Arizona Cardinals passer resembling the rookie that he is

Arizona Cardinals signal-caller Kyler Murray has begun to commit the blunders that are expected of a first-year performer

For the better part of the 2019 campaign, the rookie quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals managed to confound his detractors. Kyler Murray, the first-overall pick of this year’s draft, had done a terrific job of avoiding the mistakes that inexperienced players tend to make. The 22-year old had kept the turnovers to a minimum, and had exhibited excellent decision-making as well.

Over the past couple of weeks, however, the cracks in Murray’s armor have started to show. After throwing just five picks in his first 11 games, Arizona’s starter has served up four during his last two appearances. The red-zone interception that Murray tossed during this past Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers may have been the signal-caller’s most egregious blunder of the season.

Murray’s ability to handle a pass rush has also been subpar as of late. It’s become painfully obvious that the Cards undersized passer is deathly afraid of taking a hit. There are times when Murray will simply fall down and concede the sack in order to avoid the punishment that could occur if he hangs in there.

There’s a new statistic that the league is keeping track of that would seemingly lend credence to that point. Murray has been deemed responsible for 21 of the 46 sacks he has endured in ’19. That number is the most of any quarterback in pro football at the present time.

It also appears that Murray has been exiting the pocket before he needs to at times. It’s quite possible that the 5’10, 207 pounder has lost trust in the pass-blockers that are paid to protect him. Murray’s less than ideal height may also be hindering his ability to see over the offensive and defensive linemen who are doing battle in front of him on passing downs.

Murray’s critics have stated from the beginning that the player’s lack of size would be an issue at the professional level. There have certainly been instances this season when that criticism appeared to be warranted. Murray’s slight stature forces him to throw a higher pass, which has caused a number of his attempts to sail over the heads and hands of his pass-catchers on various occasions.

Despite the deficiencies, Murray’s overall performance throughout the Cardinals 13 contests has been impressive. You can be sure that head coach Kliff Kingsbury and his staff will do everything they can to help the youngster improve during the offseason. In the meantime, we all need to remember that the ultra-talented Murray is a work in progress.