to change plays at will
We already knew that Kyler Murray was quicker than a mouse to cheese. Perhaps you were unaware, though, that the Cardinals rookie quarterback is just as swift when it comes to changing plays before the snap of the ball.
It’s true and according to coach Kliff Kingsbury, Murray’s freedom to frequently check out of certain calls has sometimes caused Kingsbury to jump out of his socks, even though he rarely wears any.
“There have been some (plays) that I’ve asked for an answer to why he did that,” Kingsbury acknowledged with a grin. “You know, there’s growing pains with it. I’d rather him be aggressive in that way than be timid in trying to attack.”
It’s not uncommon for NFL quarterbacks to switch things up, pre-snap, and audible to a different play when they notice a change in coverage and an opportunity to zero in on a potential mismatch. It’s another thing altogether for a rookie quarterback to have that kind of unlimited flexibility, regardless of the situation.
Kingsbury calls all the plays, but he trusts Murray enough to let him take over the controls and steer the Cardinals’ version of the Air Raid offense at his pleasure.
If Murray doesn’t think the play call Kingsbury radios in from his headset will work, Murray isn’t afraid to check out of it and make his own call.
Like any quarterback, there are different “reads” and “progressions” Murray can turn to within one play concept. But he not only has the ability to ditch out of his plethora of options, he can also call a different play entirely when he sees fit.
It could happen at least a dozen or more times Sunday when the Cardinals (2-3-1) take on the New York Giants (2-4) at MetLife Stadium. Arizona will be shooting for its third consecutive win, something it hasn’t done since 2015 when the team won nine in a row from Oct. 26 to Dec. 27 during a 13-3 season.
Long winning streaks could soon become the norm with Murray running the show, according to Giants coach Pat Shurmur.
“He’s going to have an amazing career in this league for a long time because of who he is as a player,” Shurmur said of Murray during a conference call earlier this week with Arizona reporters.
Most of the time, Murray’s decisions to change out of one play and into something else have worked or at least gained positive yardage for the Cardinals. It happened multiple times during the team’s two wins over the Bengals and Falcons.
There have been other moments, of course, when it hasn’t worked as well and Murray’s had to make that dreadful trek to the sideline to see the look on Kingsbury’s face.
“Usually, he already knows and he’s like, ‘Yeah, I know you’re going to be mad at me, but this is what I was thinking,’ “Kingsbury said.
“I’m like, ‘I don’t really get mad at you, so let’s just get it right.’ Like I said, I’ve coached young players that we’ve given them that freedom, and that’s the only way you can get good at it, is to learn from your mistakes.
“If you want them to play with that type of mentality, then you’ve got to give them that freedom.”
Overall, Murray hasn’t had too many growing pains in his first NFL season. In his last three games, he’s accounted for 986 yards (834 passing, 152 rushing) with five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) and just one turnover in 126 combined pass/rush attempts.
In Sunday’s 34-33 victory over the Falcons, he completed 27 of 37 passes for 340 yards, setting single-game career highs in completion percentage (72.9), touchdown passes (three) and passer rating (128.2).
He’s the first rookie in franchise history with at least three 300-yard passing games and his 153 total completions are the most in NFL history through a player’s first six career games.
With 1,664 yards passing, Murray is on pace to break Andrew Luck’s record for most passing yards in a season by a rookie. Luck finished with 4,374 in 2012.
Murray’s on track to finish with 4,437. Add them all up and those numbers and others look even more impressive when considering Kingsbury has given so much control of the offense to Murray.
It just doesn’t happen when you’re a rookie, even if you’re Peyton Manning, Dan Marino or John Elway.
“I would say it’s rare for a rookie quarterback in the NFL,” Kingsbury said, “but coming from where he was at, Texas A&M and then Oklahoma where they give him that freedom, there’s a comfort level that he’s had with that. Coming from similar systems and having that attacking mindset: ‘If you see a better play, get us into it.’
“He’s been comfortable from Day 1. In the spring, he was checking plays that I didn’t even think our guys knew. He’s just very confident in that approach.”
The “check outs” don’t just involve plays in run-pass option scenarios, either, according to Kingsbury.
“He can get us into anything that he sees,” the coach said. “He can change the play completely if he has a reason to check it and he likes the matchup or likes what he sees. He has that freedom from end zone to end zone.”
Most of Kingsbury’s plays have some sort of “built-in flexibility,” he said, where Murray can take off and use his speed as a runner to either scramble for yards or gain some time for a receiver to get separation before a throw.
“But if he saw something and wanted to take it to completely different play, he could do that,” Kingsbury said. “I just want a good reason and have it be something that we discussed during the week.”
For his part, Murray said he’s not always looking to flip the script.
“If it needs to be done, it needs to be done,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I’m up there check-happy or anything like that. For the most part, I trust what he’s calling. If I see something, I’ll attack it. But other than that, I’m pretty confident in it.”
Murray is appreciative of the freedom and said Kingsbury’s trust in him stems from the coach having scouted the quarterback for eight years until they finally joined forces this season.
“It’s a quarterback-friendly offense and he knows how to coach it,” Murray said. “He’s been doing it for a long time. He’s played the position, so he kind of knows the fell of it all. It’s tough being a quarterback there and kind of being stuck when you see something and not being able to go to it.
“I think that’s just the way you have to play — play free and whatever you see, attack it.”
As good as it’s looked lately, Kingsbury is quick to point out that “I don’t think we’re gotten there yet.”
“We’re getting there. It’s a work-inprogress,” he said.
“But you’ve definitely seen as a unit, us understanding what we want to be and who we want to be when we stay on schedule. The last two weeks, we’ve stayed on schedule. We haven’t gotten behind dramatically and had to throw it every play and that’s what we have to continue to fight to do.”