Kyler Murray could change everything.
Now that may seem a bit dramatic based on 7 passes and 13 total plays under cen-, er behind center for Kyler Murray but its the truth.
The Arizona Cardinals have existed for over 30 years in the state of Arizona and have had one home grown QB who has had success (Jake Plummer), one other QB who revived his career here and solidified his Hall of Fame credentials (Kurt Warner) and one other QB who was pretty good (Carson Palmer). Literally the rest of the Cardinals QB history is forgettable.
Beyond that, the state of Arizona has rarely had a bona fide superstar. Charles Barkely and Randy Johnson certainly qualify. Steve Nash won two MVP’s but was never considered in the class of superstar NBA players of Kobe or Lebron. Larry Fitzgerald is a superstar in every way possible and quite likely the 2nd greatest WR of all time but outside of Arizona few readily accept that.
Kyler Murray could be the first homegrown superstar in Phoenix sports history. Fitz, Shane Doan, Justin Upton, Brandon Webb, Paul Goldschmidt, Amar'e Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Diana Taurasi, Patrick Peterson and Devin Booker have all become stars. But superstar is a different animal.
If Kyler Murray reaches superstar status at Quarterback, there will be kids all over the country wearing his Cardinals jersey. I guarantee you right now you could walk into any middle school in Phoenix and there’s a kid who owns a Baker Mayfield or Patrick Mahomes jersey and not because his parents are midwest transplants. Its because younger sports fans generally care more about players than teams.
Kyler Murray could make gamers all over the country default to playing with the Cardinals in Madden the same way you and I did with Bo Jackson or Randall Cunningham or Mike Vick in previous generations.
Kyler Murray could make the Cardinals a bandwagon team.
Kyler Murary could put Phoenix sports (back) on the map in a way it’s never really been.
Kyler Murray could spawn a whole legion of kids named Kyler.
Yes, Kyler Murray could change everything.
Will he?
He’s going to need a better roster. The Cardinals current roster is still a loooong ways away from being competitive on the lines and elsewhere.
He’s going to need better decision making. Steve Keim built a fatally flawed roster two years in a row and while he made some nice additions this offseason, he still didn’t do nearly enough at several glaring areas of need.
He’s going to need a better commitment to championship culture. The Cardinals were 3-13 last year and yet somehow entered training camp without competition at every single position. Haason Reddick and Zane Gonzlez have been handed starting jobs despite having done nothing at the NFL level to be unchallenged.
So yes, I believe Kyler Murray can change everything but if he’s actually going to do it, he’s going to need the Cardinals to change too.