NFL

Hall of Famer Kurt Warner: Kyler Murray Has ‘Ridiculous’ Potential If Growth Continues

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kentsomers
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kentsomers Sports Editor

Kent Somers covered the Cardinals and the NFL for nearly 30 years, first as a beat writer and then as a columnist for The Arizona Republic/AZCentral Sports.

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Published18 Sep 2024

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Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray danced with perfection last Sunday afternoon in Glendale, Az, against the Rams, which is why a day later a game ball and his jersey were on their way to Canton, Ohio for display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Murray completed 17 of 21 passes for 266 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. His quarterback rating, 158.3, was the highest the system allows. He also ran for 59 yards and joined former Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson as the only players in NFL history to pass for at least 250 yards, run for at least 50 and finish with a perfect passer rating.

But none of those gaudy numbers were the best things about Murray’s performance in the 41-10 victory. 

The best things, in the opinion of the only other quarterback in franchise history to finish a game with a perfect passer rating (minimum 20 passes), is that Murray has room to grow and the tools needed to do so.

“It will be exciting to see how good that version of Kyler Murray will be,” Kurt Warner said in a phone interview on Tuesday afternoon.

That is not a criticism. Warner loves watching Murray. He divides Murray’s skills into three areas: athleticism, throwing the football, and developing the nuances required of elite quarterbacks, such as understanding defenses and his reads, and throwing the ball on time.

Murray’s athletic skills are obvious. He often is the best athlete on the field. And Warner loves to watch Murray throw passes. The third area – handling pressure, reading defenses, etc. – is where Murray can grow, Warner said.

“He’s got a big enough arm, but he seldom has to throw it hard,” said Warner, who led the Cardinals to their only Super Bowl appearance and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017. “That’s something I appreciate. When I played, I never felt like I threw the ball hard, because I knew when and how to throw different footballs. His ability to have touch and to get the ball up and down over defenders, and his ability to drop the ball in on deep balls. Certain quarterbacks have the ability to drop those balls (in) and really increase the odds for the offense.”

A handful of Murray’s passes last Sunday illustrate that. The first was a 23-yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr.,  on the opening drive. Harrison had a step on the defender, and Murray had an opening about the size of a passenger window on a Corolla in which to place the ball.

And that’s where he placed it. According to NextGenStats, that play had only a 13.7 percent chance of success.

“The great thing about that is it was a ‘read’ play,” Warner said. “It was a corner route with a post over the top, against a quarters coverage where you’re looking at the safety. The safety squatted and jumped the corner, and (Murray) drove the ball up over the top. It’s not an easy throw when you’re that tight to the goal line, because you’ve got to get it up and down. 

“You see those moments and you’re like, ‘That’s it! That’s it! We get that on a consistent basis, this is going to be ridiculous,’” Warner said. “You see moments and you see growth and that’s what excites me.”

Murray later made two deeper throws to the sideline in which he placed the ball just over the heads of linebackers and cornerbacks and just in front of safeties.

“As physically gifted as he is, it’s not ‘I get away with stuff because I have a cannon arm,’” Warner said. “He makes some really, really nice touch throws.”

Few people study quarterback play more than Warner, who played in the NFL for 12 seasons, the last five for the Cardinals. Since retiring after the 2009 season, Warner has worked as an analyst for the NFL Network and for Westwood One’s radio broadcasts of Monday Night Football.

He also has a youtube channel, Study Ball, where he dissects elements of the game, and a website, qbconfidential.com, which provides curriculum designed to teach players, coaches and fans more about the game.

 

Before and after broadcasting Monday Night’s game between the Eagles and Falcons, Warner watched replays of most of the other NFL games, including the Cardinals beating the Rams in Arizona for the first time in 10 years.

He was impressed not only by Murray’s passing and ability to create something from nothing, but also Murray’s willingness to see and accept what the Rams defense was giving him.

“Another thing I like about Kyler, and it might sound like a dumb little thing, he knows where his check down is,” Warner said. “That’s one thing some guys can struggle with. You get so hung up with the (route) concept, you’re there too long.

“He has a great command of where those checkdowns are. It’s not always a matter of him creating, it’s ‘where is my completion? Let me keep something positive going on this play even if I don’t see it perfectly on the back end.’ It’s a great trait.”

That ability is reflected in Murray’s performance in the first two games. He played well in the loss at Buffalo to open the season, and last Sunday turned in perhaps the most complete game of his career.

“You see a lot of great pieces with Kyler, and I’ve seen a lot of growth,” Warner said.

Murray should be showing growth. He’s 27, in his sixth NFL season and his second under coach Jonathan Gannon and coordinator Drew Petzing. The Cardinals offensive line appears to be solid. The addition of Harrison gives Murray a big-play threat the Cardinals were missing last year, and James Conner is a gifted runner and receiver.

The pieces are in place. The piece that’s not fully developed, in Warner’s opinion, is understanding and reading defenses and improving timing in the passing game.

“He’s not a complete product yet,” Warner said, “but there is so much to like, so much that excites you and so much ahead of him. Every week, I pop on the tape and it’s fun to watch. 

“You just want to see a little bit more. A little more on reads. A little bit more of seeing pressure and beating pressure with throws instead of having to run around and beat it with your feet. 

“Those kinds of things will make the game easier for him, so he’s not always having to play superhero. That will elevate him to being one of the best in the league.”