Kyler Murray Has No Time To Waste

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Murray hasn't just sidled up to greatness this year, he's reached it – "Oh, Kyler’s at stardom," ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said during the bye week – and it's something longtime friend Christian Kirk has been sure about since they met as teenagers at high school football camps.


"Every setting that we were at, or I was able to watch him, he dominated," said Kirk, the Cardinals' third-year receiver and former Texas A&M teammate of Murray. "I remember the first time he showed up on campus at A&M and we had our summer workouts. Him getting back there and throwing the ball, and during 7-on-7, all the guys being blown away. I was like, 'I told you. That's what he does.'


"And even when the rumor was spreading that we were going to draft him last year, I was telling everybody: 'The kid's special. You'll see.' Everybody's asking me, and I'm like, 'You'll just have to see it for yourself.' And sure enough, he's been able to step in here quickly and take the rein of this team and show why he can be one of the top players in this league."


At 5-3, the Cardinals are one game back of the Seahawks in the NFC West and the same distance behind Seattle, Green Bay and New Orleans for conference supremacy.


Few expect the Cardinals to finish ahead of those teams by the end of the year – but don't say that too loudly around Murray.


"Every time he's out there on the field, there's nothing you can tell him, like, 'Hey, we might not have a shot today,'" Kirk said. "We can be matched up in the most unfortunate position, and he's still going to put us in the best position to win. That's just his mindset. Every time he's out there, he believes that we're going to win."


Plenty of players have that type of confidence, which is only natural after so much success at the lower levels of football. But Murray has backed it up with the blazing start to his NFL career, which included Rookie of the Year honors in 2019 and now dazzling weekly performances in 2020.


"I feel like I'm the best player on the field," Murray said. "I always have the ball in my hands. It's my job to lead the offense down the field and put touchdowns up. I don't limit myself to any amount of time needed or years or anything like that. I'm obviously a lot more comfortable in understanding the offense. Our guys are more comfortable. We're playing a lot better."


Patrick Mahomes won the Super Bowl in his third season in February. The best regular season team last year was the Ravens, who had second-year quarterback Lamar Jackson at the helm. Russell Wilson won his Super Bowl in Year 2 with the Seahawks, back in 2013.


As Fitzgerald pointed out, a great quarterback at a below market salary is the tried and true method to competitiveness in the modern-day NFL.


"You've got to make the run when he is still on his rookie deal," Fitzgerald said.


That's why the setbacks wear on Murray so much. There was no solace Sunday in becoming the first player in NFL history to register a passer rating above 150 while still losing the game.


"You would think he'd just lost the Super Bowl," Kirk said. "That's how hard he is on himself. That's what you want to see, though. He just cares so much."

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