Murray gets big role for NFC in virtual Pro Bowl
Kyler Murray’s second NFL season may have ended with a thud, but the Cardinals quarterback has a chance for a bit of redemption this coming Sunday.
Murray has been selected as one of the four real-life participants controlling the NFC and AFC in the virtual Pro Bowl using Madden NFL 21. Murray joins Seahawks safety Jamal Adams and two celebrities in a video game duel against Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, Titans running back Derrick Henry and two other celebrities in place of the actual Pro Bowl, which the NFL called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
NASCAR’s Bubba Wallace and former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch will team with Murray and Adams in representing the NFC. Snoop Dogg and former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson will join Watson and Henry in representing the AFC. Each person will play one five-minute quarter remotely while using the official NFC and AFC Pro Bowl rosters.
“We’ll be taking the Pro Bowl to the virtual world of Madden this weekend and I can’t wait to do it big with football fans in my favorite game,” Snoop Dogg said in a media release detailing the particulars of the event. “I’m a Madden NFL star, so Kyler and Marshawn better watch out. My team is comin’ in to win that championship title for the AFC.”
The virtual Pro Bowl, hosted by Charissa Thompson and Michael Strahan, will be streamed live on the EA Madden NFL Twitch channel and the NFL’s YouTube, Twitter and Facebook platforms beginning at 3 p.m. NFL Network will also air the event at 6 and 10:30 p.m. Sunday. ESPN and ABC will air highlights and offer interviews with players before the event, beginning at 1 p.m.
Murray injured his ankle early during the Cardinals’ regular-season finale at the Rams, missing most of Arizona’s play-in game for a chance to make the playoffs. The Cardinals lost, 18-7, finishing 8-8 and missing the postseason for the fifth consecutive season.
Murray became the first quarterback in franchise history to be named to the Pro Bowl within his first two NFL seasons. At 23, he also became the youngest QB from the Cardinals to earn a Pro Bowl nod. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and safety Budda Baker were also named to the Pro Bowl this season.
Coaching staff changes
The Cardinals on Monday announced they have promoted Sean Kugler to offensive line coach/run game coordinator, Cam Turner to quarterbacks coach and have hired Shawn Jefferson to be their new wide receivers coach.
Turner replaces Tom Clements, who also served as the Cardinals’ passing game coordinator the past two seasons. The Cardinals haven’t announced Clements’ departure, but he reportedly decided to retire at the end of the season.
Jefferson, who has spent 16 seasons as an NFL coach after playing 13 years in the league as a wide receiver, replaces David Raih as receivers coach. Raih, who was released by the Cardinals after this past season, reportedly has agreed to become the offensive coordinator at Vanderbilt under new head coach Clark Lea.
Meanwhile, a third assistant coach has also departed the Cardinals. Assistant special teams coach Derius Swinton II has agreed to become the Chargers’ special teams coordinator under new head coach Brandon Staley, according to a report by NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
Kugler has played a large role in the Cardinals’ running game the past two seasons and oversaw a unit that ran for 2,237 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2020. It marked just the sixth time in franchise history and first since 1984 that the Cardinals rushed for 2,000 or more yards and 20 or more touchdowns in a single season.
Turner spent the past three seasons on the Cardinals’ coaching staff, including last year as the team’s assistant quarterbacks coach.
Jefferson has spent 16 years as an NFL assistant coach after a 13-year playing career. Jefferson, whose son, Van, is a wide receiver for the Rams, joins the Cardinals after spending the past two years with the Jets.