Why doesn’t Rosen get this pass around here???
Mainly because he isn't a Cardinal anymore. I still think the Cardinals did the right thing last year when they moved up to take Rosen. You absolutely must have a QB to win in the NFL. During last season & even after the season, I was on record saying that I wasn't blaming that debacle on Rosen. If the Cardinals chose to keep Josh, I would still be 100% in his corner right now. Before the season started last year, not many of us could foresee the Cardinals ending up with the worst record in the league & having the 1st pick. At least I definitely didn't see that coming. By halftime of the opener, it became clear as day how bad we truly were.
Not entirely blaming Rosen & being convinced he was our guy became 2 very different subjects for me. I have DirecTV & taped every game from last year. Been doing that for years. I went back & watched every play of every game. Granted, the OL was pathetic, and granted, our offensive brain trust was braindead. But, something was still missing for me with Josh. Even with a clean pocket, which wasn't often, he missed too many opportunities. He just didn't show me quite enough to not consider upgrading the position by drafting QB with the 1st overall pick.
Enter Kyler Murray. I'm not necessarily an OU diehard, but I have been intrigued by Lincoln Riley's ability to move the football. I was NOT a KM fan when the 2018 college season started. I had NEVER been even remotely interested in either smaller QB's or QB's that I perceived to be running QB's. I watched him every week, and even though I was skeptical at first, the kid continued to impress me. Yes, he was fast. Yes, he had a big arm for a little dude. But, I'd seen all that before & I certainly did NOT want to draft someone like Michael Vick. Just not my cup of tea. Would have DEFINITELY stayed with Rosen if I had come to the conclusion that Murray was Vick 2.0. Instead, I loved too much of what I saw, especially his quick release. Even though he could routinely make people miss, he was still always a passer 1st. Strong arm, accurate arm, quick release, fast & knew when to get down & avoid hits. And lastly, I loved his quiet, yet determined demeanor. I'm not sure if everyone understands how hard this kid will work to improve. When I put the entire Kyler Murray package together, there was little doubt in my mind that he was enough of an upgrade over Rosen to warrant drafting him. That's nothing against Josh. In my 55 years as a Cardinal fan, I had never seen us draft 1st. I still maintain that in that slot, you have to take the most impactful player available. For me, that was Murray.
