Kyler Murray's injury may have just saved Kliff Kingsbury's job | Opinion
Kyler Murray came out wearing highlighter orange shoes to play the Patriots on Monday Night Football; it took just three plays for him to suffer the lowlight of his career.
Murray took off running to his right, made a couple of head-and-shoulders fakes, then crumpled to the field at State Farm Stadium without contact. A New England defender recognized what happened right away and motioned for the Arizona training staff before bothering to tag Murray as down.
Both teams gathered around the young superstar like mourners surrounding a casket at a funeral, and he was carted off the field with a towel draped over his head.
It looks like the final indignity of Murray’s Murphy’s Law of a season.
He had his work ethic questioned by the front office with an unheard of “homework” clause in his contract.
He lost his primary receiving threat to a six-game suspension.
He lost his other primary receiving threat to a busted foot.
Four of his five starting offensive linemen went out with injuries.
A former teammate called him selfish on a podcast.
He feuded with his coach on the sidelines during a game.
He barked at his receiver on the sidelines during a game.
He tweaked his hamstring and had to watch as Colt McCoy engineered a win over the Rams, igniting a quarterback controversy.
He came off like a foul-mouthed brat on “HBO Hard Knocks: In Season”.
And more than anything else, he’s simply played below the lofty standards he set during his first three years in the league.
Now this.
What if Murray is out for a full year? Who would play quarterback to start next season? McCoy? Trace McSorley? (Anybody think Baker Mayfield could find his way to Arizona from Los Angeles?!)
Did it have something to do with the grass at State Farm Stadium? Kansas City coach Andy Reid criticized the playing surface earlier this year after a pair of his players went out.
And what about those fancy, new cleats? Could they have been a factor?
From here the biggest questions are these: How does this injury fit into the evaluation of coach Kliff Kingsbury? And how do all of the various injuries fit into the evaluation of general manager Steve Keim?
Ironically, this could save both Kingsbury and Keim’s jobs.
It’s clear the trio isn’t working. The offensive scheme hasn’t maximized Murray’s talents. Murray has come across as frustrated and angry. And the team has been heavy on star power and light on depth.
If Murray had played and struggled down the stretch, team owner Michael Bidwill might have been shamed into action by boos, empty seats and Cardinals “fans” wearing every color to games except for red.
Now?
With four years to go on each of their contracts, Keim and Kingsbury won’t need to do much to keep their jobs, meaning things aren’t likely to improve around here for a long time.