It seems obvious Fox Sports Radio host Colin Cowherd hasn’t been paying close attention over the last 18 months when it comes to Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
There are many lazy narratives out there when it comes to various topics, but what Cowherd said on his recent podcast about Murray and his alleged addiction to video games was lazy, clickbait and at least two years old. But I guess it worked because here I am writing about it!
Cowherd said, “He’s accurate, he’s a playmaker, he got a poorly owned franchise to the playoffs in a tough division. I think the gaming thing is a huge stigma. I think older GMs look at it and think, ‘Jesus, grow the eff up. Like, this guy’s addicted to gaming.’”
He also sprinkled in some long-distance psychology that was also head-spinning.
“I have this theory,” Cowherd expounded. “So, I have this therapist friend — a lady — and she has said that it’s not an epidemic, but it is an issue with men who are gamers are bad for marriages. And this person has said she has seen it repeatedly. People think that guys get into porn, and it ruins marriage. She’s like, ‘No, gamers; it’s addictive.’ And I will be honest, when I hear a guy’s a gamer and he’s older, you know, he’s out of his teen years, or he’s past like 20-21, I tend to be like, ‘It’s time to grow up, come on.’
“Most guys get married and have kids, and even if they love that stuff, they get out of it; they move on. But a lot don’t, and it’s like an issue. Therapists are seeing this and they’ve been seeing it for years. It’s blowing up marriages, guys that just can’t stop. It’s not like getting a book and going to read it for 30 minutes.”
What’s odd is that Murray isn’t married and even if he does play video games, there’s little evidence he’s “addicted.” One thing true is he’s not out clubbing and potentially getting into trouble. He’s mostly a homebody. So, after working hard during the day, it’s seen as a weakness to play video games for a couple hours? Furthermore, if there’s anything he’s addicted to it’s trying to win and he’s been figuring out the best way to go about it.
Plus, anyone paying attention since he tore his ACL late in the 2022 season knows that he worked countless hours rehabbing while also learning the new offense implemented in the 2023 offseason.
As for growing up, Murray was asked about that recently. He said, “It’s a natural maturation of life. You get older, you get wiser, you go through things, you experience things and those things … you gotta adapt and grow. I think that’s just natural for anybody. Either you can be stagnant and be hard-headed about things and not wanting to adapt and grow or you take your experiences and how do I get better from them.
“I’m always trying to get better. Obviously, some things are out of our control, some things are out of my control that I’ve gone thorough but I just wanna win. Man, I just wanna win. And let my teammates know that’s all I’m here to do is win. When I touch the field, the guys know what type of guy they’re playing with.”
It’s also obvious Cowherd either doesn’t know what teammates have said about Murray in the last month or he chose to ignore them in order to advance his take.
So, Colin, here are a few samples:
In a recent interview on ArizonaSports 98.7, running back Michael Carter said, “The more I’ve gotten to know him, I don’t think he ever leaves (the facility). I’m in the building right now — I don’t think he leaves here. I don’t. He’s always in here. He’s the freakin’ first person in. I’m sure he’s the last person out. I know for a fact he’s probably the last person out, because there’s sometimes when I try to be the first person in. Last week, one time I was like; ‘You know what? Let me just try to be the first person in.’ I think we had a meeting at 9:15. I think I might’ve got here at like 7:15, maybe. That’s two hours, you know? That lambo already here. He’s always in the building. A lot of credit to him.”
Carter concluded, “I don’t even think I’ve ever told him this, but seeing him around the building, seeing him always grinding; it sets the example because you know he is the leader of the team and makes everybody around him go harder, myself included.”
Guard Will Hernandez said, “It’s electrifying, everybody’s motivated, that’s our guy. We all know that the standard automatically raises when he comes in.”
Perhaps the most important support came from running back James Conner, one of the team’s true leaders.
“He’s a leader. I say that because he’s coming into it,” Conner said during OTAs. “When I got to Arizona (in 2021), I was kinda like, ‘Who is the leader here?’ Sometimes you’re just a product of the environment. That’s no longer the environment here. He’s making an effort to bring guys close. He’s bringing along the offensive-line room.
“He’s trying. That’s all we can do is try our best and that’s what he’s doing. It’s been awesome to see. We’ve been to a couple things together. We got even closer, me and him. He’s going to have a great future in this league and that’s because he’s putting his best foot forward.”
Throughout the offseason, Murray has organized weekend get-togethers with his receivers to continue working on getting better and he has continued to do that now that the offseason program is over and with training camp less than a month away.
As tight end Trey McBride said Tuesday, “Kyler’s been a great leader and I’m super-excited because this has been as close as I’ve felt like this offense has been since I’ve been here. He’s someone I love playing for.”
Hope this helped, Colin, along with others that likely feel the same way because there was some truth hidden below the weirdness.
Cowherd said, “I’ve never seen a player this talented; nobody’s saying be patient. People bailed on him. My take on Kyler is: He is the most talented quarterback in my life that has no support group.”
He now has that support in the locker room, but it will take consistent winning to alter the lazy narratives circulating on the outside.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.