The Arizona Cardinals and Kyler Murray Need to Part Ways

(Photo by Wikipedia)

On Monday Night Football, the Arizona Cardinals looked like a team that showed the potential that everyone was expecting. They went into AT&T Stadium and dominated the Dallas Cowboys 27-17. You would also notice that the quarterback play has been stable for the past three games. Jacoby Brissett has been filling in for the injured Kyler Murray and has provided solid stats for the Cardinals. In the Dallas game, Brissett threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns, including one to MHJ that made DaRon Bland look stupid silly. In the three games replacing Murray, he has thrown for six touchdowns and one interception. This is what we call "efficient football." Despite the Cardinals losing two of those games, Brissett has shown the nay-sayers that he could handle a starting position in the NFL.

With that in mind, coach Jonathan Gannon announced that Brissett will be the starter for Sunday's game against the Seahawks in Seattle. It may as well be the writing on the wall.

For seven years, Kyler Murray has manned QB1 for the Arizona Cardinals. It's been a mixed bag considering Murray has gone through coaching changes, regime changes, offensive changes, etc. Hey, I'm not making excuses for him, but this is fact. Again, it's been up-and-down. I forgot about the torn ACL in 2022. Through all of that, Kyler seems to be a capable QB1 in the NFL. The numbers don't really jump out and make you salivate, but it has kept the Cardinals above water, somewhat. Kyler has also shown flashes to give a fanbase hope. Remember the Hail Mary against Buffalo in 2020? Kyler showed great awareness and excellent arm strength and accuracy on that play. In short (sorry for the pun), Kyler Murray is electric and can be lethal to opposing defenses in the NFL.

So, remember when I said Kyler has shown flashes of brilliance? Well, he continues to do that...in his seventh season in the league. This is a time where the flashes should be every play fodder. Kyler continues to make head-scratching decisions that causes Cardinals fans to scream. He tends to hold on to the ball too long despite having crazy elusiveness. When he does escape, he doesn't slide at times to avoid getting shellacked. The overthrows and underthrows have become nauseating as he tends to be prone to not being able to convert in critical situations. One play sums up his questionable decision making was the 2022 Wild Card Game against Los Angeles, when Murray just tossed a ball up while getting tackled in the end zone. The ball was intercepted and taken in for a touchdown by the Rams. This has been commonplace for him unfortunately.

If there is one thing that is holding Kyler Murray back is maturity. There are times when Kyler rubs people the wrong way by not really taking accountability for his bad decisions. Also, watch his body language on the sidelines, especially now that he is hurt. At times, he doesn't really get involved with what is going on nor does he interact when his teammates score or make a big play. Then, there was his contract negotiations where he wanted to get paid in the top tier of quarterbacks. With no leverage, the Cardinals gave him a five-year, $230.5 million extension. The contract had a clause that required him to do at least four hours of independent film study, which many believe was there because of Murray's excessive playing of video games. We know about another former #1 overall pick in the Valley and his love for video games.

Then, came the most tone-deaf moment for him this season as he decided to have a photoshoot with his beloved dogs.....while wearing a Michael Vick Virginia Tech jersey. I'm going to give him some flak, Kyler has mentioned many times that Michael Vick is his idol and he, in a way, was showing respect to him. However, for the love of God, how could you not read the room and understand the symbolism of this considering Michael Vick spent a significant time in prison because of dogfighting? Someone should have consulted with him and pointed out that this was a bad idea.

Look, in ways, I feel for Kyler. Right now, Jonathan Gannon's offense isn't tailor made for a quarterback like him look the Air Raid offense that former head coach Kliff Kingsbury installed for him. Also, former GM Steve Keim selected players to fit that, while current GM Monti Ossenfort had a different approach. Once the new regime came along, it was difficult for Kyler and them.

For seven years, Kyler Murray brought memories and gave everyone headaches along the way. With a new vision on the horizon, it's time to do the right thing and just split up. It can help both parties in the end.

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