Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
With apologies to Jack Buck, I can’t believe what I saw last Sunday. Cleveland isn’t a great team but they have enough quality performers to make life tough for any opponent. So, how did this result happen?
The Cleveland game was a huge step forward for Murray. From the excellent audible on Edmond’s draw to noting that Murray appears to have mastered pulling up, setting his feet and throwing when he is being pursued, this team barely resembles any previous Arizona edition. That process is what made Mahomes so hard to defend. That addition to Murray’s arsenal makes him almost unstoppable. He’s also throwing away dead plays, running enough to scare the defense and no longer being hesitant to throw into coverage and let his receivers make a play. Previously only Hopkins got that level of trust. Finally as I mentioned before the game, Murray got the opportunity to audible more often and focus more on reading the defense and adjusting. This was a growth opportunity for Murray and he took full advantage of it.
Last week it caused a little ripple when I said this was the best Cards’ roster I’ve seen. It’s not just the incredible array of weapons Murray has, but the ability of backups to step in without a decline in unit performance. The way the Cards trounced the Browns with some starters out spoke volumes about the roster’s depth.
I am, however, concerned about the running game. I posted elsewhere that it’s very effective in the 4th quarter, largely because the opponents have exhausted themselves chasing Murray. That said, there is an issue with the running game early in some of the games. The line just isn’t opening holes. Conner has limited speed and Edmund has limited power. The Cards have continued to keep their opponents honest even when the runs aren’t piling up yards. Still it would help if the run game was more of a threat.
Still as long as Murray isn’t throwing picks, this team will score quite a few points. The defense is decent, so even in the worst case, this team should be able to outscore opponents. Enjoy!
The Cleveland game was a huge step forward for Murray. From the excellent audible on Edmond’s draw to noting that Murray appears to have mastered pulling up, setting his feet and throwing when he is being pursued, this team barely resembles any previous Arizona edition. That process is what made Mahomes so hard to defend. That addition to Murray’s arsenal makes him almost unstoppable. He’s also throwing away dead plays, running enough to scare the defense and no longer being hesitant to throw into coverage and let his receivers make a play. Previously only Hopkins got that level of trust. Finally as I mentioned before the game, Murray got the opportunity to audible more often and focus more on reading the defense and adjusting. This was a growth opportunity for Murray and he took full advantage of it.
Last week it caused a little ripple when I said this was the best Cards’ roster I’ve seen. It’s not just the incredible array of weapons Murray has, but the ability of backups to step in without a decline in unit performance. The way the Cards trounced the Browns with some starters out spoke volumes about the roster’s depth.
I am, however, concerned about the running game. I posted elsewhere that it’s very effective in the 4th quarter, largely because the opponents have exhausted themselves chasing Murray. That said, there is an issue with the running game early in some of the games. The line just isn’t opening holes. Conner has limited speed and Edmund has limited power. The Cards have continued to keep their opponents honest even when the runs aren’t piling up yards. Still it would help if the run game was more of a threat.
Still as long as Murray isn’t throwing picks, this team will score quite a few points. The defense is decent, so even in the worst case, this team should be able to outscore opponents. Enjoy!