“Get rid of Kliff Kingsbury before you get rid of Kyler Murray” - NFL analyst defends QB while blasting HC
ESPN NFL analyst Damien Woody recently spoke about Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and head coach Kliff Kingsbury. On the ESPN show, NFL Live, Woody told NFL insider Field Yates that the Cardinals need to part ways with Kingsbury before they part ways with their franchise quarterback:
“Hell, no, Field. No. No way. Like listen, if you're the Arizona Cardinals, you got one of the most immensely talented quarterbacks that we have in our league. And my thinking is simple. You get rid of Kliff Kingsbury before you get rid of Kyler Murray. Because we've seen a pattern going all the way back to Kliff Kingsbury’s Texas Tech days, where you started out strong, but then ended the season on a sour note, you know?
Woody went on to say that he puts more blame on Kingsbury:
That's been a pattern now with the Arizona Cardinals. So, yes, Kyler Murray has things he has to work out. You know, obviously, we've seen the production wane, you know, as you move along towards the end of the year. But I put more of the blame on Kliff Kingsbury and his inability, whatever the case may be, to have this team and the Arizona Cardinals finish the season off strong.”
Kingsbury was hired by Arizona in January 2019 as the franchise’s new head coach. Prior to being hired by the Cardinals, he was the head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
January 8, 2019
Kliff Kingsbury was hired as head coach of the Cardinals. https://t.co/RZzKROCj8h
He coached the Big 10 for six seasons and had a record of 35 – 40 (.467). Texas Tech went to three bowls during Kingsbury’s tenure, winning just one of those games.
In November 2018, the team decided to part ways with him. He went on to become the offensive coordinator for the USC Trojans for a month before taking the Cardinals' head coaching job.
Breaking: Texas Tech has fired coach Kliff Kingsbury after the Red Raiders finished with a third consecutive losing season, a source confirmed to ESPN. https://t.co/XT6utDeFpx
Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray in Arizona
The quarterback was drafted as the number one overall pick by Arizona in the 2018 NFL Draft in Kingsbury’s first season. The team went 5-10-1 in the 2019 season, but Murray was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year as he finished in the top 15 in passing yards with 3,722 yards.
Arizona posted a 8-8 record in their second year together in the 2020 season, finishing third in the NFC West.
In year three, the head coach and quarterback duo went 11- 6 in the 2021 NFL season, making the playoffs. They went on to lose to the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 34 to 11 on the road. It was Arizona’s first postseason appearance since the 2015 NFL season.
Only 1 player in #NFL history has 70 pass TD and 20 rush TD in their first 3 seasons.
Kyler Murray
#Cardinals https://t.co/YzBRTbGXfx
The question is, what will Year Four have in store for Kingsbury and the 24-year-old signal-caller? We’ll have to wait and see what happens.