Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
Last season when I criticized Murray & Kingsbury I received limited support. The worst came when I said they were fortunate to be 5-0. Here’s what I wrote, “Let’s not yet canonize it as a great team. They beat Tennessee, which subsequently appears mediocre. They should have lost to a mediocre Vikings team. They failed to dominate Jax. The LA win was a classic and showed how good this team could be if they played consistently at that level. Finally they beat the Niners but struggled against a one-dimensional backup QB. Still they are 5-0 and you can bank those wins.” The cards pushed it to 7-0 against 2 mediocre teams.
I was told I was ignoring the season to season improvement. I was ignoring improved play calling by Kingsbury. I was ignoring improved technique by Murray. Soon those improvements disappeared and the team regressed to losing. On January 11th I wrote, “You’re correct to say you can’t ignore the Cards’ record. Kingsbury will definitely be the coach next year. I’m saying be cautious. There are serious flaws in the coaching scheme. Can they be corrected? Sure! I just warning I’ll be betting the under on whether the Cards win as many next year, though lots can happen between now and then.”
Gradually I relented somewhat and predicted a 9-8 record. That looks far away now. Part of this involves the basis for change. Did Murray do the work to learn how to read defenses? Did he accept his flaws and work continuously to change the technique of a lifetime? Did Kingsbury accept his red zone calls were poor? Did he work to produce a sense of urgency in the 2 minute drill? Did he take control of Murray and insist on discipline? Did he interact with Murray between drives to make certain Murray understood what needed to be changed and what defenses were trying to do? It’s easy to make changes when everything is working. However, when issues arise the tendency is to revert to old habits. It‘s easy to see Murray this year differs little from the QB when he was drafted. As for Kingsbury, it’s true his plays might work for a solid O-line and a veteran QB, but is he a fit for the player development this team needs?
Can Hopkins and Anderson save this season? They should help, but the O-line has broken down. I can’t envision them making the playoffs, but since they’re in this for the long haul, can they improve fundamentals and move this team forward?
I was told I was ignoring the season to season improvement. I was ignoring improved play calling by Kingsbury. I was ignoring improved technique by Murray. Soon those improvements disappeared and the team regressed to losing. On January 11th I wrote, “You’re correct to say you can’t ignore the Cards’ record. Kingsbury will definitely be the coach next year. I’m saying be cautious. There are serious flaws in the coaching scheme. Can they be corrected? Sure! I just warning I’ll be betting the under on whether the Cards win as many next year, though lots can happen between now and then.”
Gradually I relented somewhat and predicted a 9-8 record. That looks far away now. Part of this involves the basis for change. Did Murray do the work to learn how to read defenses? Did he accept his flaws and work continuously to change the technique of a lifetime? Did Kingsbury accept his red zone calls were poor? Did he work to produce a sense of urgency in the 2 minute drill? Did he take control of Murray and insist on discipline? Did he interact with Murray between drives to make certain Murray understood what needed to be changed and what defenses were trying to do? It’s easy to make changes when everything is working. However, when issues arise the tendency is to revert to old habits. It‘s easy to see Murray this year differs little from the QB when he was drafted. As for Kingsbury, it’s true his plays might work for a solid O-line and a veteran QB, but is he a fit for the player development this team needs?
Can Hopkins and Anderson save this season? They should help, but the O-line has broken down. I can’t envision them making the playoffs, but since they’re in this for the long haul, can they improve fundamentals and move this team forward?
