Coach: Murray gets shot to play
Kingsbury not shutting down injured rookie QB
Monday afternoon, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported via sources that Kyler Murray’s MRI revealed nothing alarming, just a minor hamstring pull.
If Murray’s able to run and move well by Sunday, he likely will make his 16th consecutive start when the team closes out the season at the Rams.
Asked if there is any part of him that could decide to just to sit him down and protect him, especially in what amounts to a meaningless game, coach Kliff Kingsbury said no.
“There’s really not,” he said Monday, a day after Murray was injured during the third quarter of Arizona’s 27-13 victory at Seattle. “I’m so big on reps and mental reps. Compared to game reps, you just can’t compare those. So to be in the heat of the battle against one of the top teams in the NFL, on the road, those are all reps that could be huge during the offseason.
“If he’s able to play, he’s going to play. If he’s not, then we’ll get (backup) Brett (Hundley) rolling.”
Murray was still sore on Monday, Kingsbury said, adding, “It will be a dayto-day deal it looks like, I’m not sure.”
Kingsbury said he wasn’t aware yet if Murray would be at risk of tearing the hamstring should he play against the Rams. It depends on the MRI results and how Murray responds and recovers this week. The rookie popped up on the injury report earlier this month with a hamstring issue, but it didn’t force him to miss any time until Sunday.
He appeared to tweak the injury during a 4-yard scramble less than three minutes into the second half. Murray didn’t try to convince Kingsbury to let him re-enter the contest, saying he knew he couldn’t play his normal game and therefore, didn’t want to hurt his team’s chances of pocketing its fifth win in its last seven trips to CenturyLink Field.
If Hundley has to make the start instead, Murray said that will be fine with him.
“I always have 100 percent confidence in Brett,” he said after the game. “I’ve seen him throw in practice, I’ve seen the way he works. I’m just glad he’s here.”
Because of his size – 5-foot-10 and 207 pounds – there were concerns by some skeptics as to whether Murray would be able to hold up in the NFL. He’s avoided taking very many big hits, however, and has started every game up to this point.
Kingsbury, meanwhile, doesn’t buy into the notion that running-style QBs with Murray’s quick-twitch capabilities are more susceptible to soft-tissue injuries like a pulled hamstring.
“I wouldn’t say so. I think it’s all about making sure you’re taking care of your body and doing things right and staying warm,” Kingsbury said. “I mean, it’s a case-by-case basis. Some guys have those issues and some guys don’t.”
Cold, but gold
It isn’t easy for any player to come off the bench and be thrust into an all-important role like Hundley was when he replaced Murray early in the second half. He had only seen brief action in one game this season – at the tail end of Arizona’s Week 8 loss at New Orleans.
Hundley, though, completed 4 of 9 passes for 49 yards and ran six times for 35 more while leading the Cardinals on a game-clinching touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
“It’s challenging, no question,” Kingsbury said. “But he’s a guy who takes a lot of pride in his preparation. He knows what he likes each and every week in the game plan, but he literally hadn’t got one rep as far as game-plan type stuff in four months. So, to see him go out there and execute some of those plays and really just will the team to a win, running around, making plays with his feet, it wasn’t ’t always pretty but he found a way.
“You could see our guys believed in him. The sideline believed in him. The sideline was really excited that he had that success.”
Scheduling switch
After huddling with his coaching staff, Kingsbury switched up the practice schedule and instead of the players taking their regularly-scheduled day off on Tuesday, the team will go through a light practice that day and be off for Christmas on Wednesday.
The decision was made prior to the Cardinals’ victory in Seattle.
“It was a nice surprise,” guard Sweezy said. “We’ll get to spend whole day with our families.”
Everybody gets one
J.R. the
During their previous four wins this season, Kingsbury would pick a small handful of players to whom he would present a game ball.
That’s typically the case throughout the NFL.
After Sunday’s emotional win against the Seahawks, however, the coach announced “everyone” was getting a game ball. So, how does that actually work?
“That’s an equipment question,” he said, laughing. “Yeah, I don’t know. I just said they’ll have to order some.”
By the numbers
❚ Since Week 5, the Cardinals have scored 25 points or more in a game eight times. Only the Saints (9) have done that more times during the same span.
❚ Sunday’s game marked the seventh this season in which the Cardinals did not commit a turnover, the most times that’s happened in single season in franchise history.
❚ Arizona is averaging 5.06 rushing yards per carry with one game left to play. The franchise record is 4.87, set in 1960. bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic .com