The Kyler Murray disrespect is reaching an all-time high now that the Arizona Cardinals film study clause in his massive extension deal was revealed.
The latest pile-on to the not-so-subtle disparagement comes from former NFL punter Pat McAfee, who took to his self-titled show to revel in what he labeled “the greats” “film junkies” in comparison to Kyler Murray, who apparently needs to learn to become one.
McAfee extolled the film-consuming virtues of former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning.
I once asked Peyton Manning how much film he watched…#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/btKfkaWNU5
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 26, 2022
“I think I remember asking him how much film do you watch? My position, I can watch returning a couple of times; but I remember getting into a convo with him like how much do you watch, and he dove in,” McAfee said. “‘You’ve got to watch every game the other team has played, every snap they’ve played.
“‘Every practice clip from your week of practice, every game you guys have played that plays against a similar defense that they’re playing. Every single third-down situation broke up into there. Red zone, every first down operation.’ I think he went through it all, and I prodded him a little bit, and he was like probably like twenty hours of film a week; on his own.”
McAfee spent eight years in the National Football League, all with the Indianapolis Colts, with Peyton Manning at the helm.
Kyler Murray has agreed to a five-year, $230.5M deal that includes $160M guaranteed with the Cardinals, per @AdamSchefter
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 21, 2022
Manning’s commitment to the game is legendary, and he comes from an old-school lineage. However, comparing the methodology from one quarterback to another yields no results, only actual gameplay, and insinuates that Manning’s way is the only way is beyond insulting.
“He said he couldn’t even put a number on it. Like it would be impossible because even Saturday into Sunday morning he’s like, ‘how can I get more information? The more information I have, the better I’ll be equipped to beat that defense.”
However, McAfee didn’t stop there. He extended his veiled comparison to Tom Brady.
“Then you hear Tom [Brady] talk about his preparation. He was even on Monday Night Manning last year, and I think he was playing Seattle the next week, and there was a moment when Tom got lost,” McAfee continued. “He started like watching the film real quick, they had a sky shot on the defense, and you see him get intoxicated with the film real quick.
“Then he like snaps out of it and then he’s like back in the conversation. I’ve just heard that the greats are all film junkies. Can you become a film junkie? I guess is what we’ll find out from this whole thing.”
What the world has found out is that to be Black and a quarterback is still a point of contention. Recently an unnamed NFL defensive coordinator compared Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ game to “streetball.”
Mahomes is a one-read QB, he could never cut it in this league pic.twitter.com/Y9qPCrGPvT
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) July 25, 2022
“We love Mahomes because of his unorthodox throws, not because of his natural pocket presence,” the defensive coordinator said to The Athletic. “And when that disappears, that is when they lose games. I don’t think that is a 1. I think that is a 2. Nothing against the guy. I love the kid. But take his first read away and what does he do? He runs, he scrambles and he plays streetball.”
See the connection? Perpetual doubt and criticism come to the athletes in the most visible leadership position. Now the narrative is stretching in ways unimaginable for a quarterback entering his third season.
