Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
I’m not sure the Fins aren’t all that less likely to stumble into a win than the Cards. I predicted the Cards at 4-12, but that now appears optimistic, so what went wrong.
It starts with KK’s secret offense.
1 It appears on of the secrets was the offense would be based on 3yd passes.
2 Tell me again how Murray’s illusiveness would compensate for a poor OL.
3 I thought Carolina’s misdirection running game was the more creative offense
4 Mahomes shines because of superior decision making. Can Murray do that?
5 Do I see this offense improving throughout the season? Not really!
6 Murray throws lasers but his touch is questionable. Can he drop it in a box?
7 Murray does not show progression reads before throwing when he has time.
8 It doesn’t take much contact to drop Murray when he runs
9 A QB shouldn’t run out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage without throwing the ball.
10 This play calling is so poor I wouldn’t know where to start; hard to correct
11 In fact this offense is not really creative; just a few misdirection wrinkles.
12 Not running this offense in preseason was a joke; no sense of reality.
13 There’s an awful lot of coach/QB ego; when will finger pointing start?
14 Where are the new confusing WR routes guaranteed to produce separation?
15 DJ should run 15 times a game from scrimmage
Then there’s the defense
1 They’d beat a team with poor TEs, but that would be an inter-squad game.
2 Slowest overall defense in the NFL
3 They were totally confused by Carolina’s RB crossing & misdirection patterns. No on-field leadership.
4 Sadly Suggs looks old.
5 Secondary looked confused by zone responsibilities
6 I thought they’d blitz more with an inexperienced QB. No consistent pressure.
7 Nothing creative about the defense. They just individually got beat.
The Cards decided to go all in on Murray. The entire draft and much of free agency was designed to make things easier for him. All that effort has failed miserably. Can Murray win in the NFL? I wouldn’t rule it out but I wouldn’t bet my house on it. He has much to fix.
I honestly can’t understand the play calling. There were few roll outs. There was no effective play action. Where were the deep throws? Murray rushed throws even when he didn’t have to do so. He underestimated the athleticism of the secondary and the pass rushers. He doesn’t seem to understand pass placement. I’ve yet to see a back shoulder throw. The throw to Sherfield was concerning. Instead of dropping the ball in a huge hole, Murray threw a high line drive. Yes the receiver should have caught it but too often Murray makes it harder to catch his passes. He also hasn’t learned to shift in the pocket. If pressured in the pocket he just breaks and tries to run. There’s great speed & athleticism there but is this an NFL QB? Time will tell but unless the play calling improves Cards’ fans will remain disappointed. We also have to wonder if KK can coach up Murray to let him grow beyond the confines of this offense. I think the Cards & Murray would be better served with an separate QB coach. This offense needs to find a way to capitalize on Murray’s talent. That means more throwing on the run. More play action and misdirection. Free Murray! If he gets hurt, he gets hurt. You can’t win playing in fear. I thought this would be a fun year. It appears I was wrong.
It starts with KK’s secret offense.
1 It appears on of the secrets was the offense would be based on 3yd passes.
2 Tell me again how Murray’s illusiveness would compensate for a poor OL.
3 I thought Carolina’s misdirection running game was the more creative offense
4 Mahomes shines because of superior decision making. Can Murray do that?
5 Do I see this offense improving throughout the season? Not really!
6 Murray throws lasers but his touch is questionable. Can he drop it in a box?
7 Murray does not show progression reads before throwing when he has time.
8 It doesn’t take much contact to drop Murray when he runs
9 A QB shouldn’t run out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage without throwing the ball.
10 This play calling is so poor I wouldn’t know where to start; hard to correct
11 In fact this offense is not really creative; just a few misdirection wrinkles.
12 Not running this offense in preseason was a joke; no sense of reality.
13 There’s an awful lot of coach/QB ego; when will finger pointing start?
14 Where are the new confusing WR routes guaranteed to produce separation?
15 DJ should run 15 times a game from scrimmage
Then there’s the defense
1 They’d beat a team with poor TEs, but that would be an inter-squad game.
2 Slowest overall defense in the NFL
3 They were totally confused by Carolina’s RB crossing & misdirection patterns. No on-field leadership.
4 Sadly Suggs looks old.
5 Secondary looked confused by zone responsibilities
6 I thought they’d blitz more with an inexperienced QB. No consistent pressure.
7 Nothing creative about the defense. They just individually got beat.
The Cards decided to go all in on Murray. The entire draft and much of free agency was designed to make things easier for him. All that effort has failed miserably. Can Murray win in the NFL? I wouldn’t rule it out but I wouldn’t bet my house on it. He has much to fix.
I honestly can’t understand the play calling. There were few roll outs. There was no effective play action. Where were the deep throws? Murray rushed throws even when he didn’t have to do so. He underestimated the athleticism of the secondary and the pass rushers. He doesn’t seem to understand pass placement. I’ve yet to see a back shoulder throw. The throw to Sherfield was concerning. Instead of dropping the ball in a huge hole, Murray threw a high line drive. Yes the receiver should have caught it but too often Murray makes it harder to catch his passes. He also hasn’t learned to shift in the pocket. If pressured in the pocket he just breaks and tries to run. There’s great speed & athleticism there but is this an NFL QB? Time will tell but unless the play calling improves Cards’ fans will remain disappointed. We also have to wonder if KK can coach up Murray to let him grow beyond the confines of this offense. I think the Cards & Murray would be better served with an separate QB coach. This offense needs to find a way to capitalize on Murray’s talent. That means more throwing on the run. More play action and misdirection. Free Murray! If he gets hurt, he gets hurt. You can’t win playing in fear. I thought this would be a fun year. It appears I was wrong.
