Big Red
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- Mar 16, 2019
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Then came Murphy this year, the first pick of the second round when many thought he wouldn’t get out of the first. He was already expected to be the Cardinals’ likely nickel man as a rookie, but with Patrick Peterson’s suspension, he may yet end up with some starts at cornerback.
“It shows all our hard work is paying off,” Baker said. “Just because we are here doesn’t mean we are going to stay here. We are going to keep working, and to do with some guys that you were not only on the same team with (in college) but also the same group with, is special.”
NFL-style practices and NFL-style defenses in Washington for the secondary is why Huskies’ defensive backs are so popular, Baker said. Recent draft picks like Sidney Jones and Kevin King join the Cardinals’ group, and Taylor Rapp and Jordan Miller were Murphy teammates that were also taken in the 2019 draft.
But it’s the relationships Murphy – who was redshirting as a freshman in 2017 when Baker was his teammate – said make this important to him. It’s not like Murphy didn’t already have an advantage coming to the Cardinals, since this is not only his hometown but high school teammate Christian Kirk is also on the roster. But at Washington, the defensive backs had frequent outings to a barbeque joint as team bonding, and that doesn’t even include the video game battles with Madden or NBA2K.
“Having those types of players makes you more comfortable because you have that connection already,” Murphy said. “I know how they play, they know how I play.”
“Right now, being a rookie, I’m kind of locked in trying to do all my stuff right now,” Murphy added. “They know more than me. On the weekends, I’m still going to go to Budda’s house, play some games. But right now, I’m just focused on trying to become something on this team.”
Murphy’s arrival wasn’t a complete surprise, at least to Turner – “I just had a feeling, ‘Watch him end up here,’ ” – in part because the Cards were in need of cornerback depth and Washington has proven to be proficient in that area.
“We’re spitting them out now,” Turner said with a smile.
And a bunch of them are ending up as Cardinals.
“Them just being on the same team as me makes me proud but seeing them make plays, they are like my brothers,” Baker said. “That definitely makes me proud.”
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