Cardinals
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray acknowledged the same problem outsider observers could see with Arizona all season long: inconsistency. The team finished 2020 8-8, which included terrific wins against teams like the Bills and Seahawks and perplexing losses like in a do-or-die Week 17 game to the Rams’ backup quarterback. To get the Cardinals where they want to go and to live up to the potential everyone sees, Murray highlighted the need for Arizona to become more consistently good.
“It was like, you just didn’t know which team you were getting,” Murray said on the Pat McAfee Show, via the team’s official website. “That comes down to us being inconsistent. For me, it starts with the little things, and I have said it before, organizations that win, they do everything right. They do everything the right way. Attention to detail, the small things. I’ve said, how you do anything is how you do everything.
“We’ve got to get to the point where we do everything the right way, we don’t take any stuff for granted. I think that’ll change the narrative or feel around the organization. The Cardinals, we haven’t really won a lot as far as an organization.”
A shoulder injury that Murray picked up midseason didn’t help things for the Cardinals. Murray appeared to be hurt in a Week 11 loss to the Seahawks and the injury noticeably affected him for the rest of the season, especially as a runner. But Murray revealed he actually suffered the initial injury a few weeks earlier.
“It happened against the Dolphins,” Murray said during an appearance on PFT Live. “I don’t know if you saw, I ran into a dude like third and long, one of the downs, whatever, that started it off. Then the Seahawks game I landed on it first drive. That’s kind of when it really started. . . . I couldn’t really — I wanted to stay in the game for my guys against the Seahawks. I wasn’t running around as much taking hits. I think that affected it. After that game I was fine. Obviously, had to play through it a little bit. But uou take hits here and there and you keep playing, and it was fine. I was good throughout the year. I don’t think it affected me as much as people think it did.”
49ers
- Eric Branch of The San Francisco Chronicle notes that while the 49ers’ did not land QB Matthew Stafford, the fact that he would have been willing to come to the team is a good sign for the franchise.
- Matt Barrows of The Athletic thinks the most likely option is that QB Jimmy Garoppolo remains the starter in San Francisco for 2021.
- While Barrows says it is unclear whether the team should have gone harder after Stafford, San Francisco clearly has a limit of what they are willing to give up and doesn’t have any plan of going beyond it to acquire new players.
- Per NFL Media’s Andrew Siciliano, 49ers TE George Kittle once again reiterated his belief in Garoppolo: “I still believe in Jimmy G. I think he’s an incredible quarterback. I think he can lead us to another Super Bowl. I think we can win a Super Bowl with him….I feel like I’ve answered this question about 200 times now since I last talked to you guys.”
- According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, the Jets are hiring 49ers DB coach Tony Oden as a senior defensive assistant/cornerbacks coach.
Seahawks
- Per Pro Football Talk’s Curtis Crabtree, new Seahawks OC Shane Waldron commented on the type of offensive philosophy he wants to bring with him to Seattle: “We’re going to be a balanced offense that’s going to have that ability to create explosive plays with that attacking mindset. We want to be the one that puts the foot on the gas pedal.”
- Waldron added: “Just saying that it’s a balanced attack, doesn’t mean that that’s a conservative attack, so I don’t ever want to get that confused.”
- Waldron didn’t know Seahawks HC Pete Carroll before taking the job but said the interview process was seamless because they shared so much “philosophical alignment.” (Joe Fann)
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