Kyler Murray had to learn to change his footwork in new offense with Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray is going through a transition process regarding his footwork technique as quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals and so far, to use movie parlance, it’s been part Dirty Dancing, part Footloose and part Staying Alive.
The results thus far during a three-game stretch in his return from knee surgery have been all over the map.
He was very good in his season debut, just average his second time out, and during Sunday’s 37-14 debacle against the Rams, he was bad, openly admitting he wasn’t good enough at all.
Even though it’s almost been like learning a foreign language, don’t blame the mixed results on Murray’s ongoing efforts to master a new way of using his footwork in a new offense with a new coaching staff. Cardinals’ fans and critics alike have tended to harp on this narrative since it began being discussed a week ago, but it’s a false narrative, according to offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
“Absolutely. Our success or lack thereof has had no impact – his feet have had little to no impact on that in my mind,” Petzing said.
In case you missed it, here’s some background on the subject:
Upon being hired as Arizona’s new OC this year, Petzing has demanded that his quarterback take snaps – be they under center or out of shotgun formation – by having their left foot up. It’s a way, he said, to help better improve the timing on pass-catching routes and besides, it’s the way he was coached and taught to have QBs do it.
Until this season, however, Murray has always been a right foot up-first quarterback. It’s the way he’s done it since high school, where he went 43-0 and led his team to three straight Texas state championships, the way he’s done it since winning the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma, and the way he’s done it his first four NFL seasons, which included winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and being named to back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2020 and 2021.
NFL mock draft: Arizona Cardinals take Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers with first pick
“It was awkward,” Murray said last week about having to make the footwork switch. “For me, I’d been doing that for 15-plus years, right foot up. Now having to switch, luckily, I’m coordinated enough to get it down.
“It’s still kind of a mind trick in my head with the feet and the drops that I’ve been doing my whole life and having to time them up now to what they’re wanting. But it’s been good so far.”
Petzing acknowledged that Murray can make plays with “dirty feet” or in his mind, improper footwork, but he’s adamant that the left foot-first approach is the ideal way to go, adding last week, “He’s picked it up as fast if not faster than most of the guys I’ve seen make the transition.”
Murray still has some issues with the change in footwork dynamics and some of his timing on drop-back situations, though. It’s shown up at times during obvious pass-rush situations and perceived pass-rush situations. The important thing, Petzing said, is that Murray embraced the change from the start and he’ll only get better at it the more he plays.
“When we first got here and he was going through his rehab, it’s something like, ‘Hey, this is how we do it. We’re going to show you examples of why. We’re going to show what we’re looking for,’ and it’s something he can do on his own when he hits the field.”
Although Petzing said the left foot-up approach is in no way mandatory, he said he thinks it works best because “it puts the quarterback in better rhythm to go through his progressions and make his decision and get the ball out.”
“Now, there are teams that do it with the right foot-up that believe their timing and the way they teach their routes and the way they teach the depth and the progressions work the same. I would tell you neither is right or wrong; it’s just kind of we believe this because it’s timed up with the way I was taught and the way we teach the routes, but it doesn’t make it the only way to do things.”
There’s also been the matter of snaps under center vs. snaps out of the shotgun that has been somewhat of an issue for the Cardinals, Murray and Petzing’s offense. Before Murray returned, Josh Dobbs took the majority of snaps under center at the line of scrimmage. Since Murray’s return, he’s operated once again mostly out of the gun, which he did almost exclusively when Kliff Kingsbury was still the head coach.
Murray said he likes operating under center, but so far, he’s only done it 22 times in his first three games back, including eight times on Sunday against the Rams. He’s completing 61.7% of his passes for an average of 240 yards with two touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns. It’s good, but not good enough.
“I hope next season’s different, and I get to actually have a more normal offseason, get to actually move around and throw,” Murray said. “That’s something I definitely look forward to, but right now we’re in it. We’re in this situation. I’ve got to deal with it, and I’ve got to somehow get better each and every week.”
Asked to assess Murray’s play through three games, Petzing said, “I think he’s done a nice job.”
“I think you’ve really seen him embrace both sides of the offense, the run, the pass, just handling the operation. Certainly, there’s always going to be things even when you’re in year five, six, seven in an offense that you’re always going to be working on, tweaking and changing.
“But I think he’s made really nice progress. Has he been perfect? No. And he would be the first to admit that. But I think he’s getting more and more comfortable in what he’s doing, what we’re asking him to do, and we certainly need that to continue as we move through the rest of the season.”
Roster move
The Cardinals on Wednesday designated offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson to return from the injured reserve list. Wilkinson, who opened the season as the starting left guard, can begin practicing and the team can activate him to the 53-man roster at any time during the next 21 days or at the conclusion of the three-week period.
Injury report
Six players did not practice for the Cardinals on Wednesday: wide receivers Marquise Brown (heel) and Michael Wilson (shoulder), cornerbacks Antonio Hamilton (groin) and Starling Thomas Jr. (ankle), tight end Trey McBride (groin) and safety Jalen Thompson (ribs).
Listed as limited were safety Joey Blount (knee), defensive lineman Kevin Strong (knee) and Wilkinson (neck).
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Learning new footwork 'still kind of a mind trick' for Kyler Murray
