Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
Well, as I mentioned I’m on the road and had to watch the game on NFL Plus. I don’t recommend the service. It seemed to lack a dashboard and I didn’t like having to manually bypass commercials. Also the fast forward had no window to pinpoint the place you were seeking.
As to the game, my knee jerk reaction was McCoy looked much better than Murray. He used all his receivers. He read the defense and appeared to know the best place to go with the ball before the snap. Considering he likely had only limited work with most of these guys, his timing was good. McCoy rarely threw into coverage. He made some good fakes in the running game. He was poised and the receivers showed confidence that the ball would be there. They wanted to win.
On further reflection I reminded myself to keep in mind the Rams were likely going nowhere. They also had their backup QB and seemed easily discouraged. They did not seem to want the game very badly. Their vaunted defensive line never created an atmosphere of pressure despite facing a makeshift O-line. I’d start McCoy again if only to let Kyler know in the NFL, you earn a starting job. It could backfire if the Cards get killed, but at this point the Cards have little to lose. This is still a bad them, but admittedly they played harder for McCoy.
As to the game plan, it looked routine to me. I did see a 2 man game, though a penalty killed it. McCoy was under center and that made the plays less predictable. They got the ball out fast, but I suspect Murray’s failure to do that was caused more by indecision. It simply seemed like there was less chaos on the field, so Kingsbury needed to do less.
I got roasted on the board a few weeks ago when I suggested benching Murray and telling him, he needed to play like a winner. McCoy won’t beat teams like the Bills and maybe not the Niners, be he won’t play like he’s intimidated. He no longer has a lot to lose, so he plays like he intends to win. Murray plays not to lose. When Murray shows the same determination McCoy displayed, I’d let him start again. It’s almost always nice to win.
As to the game, my knee jerk reaction was McCoy looked much better than Murray. He used all his receivers. He read the defense and appeared to know the best place to go with the ball before the snap. Considering he likely had only limited work with most of these guys, his timing was good. McCoy rarely threw into coverage. He made some good fakes in the running game. He was poised and the receivers showed confidence that the ball would be there. They wanted to win.
On further reflection I reminded myself to keep in mind the Rams were likely going nowhere. They also had their backup QB and seemed easily discouraged. They did not seem to want the game very badly. Their vaunted defensive line never created an atmosphere of pressure despite facing a makeshift O-line. I’d start McCoy again if only to let Kyler know in the NFL, you earn a starting job. It could backfire if the Cards get killed, but at this point the Cards have little to lose. This is still a bad them, but admittedly they played harder for McCoy.
As to the game plan, it looked routine to me. I did see a 2 man game, though a penalty killed it. McCoy was under center and that made the plays less predictable. They got the ball out fast, but I suspect Murray’s failure to do that was caused more by indecision. It simply seemed like there was less chaos on the field, so Kingsbury needed to do less.
I got roasted on the board a few weeks ago when I suggested benching Murray and telling him, he needed to play like a winner. McCoy won’t beat teams like the Bills and maybe not the Niners, be he won’t play like he’s intimidated. He no longer has a lot to lose, so he plays like he intends to win. Murray plays not to lose. When Murray shows the same determination McCoy displayed, I’d let him start again. It’s almost always nice to win.
