Cards coach Kingsbury returns to home state for Cowboys matchup

Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury is headed back to his home state of Texas today for a pretty big football game. He’s unsure if his Southern drawl will make a return appearance as well.

“It’s usually after a few Coors Lights, so I don’t know if it’ll really break out this trip,” Kingsbury said with a grin. The Cardinals travel to face the Cowboys in a game that isn’t short on storylines. Arizona (3-2) is an up-and-coming team and trying to stay competitive in the tough NFC West. The Cowboys (2-3) are trying to regain their footing with backup quarterback Andy Dalton, who’s replaced injured Dak Prescott.

It’ll also be a showcase for some of the premier talent that the Texas football scene has produced over the years. Kingsbury and second-year Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray will both be making their first NFL appearances in their home state.

Kingsbury, 41, was a standout in the late 1990s at a high school just north of San Antonio and later played and coached at Texas Tech. He was also the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M. Murray, 23, was a phenom in the Dallas suburbs, winning three high school titles before a college career at Texas A&M and Oklahoma.

The two have bonded over their Texas background, even if their playing careers were nearly two decades apart. Both say it’s a thrill to go back despite COVID-19 restrictions that mean the crowd won’t be nearly as big.“He’s probably more anxious than me,” Murray said of Kingsbury, before poking fun at his age. “I’ve never actually seen his film or his high school tape. I heard it was on the news last night. I heard it was real grainy, real old clips.”