The Arizona Cardinals have had an extremely disappointing season. They are 4-11 and have lost quarterback Kyler Murray for the rest of the season and likely part of the 2023 season following a torn ACL.
There might be sweeping changes in the coaching staff and front office.
But Murray appears to be part of the problem, according to an ESPN report by Jeremy Fowler and Josh Weinfuss.
Murray has been frustrated with losing and it shows.
Apparently, there is an air of negativity around him.
According to the report, his relationship with head coach Kliff Kingsbury has declined.
Those with inside knowledge of the Murray-Kingsbury dynamic say the once-close pair, whose relationship dates back 10 years to Murray’s recruitment as a high school quarterback, have gone periods without much interaction.
“It’s not good,” a team source said last month. “It seems particularly bad this year.”
Before Murray’s injury, another team source described their relationship as: “They’re cordial,” adding, “it’s not the relationship you want from your quarterback and coach.”
Murray wants more freedom on offense but that has led to inconsistent targets to his pass catchers.
And while he and Kingsbury reportedly cleared the air about expectations for the remainder of the season, Murray was late to practice in Week 14 leading up to their game against the Patriots.
Murray’s attitude has Kingsbury “extremely frustrated” and, according to report, his attitude could be described as toxic. His negativity “is starting to get to people.”
It is hard to remain positive when things go badly. Murray is a grinder. He isn’t a rah-rah leader.
He will be the team’s quarterback for the foreseeable future. Perhaps things will improve with a new year, recovery from his knee and perhaps new leadership for the team.
However, right now it is just more evidence of how many problems there are with the team at all levels.
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