Let's Back Off The Criticism Of Kyler Murray
Analysis 8/5/22
When you get a young, star quarterback to work with, you don't want to over-coach him. You want to let him be himself, and play to his strengths initially. That is what we tried to do with Ben Roethlisberger when I was coaching in Pittsburgh. And I'm reminded of that looking at Kyler Murray in Arizona.
Let The QB Be Himself
When Ben Roethlisberger came into the NFL, we tried to keep things simple for him at first. He was a creative quarterback, and we just wanted him to get out there and play his way. Looking in Arizona, I wonder what they're giving Kyler so far, what reads and checks they're asking him to make. Most importantly, are they letting him be himself?
I know the stories have been about "study hours" and his preparation, but that's been overstated. I'm sure he prepares, he wouldn't be succeeding as a starting quarterback if he wasn't putting in the work preparing week after week.
When I look at Kyler Murray, I see someone who does so well at improvising with the ball. He makes that a signature of his game, and it works better when he isn't overthinking anything out there.
Don't Over-Coach Kyler Early
As quarterbacks gain experience, teams give them more, they start to work the systems in. Yes, there's preparation that goes into it. But early on, let's back off on the criticism. Just ask him to be Kyler Murray, a very talented player who is putting in the preparation that he needs to.
Don't over-coach him. Just let him be Kyler Murray. We don't have to apply the "five hours of tape" study requirement. Yes, preparation's a part of it. But ask, what are you giving him and asking him to do?
With how talented he was, I didn't ask Ben to do a lot, until he earned it and understood it a little more. I think as Kyler keeps playing, he'll see it more and more, and really understand each opponent and what he has to do every week. Then, coaches can give him more to do based on how much they think he can handle, and it won't take away from his natural abilities he has as a talented quarterback.