This off-season, the Arizona Cardinals and star quarterback Kyler Murray had some real contentious moments as the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner pushed for a new lucrative contract extension prior to his fourth year in the league.
Murray and the Cards agreed to a five-year, $230.5 million extension with $160 million guaranteed. While Murray received the big payday he was looking for, there are some who believe the diminutive Murray wasn’t worthy of the deal.
One of those who isn’t a fan of Murray’s play is former NFL running back LeSean “Shady” McCoy, who says Murray plays like a high school player.
During a recent episode of the “I Am Athlete” podcast, McCoy the two-time Super Bowl champion, was pretty vocal in his dislike for Murray’s playing style.
“He’s trash. Overhyped. Overrated. He plays like a high school player. Runs around, runs backward, he does a circle, the ballerina circle, then goes left, goes right, turns all the way around again, then looks for a wide receiver. That’s not how you play quarterback.”
What McCoy is saying is true, but it works for the fleet-footed Murray, who’s small in stature and at times has to play that way in order to make something happen.
This play took 20.8 seconds from snap to score 😱 @K1
📺: #AZvsLV on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/FVZamC6mMP pic.twitter.com/Fa2EBh1eEw— NFL (@NFL) September 18, 2022
McCoy Talks Difference In Mahomes Playing The Same Exact Way
While McCoy is blasting Murray for that style of backyard play, he praised Kansas City Chiefs superstar QB Patrick Mahomes for that style of play in the same episode.
“He ain’t Mahomes. Let me tell you about Mahomes real quick: the majority of Mahomes’ passes are based on timing. Third step, hit, boom, ball’s out. Fifth step, boom, ball’s out. Now sometimes he goes off script, we all can do that … but not every pass! Every pass, Murray is holding the ball, let’s make a miracle. Every game he’s played. Watch him play. It’s really embarrassing, to be honest. Like, who’s coaching the kid?
“He ain’t reading no coverages. When a quarterback is running around like that all day, all night, all game, that’s because he’s not reading any coverages.”
McCoy says Murray plays this way because he is not reading coverages. The Cards did put a four-hour a week study clause in Murray’s new deal, but after backlash they removed it.
This style has worked for Murray his entire playing career. He went 42-0 at Allen High School in Texas, winning three straight Class 7A state championships. He also won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma in 2018 playing this way. While he hasn’t had as much success playing this way in the NFL, he did win Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019. And the Cardinals thought it was good enough to give him the big money extension.
Comparing him to Mahomes isn’t fair as they’re not in the same stratosphere as QBs. All Mahomes does is win and make deep playoff runs. Murray hasn’t even won a playoff game yet as the Cardinals quarterback.
Murray Off To A Slow Start In 2022
Murray and the Cardinals are off to a slow start in 2022. A lot of it has to do with missing All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who’s serving a six-game suspension for violating the league’s performance enhancing drugs policy. Without him, Murray has passed for nearly 800 yards, but his completion percentage is right around 64 percent, which ranks in the bottom half of the league. But it’s his paltry 5.6 yards per attempt that ranks just 33rd. That’s pretty bad because there are just 32 starting QBs in the league, and Murray ranks beneath each of them and one backup.
The hope and belief in Arizona is once Hopkins returns this will instantly get better.
Read More TSL Stories:
