The good, the bad, and the ugly!

Totally_Red

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Well yesterday featured plenty of the bad and the ugly.

But let's not forget the really, really good. The Cardinals have the long-term answer at franchise quarterback in Kyler Murray. There may have been a sliver of doubt before the season. There is absolutely no doubt anymore. Kyler has matured and blossomed into an elite quarterback THIS season. I think one area where he shown awesome progress is recognizing defenses and changing play calls to avoid disaster or the improve the chance of success.

When your backupor third-stringer is playing you usually lose a lot of that capability. Sure, Colt McCoy will have no trouble with the play clock getting close to expiration. But if you notice, elite quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and even Tom Brady will take the clock down to low single digits and even occasionally be forced to spend (waste) a timeout to avoid a delay-of-game penalty. That is why Kingsbury has to get the play calls in quicker IMO.
The negative is that Kyler may not be as durable with regard to injuries as Rodgers, Brady and Russell Wilson have proven to be. It means the Cardinals will have to continue to focus on making the offensive line the best that it can be going forward.

The verdict is still out on Kliff Kingbury's ceiling as an NFL head coach. Sunday was not his finest hour. He got outcoached and that may occur more frequently later in the season. Good head coaches do their best work in the middle and later parts of the season when they have plenty of opposition film to review and dissect. (See Bill Belichick). The plays calls on 3rd & 4th and 1 at the Cardinals 41 on the second drive pretty spelled the end of any chance 'we' had yesterday. It was obvious early that the defense was going to have do more than half the work if the Cardinals were going to beat Carolina. But the early McCoy fumble and the ill-advised decision to go for it on 4th and one pretty much sealed the loss by putting the defense on its heels. If you do have 3 of your top 5 or 6 offensive players available you probably make it on third down. Without them, you are playing with fire going for it on 4th and 1 in your own territory and Kingsbury got burned.

In a strategic sense, yesterday illustrated that the Cardinals have to continue surrounding Kyler with as much talent as possible. That includes re-signing Christian Kirk and drafting a guard in the first three rounds of next year's draft IMO. I'm optimistic for the future, but worried about Kliff's ceiling as a head coach. One thing that has to happen in my view is bringing a savvy and experienced offensive mind as a consultant like the Titans have with Jim Schwartz this season on the defensive side. That's how you improve from good to elite. Let's hope it happens.
 

Stout

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Meh, right now I'm having a hard time with that "good" because we have an injury-plagued franchise QB. This will be two straight years of high injury impact on the team because of KM. Let's face it, until he's back in the lineup, our goose is cooked.
 

Iceman

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Meh, right now I'm having a hard time with that "good" because we have an injury-plagued franchise QB. This will be two straight years of high injury impact on the team because of KM. Let's face it, until he's back in the lineup, our goose is cooked.
It definitely showed how much Kyler was missed yesterday. It’s gonna be a very interesting coaches decision on if they will play KM vs Seattle or try and find a way to get by that game with a 3rd string Qb (anticipating McCoy is for sure out)
 
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Totally_Red

Totally_Red

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It definitely showed how much Kyler was missed yesterday. It’s gonna be a very interesting coaches decision on if they will play KM vs Seattle or try and find a way to get by that game with a 3rd string Qb (anticipating McCoy is for sure out)
Maybe they'll pull a Miami and name him the backup quarterback, Streveler gets banged up, starts running sprints on the sideline, and Kingsbury gets desperate. Kyler leads a 4th quarter comeback. :koolaid:
 

AustrianCardFan

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It definitely showed how much Kyler was missed yesterday. It’s gonna be a very interesting coaches decision on if they will play KM vs Seattle or try and find a way to get by that game with a 3rd string Qb (anticipating McCoy is for sure out)
At least in his press conference yesterday it didn't sound that bad. I feel like we would still have a decent chance with Colt, but man, if he is out that's really gonna become an interesting decision. When it comes to Hopkins, I really don't want to see him out there. Those harmstring issues really scare me, no way I would risk that if we can give him two weeks of additional time to get fully healthy.
 

Krangodnzr

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Meh, right now I'm having a hard time with that "good" because we have an injury-plagued franchise QB. This will be two straight years of high injury impact on the team because of KM. Let's face it, until he's back in the lineup, our goose is cooked.
The Cardinals need to make the OL a real strength and build a Browns-like running game for Murray.
 

SissyBoyFloyd

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We started off with a big goof, then another, then things just snowballed from there. They got confident, as we sort of surrendered knowing it just wasn't going to be our game. Those games happen to all teams once a year. No biggie, we will come out that much more on point next week after a good practise week.
 

DVontel

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The Cardinals need to make the OL a real strength and build a Browns-like running game for Murray.
Yes with the former, but for the latter, acquire two top 7 RBs & pretty much make Kyler a glorified game manager which Baker pretty much is? Big disagree because that is exactly we would be doing.
 

oaken1

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IMO until Kyler shows he can play an entire season we really can’t even count him as the long term answer
He misses a couple games next season and I’m diving back into the draft for a QB.... hell, might do it this year if there’s a guy.... at least have a talented backup that can make Murray look over his shoulder a bit
 

DVontel

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IMO until Kyler shows he can play an entire season we really can’t even count him as the long term answer
He misses a couple games next season and I’m diving back into the draft for a QB.... hell, might do it this year if there’s a guy.... at least have a talented backup that can make Murray look over his shoulder a bit
So like the last two?
 

Ouchie-Z-Clown

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What’s the point of paying a franchise QB $45 million a year if you have to surround him with expensive parts?
I know, right? Like why give Rodgers adams and jones or dak Cooper lamb elliot and an expensive line or Brady evans Godwin Howard fournette brown and gronk or rothkisberger back in the day with bell brown and heap . . . oh
 

kerouac9

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I know, right? Like why give Rodgers adams and jones or dak Cooper lamb elliot and an expensive line or Brady evans Godwin Howard fournette brown and gronk or rothkisberger back in the day with bell brown and heap . . . oh
Meh. You get 3 complementary pieces over the long term. What has Dallas won? Rodgers doesn’t have those weapons AND a dominant OL.

Not everyone on your offense can be a pro bowler—especially when you can’t build through the draft. Hop, Ertz, and Humphries should be enough.

It’s not the fault of the complementary pieces that Kyler can’t play through the regular bumps and bruises of the regular season without turning into post-injury RG3.
 

daves

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I know, right? Like why give Rodgers adams and jones or dak Cooper lamb elliot and an expensive line or Brady evans Godwin Howard fournette brown and gronk or rothkisberger back in the day with bell brown and heap . . . oh
Good point... but Heap was a Raven.

...dbs
 

nashman

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Any team is in trouble if the starting QB goes down, it’s the nfl **** happens. An ankle sprain is hardly reason to think he’s not the QB here for years to come.
 

BigRedRage

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Meh, right now I'm having a hard time with that "good" because we have an injury-plagued franchise QB. This will be two straight years of high injury impact on the team because of KM. Let's face it, until he's back in the lineup, our goose is cooked.
you make him sound like carson wentz or something
 

Stout

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you make him sound like carson wentz or something
I know, I'm being highly reactionary. It's hard to get past the thought that the universe would go, "Sure, we'll give yinz a top franchise QB...but he'll never have a fully healthy season and you'll only ever squeak into the playoffs."
 

Crimson Warrior

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you make him sound like carson wentz or something

Haha, nice. Let's break it down a little:

In 2019 Murry didn't miss any games. He may not have even missed any plays. Great.

Then, 2020, and the shoulder and foot injuries, both of which seriously derailed a promising season.

Now in 2021, out two games, with the possibility of a third looming. There was also the biceps or shoulder thing that happened during the either during the LA or SF game, and which he played through.

You guys know that I'm Murray's biggest fan, so my analysis of the above is surely biased. But thanks to the 2019 season, I don't think there's quite enough evidence yet to say that Murray has durability issues, and if he comes back this year and plays the rest of the games, hopefully everyone else will draw the same conclusion.
 

Dynomite

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IMO until Kyler shows he can play an entire season we really can’t even count him as the long term answer
He misses a couple games next season and I’m diving back into the draft for a QB.... hell, might do it this year if there’s a guy.... at least have a talented backup that can make Murray look over his shoulder a bit
What a monstrously horrible take. Kyler is a top 8 qb in the league. And you want to dip into the draft for another qb. I swear a loss can really make peoples brains melt out of their head.
 

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