Kliff Kingsbury had a message about games calling out Kyler Murray:
“This isn’t easy.”
To get it across, he had Murray play for the backup quarterbacks in practice last Saturday. The Cardinals coach wanted his starter to understand what it was like to play in a game, so what better way to get that experience?
“Occasionally he starts to shake his head when I call there, I’m like, ‘Okay, big dog'”, Kingsbury told reporters on Thursday. “We can always keep him involved. He coached them to the last second, like he was saying things to them while they were trying to throw, so he probably won’t do that again.”
Kingsbury added jokingly, although Murray did well: “I wouldn’t want to play for Kyler Murray if I was quarterback and he was the coach.”
Murray is entering his fourth season as a center of attention in the NFL after signing a huge extension that not only has an eye on the dollar figure, but also a “homework clause” that the team said was later removed.
The former offensive rookie of the year led the Cardinals to the playoffs for the first time last season, but now faces the weight of expectation and control in a way he hasn’t had until now.
Murray has not practiced in the past week after testing positive for COVID-19, although Kingsbury said he was “hopeful” Murray could return on Saturday, before Arizona receives fans for their red-and-white training.
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