I had a wild thought the other day. The Cards need a QB coach whether or not KK thinks so. My idea is radical. They should get Warner. On first view I admit that seems crazy. Warner was one of the least mobile QBs ever. He was a pure pocket passer. So why him? In my mind most of the technique Murray lacks, Warner possessed. Murray doesn’t need running advice. He’s likely the best there’s ever been. He needs to know what to do to be more effective in the pocket. I know Murray is vertically challenged. Keep in mind Warner wasn’t a giant. At 6’2” Warner did have passes knocked down. However, he was still outstanding at pure pocket presence.
The first lesson is reading defenses and audibles. Recognizing blitzes and using hot reads would by itself take Murray’s game to a new level. The coaching staff should be able to provide Murray with key reads to spot whether the coverage is zone or man, but teams have become more sophisticated at disguising defenses. This is where a QB noting little things in pre-snap defensive movement can lead to effective audibles. Warner was brilliant at anticipating blitzes, for example, and dumping the ball off to neutralize them. Throwing to vacated areas can dramatically slow the rush.
Closely related is spotting single coverage. Murray has 2 outstanding receivers at securing what are thought to be 50/50 balls. Oddly one of those receivers was also a Warner receiver. It took some time for Warner to understand when Fitz was “open.” Once he did few teams single covered Fitz. Opposing teams can’t double cover both options.
Then there’s ball placement. Time after time Warner beat defenders by anticipating where to place the ball so his receiver could control the spacing and his his body to ward off defenders. Murray has twice the arm strength Warner had, but Warner knew how to give his receivers the advantage, even on deep throws.
Sliding in the pocket to avoid pressure or get a better throwing lane was a technique Warner mastered, as did Palmer & Wilson. Think about Murray’s technique. He seldom moves in the pocket either by stepping up or moving side to side. This is true pocket presence. I loved watching frustrated rushers simply overrun the QB. This also includes understanding your O-line blockers style to anticipate where they will redirect rushers.
The bottom line is Warner constantly controlled the defense. He literally manipulated them. He neutralized their strategies. Unlike Murray, Warner was not a great athlete. His talent was based on recognition, misdirection and subtle adjustments. Add even a small potion of those skills to Murray’s ability to take over a game with his legs and you have a truly dominant QB. It’s not that Murray cannot succeed without this component, it’s just he can be so much more. I’m sure there are guys besides Warner who could do this, but in my mind he was the best at this. Add in his Cardinal connection and he’s the best choice in my mind. He almost got the Cards all the way to the top. It would be fitting if he helped their current QB take the last step of the journey.
