Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
A win is a win. That’s a good manta, but it’s a long season. So what should be taken away from Thursday’s win. Was there progress? Yes, but halting progress. Keep in mind the Cards’ offense scored fewer points than the Saints’ offense did. Also the Cards have intercepted a pass in only one other game. Getting similar defensive scoring would probably be rare. Consider the Saints have given up 270 passing yards a game, yet the Cards got only 204 with the Saints top 3 CBs out. The Cards figure to get better when Anderson gets involved and Hopkins should be even better with time, but there were still many of the issues that have plagued the Cards all year. On defense, the 34 points the Saints got was their second highest total of the year and they were missing 2 of their top receivers. The Saints were a wounded team but the Cards had to recover an onside kick to finally put them away.
It’s true the Cards had injuries also. However, I thought Price and Ford outplayed Hudson, Harlow and Garcia. Pugh’s absence hurt some. Brown was out but arguably Hopkins was more useful. On the whole the Cards were in much better shape.
So, what’s the outlook. Connor’s immediate availability is questionable. Brown is like gone for likely 6 weeks. On the plus side, Anderson figures to be far more productive than Green assuming Murray comes to believe in him. At times I feel Murray has trust issues. Maybe Murray will even risk a throw to McBride. Maybe Kingsbury won’t forget about Ertz in quarter one. Benjamin played great and figures to get even better. This team has numerous weapons offering solid diversity. When Brown & Connor come back the offensive potential could be off the charts.
So it all comes down to Murray and play-calling. Murray has a great arm. That said, he lacks poise. So Kingsbury must call plays that are focused to Murray’s strengths, using speed and accuracy to move the ball. Murray’s responsibility is to improve his technique to acquire a broader array of strengths. A perfect example would be slants, like the one Murray threw to Dortch at the goal line. Slants are one of the hardest passes to defend, especially when throw accurately. However, they function best with a throwing lane, particularly for short QBs. Murray needs to learn to shift in the pocket, like Wilson & Brees learned to do, so he can complete more of these each game. These are also great throws for blunting blitzes. The addition of Anderson brings the deep threat lost when Kirk departed. There’s no question Murray has the arm to throw deep, but he needs the time. For my money this falls more on play calling. Hold in a back or roll out Murray to buy the time for Anderson to beat his cover. He will.
I don’t expect Murray to become a great reader of defenses, though he called an outstanding audible that went for a TD in the Saints gams. Instead success means using the skills he already possesses and maximizing his productivity.
Regarding Kingsbury, Murray is right to be angered as he was on the sideline. Kingsbury seems to overthink many calls and fails to anticipate game situations. His confusing delay on the call to go for 2 was bizarre. He surely knew throughout the drive he would go for 2 if they scored and should have had a play in mind, unless he faced some odd defense. His red zone calls in particular are often terrible. When inside the 5, he seems to always begin with a delayed handoff. The Saints knew it and appeared to run blitz. That play is now continually thrown for a loss near the goal line, as are his deep wide runs. When you’re close only go forward unless you’re passing. Dortch should always be in for the red zone plays. He has some of the surest hands and excellent quickness. I think he would have made the catch on the lob they intended for Moore. Moore seems to be a useful player in the open field, but they need to dump the behind the line travesties.
While getting rid of things, it’s time to dispense with thinking Murray is an option QB. He often dumps the ball too early and you could see Thursday night the defenders outsmarted him and dictated the option. Murray is a great athlete, but just not a great decision maker. He’s fine on designed runs, but again I don’t see him as a great RPO director. Draws and edge runs are okay, but complex paths are not his area of expertise.
There still seems often to be chaos on the sideline. A 12 men in the huddle is a careless or a penalty caused by indecision. TOs are thrown away in too many games. Plays come in too slowly. The 2 minute drill is excruciating. Murray is excellent in a hurry up offense, that is too seldom seen. The Cards use far less pre-snap motion than other offensive minded teams. This allows the defense to nest and seldom be confused. When the Saints used it you could see the problem it caused Hamilton to experience when he tried to move through traffic to cover his man.
