One significant reason Kyler Murray continued to be connected to the Arizona Cardinals throughout the draft process was his intimate knowledge of the offense Kliff Kingsbury plans to bring to Arizona. That assumption hasn't gone unnoticed through offseason workouts.
Larry Fitzgerald went so far as to say recently that the rookie quarterback knows the offense better than anyone else on the team. Murray won't disagree with his Hall of Fame-bound receiver but noted it's his job to know the offense inside and out.
"Obviously, I'm more familiar with it; coach Kingsbury knows it the best," Murray said after Tuesday's minicamp, via the Associated Press. "With him (Fitzgerald) being a veteran, not having to come to the OTAs and me being there every day, studying it every day, yes I do know it better. But that's my job."
Murray's experience in wide-open offenses at college gives him a leg-up on some veterans, but he isn't the only player familiar with the verbiage or routes of Kingsbury's scheme.
"There's probably some truth to it, having been in a similar system all those years," Kingsbury said of Murray knowing the playbook better than the veterans. "(Receiver) Christian Kirk has a good feel for it as well. Some of the terminology and concepts are really similar to what they've done before."
Knowing the playbook is only half the battle for the rookie quarterback, who will be tossed into the fire from the get-go. Murray knows that defenses will also pick up on the plans as well, which means he must adjust accordingly.
"The windows are a lot tighter, guys are a lot smarter," Murray said. "They know what you're going to do before you even do it; you say hut, they already know what you're looking for. It's mind games, but it's fun, a lot of competition -- everything I thought it would be."
The success of the 2019 Arizona Cardinals rests largely on the arm, legs, and brain of the rookie quarterback. Having a jumpstart on knowing the system can only be beneficial.