This team has the potential to become an offensive juggernaut if it can get out of its own way and play to its strength. The defense has played above what I expected, though teams with strong passing games will be an issue. It it can continue to be a bend but not break structure, perhaps the Cards can sneak into the playoffs. However, it looks to me like 8-9 is the best case scenario unless this offense breaks lose enough to simply outscore a few remaining opponents. The offense has a long way to go. I hope everyone doesn’t read too much into the Saints game. It was a step forward, but only a small one. The team has potential but must maximize it to offer any real hope.
It’s true the Cards had injuries also. However, I thought Price and Ford outplayed Hudson, Harlow and Garcia. Pugh’s absence hurt some. Brown was out but arguably Hopkins was more useful. On the whole the Cards were in much better shape.
So, what’s the outlook. Connor’s immediate availability is questionable. Brown is like gone for likely 6 weeks. On the plus side, Anderson figures to be far more productive than Green assuming Murray comes to believe in him. At times I feel Murray has trust issues. Maybe Murray will even risk a throw to McBride. Maybe Kingsbury won’t forget about Ertz in quarter one. Benjamin played great and figures to get even better. This team has numerous weapons offering solid diversity. When Brown & Connor come back the offensive potential could be off the charts.
So it all comes down to Murray and play-calling. Murray has a great arm. That said, he lacks poise. So Kingsbury must call plays that are focused to Murray’s strengths, using speed and accuracy to move the ball. Murray’s responsibility is to improve his technique to acquire a broader array of strengths. A perfect example would be slants, like the one Murray threw to Dortch at the goal line. Slants are one of the hardest passes to defend, especially when throw accurately. However, they function best with a throwing lane, particularly for short QBs. Murray needs to learn to shift in the pocket, like Wilson & Brees learned to do, so he can complete more of these each game. These are also great throws for blunting blitzes. The addition of Anderson brings the deep threat lost when Kirk departed. There’s no question Murray has the arm to throw deep, but he needs the time. For my money this falls more on play calling. Hold in a back or roll out Murray to buy the time for Anderson to beat his cover. He will.
I don’t expect Murray to become a great reader of defenses, though he called an outstanding audible that went for a TD in the Saints gams. Instead success means using the skills he already possesses and maximizing his productivity.
Regarding Kingsbury, Murray is right to be angered as he was on the sideline. Kingsbury seems to overthink many calls and fails to anticipate game situations. His confusing delay on the call to go for 2 was bizarre. He surely knew throughout the drive he would go for 2 if they scored and should have had a play in mind, unless he faced some odd defense. His red zone calls in particular are often terrible. When inside the 5, he seems to always begin with a delayed handoff. The Saints knew it and appeared to run blitz. That play is now continually thrown for a loss near the goal line, as are his deep wide runs. When you’re close only go forward unless you’re passing. Dortch should always be in for the red zone plays. He has some of the surest hands and excellent quickness. I think he would have made the catch on the lob they intended for Moore. Moore seems to be a useful player in the open field, but they need to dump the behind the line travesties.
While getting rid of things, it’s time to dispense with thinking Murray is an option QB. He often dumps the ball too early and you could see Thursday night the defenders outsmarted him and dictated the option. Murray is a great athlete, but just not a great decision maker. He’s fine on designed runs, but again I don’t see him as a great RPO director. Draws and edge runs are okay, but complex paths are not his area of expertise.
There still seems often to be chaos on the sideline. A 12 men in the huddle is a careless or a penalty caused by indecision. TOs are thrown away in too many games. Plays come in too slowly. The 2 minute drill is excruciating. Murray is excellent in a hurry up offense, that is too seldom seen. The Cards use far less pre-snap motion than other offensive minded teams. This allows the defense to nest and seldom be confused. When the Saints used it you could see the problem it caused Hamilton to experience when he tried to move through traffic to cover his man.
This team has the potential to become an offensive juggernaut if it can get out of its own way and play to its strength. The defense has played above what I expected, though teams with strong passing games will be an issue. It it can continue to be a bend but not break structure, perhaps the Cards can sneak into the playoffs. However, it looks to me like 8-9 is the best case scenario unless this offense breaks lose enough to simply outscore a few remaining opponents. The offense has a long way to go. I hope everyone doesn’t read too much into the Saints game. It was a step forward, but only a small one. The team has potential but must maximize it to offer any real hope.
